YOUNG readers are gearing up for the return of the Wokingham Children’s Book Festival, which will see a fantastic line-up of award-winning authors come to town in October.
There will be a total of 13 events taking place over the weekend of October 14 and 15, in what will be the sixth edition of the project.
The festival will give budding book fans and their families the opportunity to experience storytelling in an immersive environment, as well as getting to meet the authors behind some of their favourite creations.
Sessions will be held at Wokingham Town Hall and Wokingham Library, with a mixture of storytelling, crafting and singing.
Cllr Barrie Callender, Chair of the Arts and Culture Committee, Wokingham Town Council, said: “Books have been a huge part of my life, from an early age, but I have never been to a Book Festival. That is going to change, as I am really looking forward to attending as many events as I can on 14 and 15 October.
“The opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators is bound to thrill the children, and let’s be honest, their parents, guardians and carers as well.
“We can all lose ourselves in the sheer joy of books along with the authors and illustrators that turn words and pictures into something special, never to be forgotten.”
Illustrator Nick Sharratt will be kicking proceedings off on the Saturday as he takes over Wokingham Leisure Centre’s sports hall with activities for the whole family to enjoy.
From 10am, the picture book author will encourage visitors to get ‘super silly’ as he takes them on a guided tour of majestic museums; the event will be based on Sharratt’s book Super Silly Museums.
Holly Webb, one of Britain’s best-loved children’s writers and a festival regular, will get things underway at Wokingham Town Hall on the Sunday. She has written more than 150 titles for youngsters and will be discussing her latest offering The Railway Kitten.
Comedian, podcaster and presenter Iszi Lawrence will take visitors on a voyage for Blackbeard’s treasure, while multi-award-winning Jane Elson will deliver a dramatic reading of Storm House, a book where children will be sworn into the Secret Horse Society and explore the gift of dyslexia and celebrate neurodiversity.
Cllr Sarah Kerr, executive member for climate emergency and resident services, Wokingham Borough Council, said: “It looks set to be another fantastic year for the Wokingham Children’s Book Festival and I can’t wait to see lots of children being inspired by the brilliant line-up of authors coming to town.
“There is a wide variety of events to enjoy and I’m sure it will be another successful year for the festival, which has been a favourite for many since it started in 2018.”
Other participating creatives include authors Clare Bevan, James Carter, Zanna Davidson, Nizrana Farook and Gareth P Jones, while RIkin Parekh will teach children how to draw characters from his books and Georgia Byng will offer tips on story writing.
As ever, the book festival will also feature the popular ‘Authors into Schools’ scheme, which this year will feature Julia Jarman reading Ants in Your Pants, an interactive talk on folklore from Gabriela Houston, a discussion about football with Tom Palmer and Shiko Nguru will share her love of African culture.
Tickets are priced at £3 per person, with a 15% early bird discount available, and can be purchased from the Wokingham Children’s Book Festival website.
Fore tickets and full listings, visit: www.wokingham-tc.gov.uk/bookfest/
