About us
What we do
Sharing the power of imagination and creativity with children through stories, performance, music and art is nothing short of wonderful. It generates a special energy, enriches young minds, and fills any space – big or small – with magic!
At Practically Perfect Pictures, we harness the combined power of these things to bring picture books alive, celebrate creativity and kindle a love of reading for young children and their families. We create wonderfully unique inclusive and accessible events that bring together live storytelling, drama, puppetry, dance, music, art and craft. Be a part of the experience!
“Watching Kristina Stephenson perform is to witness the pure magic of a book or story being brought to life! She has a remarkable ability to engage her audience and ignite the imagination of everyone in the room. It’s the perfect way to introduce a story to young readers and kindle a love of books.”
The importance of creative storytelling
We believe that creativity affects all aspects of a child’s development and that stories are a powerful way for even the youngest child to make sense of the world and understand their place within it.
Every child is born equipped with imagination and creative capability. Yet, in the world of learning, the power of creativity is often overlooked, the magic of storytelling undervalued, and not all children have access to music, theatre, storytelling and art.
So, our goal is to redress this imbalance, by taking our events and performances to the communities who need them most.
Bringing our performances to you
Our shows, events and workshops range from intimate craft sessions and pop-up street performance, to full-blown musical shows! We take our events to schools, theatres, libraries, arts centres, museums and bookshops, but we also enjoy performing in less conventional venues. An empty shop, a castle keep, a bandstand, a garden, a village hall, a car park… we love a challenge!
We can tailor our events to suit the location, so if you have something in mind, get in touch, we’d love to find out more!
Who we are
Kristina Stephenson
Children’s author and illustrator
Photograph © Lorentz Gullachsen
Hi, I’m Kristina!
I’m an author and illustrator, best known for my children’s stories about Sir Charlie Stinky Socks. I trained as a set and costume designer and worked in theatre and children’s TV as a designer, presenter, writer and producer. I specialised in preschool programmes for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
After having my own children, I turned my hand to writing and illustrating children’s books. I was inspired to create the much-loved Sir Charlie Stinky Socks by my own son Charlie (who incidentally, doesn’t have stinky socks) and I’ve loved writing and performing stories ever since. I have written and illustrated for Simon and Schuster, Puffin and Hachette. My latest book, The Museum of Marvellous Things, is a celebration of creativity and imagination, currently touring as an interactive family show with a live band!
“Kristina Stephenson is the best! As one of today’s most brilliant and engaging storytellers and performers, she has her young audiences (and their adults) rapt from beginning to end. Her beautifully produced events are a feast for the senses, bursting with great characters, catchy songs, dressing up, crafty stuff and LOTS of fun audience participation. Kristina is one of our all-time festival favourites…we’d have her at our Family Book Festival and Schools Gala Day every single year if we could…”
Nigel Ellis
Musician and Composer
Hi, I’m Nigel.
I’m a musician with a wealth of experience as both a composer and a performer. I have composed music for children’s TV (A Box Full of Stories, Channel 4), and composed, arranged and produced music for a range of children’s audio books.
I’ve performed as a musician in countless West End shows from Sunset Boulevard to Beauty and the Beast, and performed with many of the best orchestras in the UK, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. I am also Kristina’s husband and I’m currently touring with the Museum of Marvellous Things show!
Want to work with us?
We are a not-for-profit multi-faceted arts organisation, working in partnership with arts and education organisations, and in collaboration with writers, artists, performers and musicians. We love meeting other creative people and looking at ways to potentially broaden the scope of what we can achieve at Practically Perfectly Pictures.
If you think you can bring a little something extra to our organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
