WOKINGHAM CHILDREN’s BOOK FESTIVAL BACK FOR SEVENTH YEAR
Children and families are in for a treat with the return of the Wokingham Children’s Book Festival, a celebration of storytelling, imagination and creativity.
Now in its seventh year, the festival will be held over the weekend of 19 and 20 October, with a total of 13 events featuring award-winning authors and illustrators.
If you have ever wanted the chance to meet your favourite authors, enjoy storytelling in an immersive environment and take part in fun sessions, this is the perfect event for you. Sessions will be held at Wokingham Town Hall and Wokingham Library, with a mixture of book readings, crafting and singing.
The festival will get underway on the Saturday at the Carnival Hub in Wokingham with a visit from Enchanted Players Theatre Company. The audience will be taken on a journey through a selection of Julia Donaldson’s popular tales. With drama and puppets, props and music you will have lots of fun and plenty of interaction. This event will run from 10.30am to 11.30am.
Among the authors attending this year will be children’s author and poet A. F. Harrold, whose novel The Imaginary was recently released as an animated film on Netflix. He will be talking about his latest novel The Worlds We Leave Behind, as well as reading some of his hilarious poems.
A returning favourite of the book festival and Wokingham Library is bestselling author and illustrator Steve Antony. Join him for an interactive reading of his latest picture books, Cat Nap and Bird Bath. He will also show the children how to draw their own little animals.
Another festival regular Holly Webb will also be talking about animals – meet the bears, dolphins and other wild creatures that have inspired her stories. One of Britain’s best loved children’s writers, Holly has written more than 150 books for children and her work has been translated into more than 30 languages.
Cllr Barrie Callender, Chair of Wokingham Town Council Arts and Culture Committee, said: “Books are a wonderful way to escape reality, explore new worlds and have adventures. So it’s with great pleasure that we are able to bring such a wide range of authors and exciting story tellers to Wokingham again this year. We’re going to have a fabulous weekend with many fun topics to explore, creative processes to learn, and artists on hand to help children and teens bring stories to life. We’re kicking off the weekend with some theatrical story telling over at the Carnival Hub, so whether it’s reading, writing or illustrating that grabs you, I urge you to plan ahead and pre-book the sessions you’d like to attend.”
Cllr Rachel Bishop-Firth, Wokingham Borough Council executive member for resident services, inclusion and fighting poverty, said: “The children’s book festival still offers fantastic value for money to families. This is a chance to meet award-winning authors right in your doorstep and take part in some really fun and engaging sessions, which will encourage children to use their imagination and let out their creative side.”
Other authors attending this year will be:
Early birds will be able to get a 15% discount on tickets bought between now and 15th September. Otherwise, tickets will remain priced at £3 per person and can be purchased from the Wokingham Children’s Book Festival website.
As with previous years, the book festival will also feature the popular ‘Authors into Schools’ initiative, which this year will feature:
The Wokingham Children’s Book Festival is brought to you by Wokingham Town Council, Wokingham Borough Council’s Library Service, Love Wokingham, more arts and some very dedicated volunteers.
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Further information:
Wokingham Town Council
More from Cllr Barrie Callender, Chair of Arts and Culture Committee, at
b.callender@wokingham-tc.gov.uk
Wokingham Borough Council
More from the Communications, Engagement and Marketing team at CEM@wokingham.gov.uk