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Description
Spooky Storytime for Kids at the Museum of Vancouver 2026
Get spooky with acclaimed children’s author Stephanie Ellen Sy for a family-friendly ghost story inspired by Philippine and Chinese folklore. After the storytelling, kids create their own Chinese Opera Mask to take home, with all materials provided. Come dressed in your favourite costume for a chance to win prizes from the museum’s partners. Book purchases and signing are available, and the program is recommended for children ages 3 and up. The date and time changed from the originally announced October 30 to Sunday, November 1.
- When: Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Where: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC
- Cost: Free; RSVP required
- Hosted by: Museum of Vancouver
- Tickets: RSVP for Spooky Storytime for Kids
- Website: Spooky Storytime for Kids at the Museum of Vancouver
What to Expect
A Ghost Story from Philippine and Chinese Folklore
Stephanie Ellen Sy tells a spooky, family-friendly ghost story inspired by Philippine and Chinese folklore, and reads from her book The Magnificent Banyan and The Green Tong Lau.
Craft Your Own Chinese Opera Mask
After the story, make a Chinese Opera Mask to take home. All materials are provided.
Costume Prizes
Come dressed in your favourite costume for a chance to win prizes from the museum’s partners.
Book Signing
Book purchases and signing are available after the program.
About the Storyteller
Stephanie Ellen Sy is a Filipino Chinese Canadian author of picture books, including A Roof!, You Can’t Tame a Tiger, Jia Has a Dog Problem, and The Magnificent Banyan and The Green Tong Lau. Born in the Philippines, raised in Hong Kong, and now living in Vancouver, she writes stories that celebrate the joy of belonging to more than one world.
The Magnificent Banyan and The Green Tong Lau
Illustrated in watercolour by Ishita Jain and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House, this modern fable follows the residents of a Hong Kong apartment whose lives are disrupted by a hardy banyan tree that begins to grow on the building’s walls. A bird drops a seed into a crack in a green tong lau, and a spindly root sprouts and curls past the grandpa playing mahjong, the aunties belting Chinese opera, the grandma lighting incense, the uncles hanging roast goose in their shop window, and the children playing nearby. The tree grows and grows until one day, everyone notices.
Know Before You Go
- Free, but RSVPs are required. If tickets are sold out and you’d like to join the waitlist, email programs@museumofvancouver.ca
- Recommended for children ages 3 and up