Events for Children and Young People

Join Onjali Q Raúf as she talks about the inspirations behind her bestselling books, what she loved to read as a child, her work with refugees – and all the wonderful people everywhere who help others, whenever they can, wherever they are. Learn how you, too, can use empathy to help make the world a better place.

No school. No THANKS. No. NO. NO! This punk rocker poodle is full of attitude. All she wants to do is stomp and stamp and pout, romping through the house and round and round at playgroup. That is, until naptime, when all she really wants is a… CUDDLE! Join Laura Dockrill for a funky, musical event full of anarchy, fun and a whole lot of attitude.

Bad Wolf’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy for HBO/BBC One has become a global sensation. Ahead of the highly-anticipated launch of Series Three this autumn, join cast members including Amir Wilson (Will Parry) and Simone Kirby (Mary Malone), along with film producer and co-founder of Bad Wolf Jane Tranter, for a discussion about the joys and challenges of bringing the series to life. The event will be interspersed with readings from Philip Pullman’s recent companion novel The Imagination Chamber. The cast will also be joined by the puppets and puppetry team who brought Pullman’s daemons and armoured Panserbjørn bears to life.

Come and join the fun in this interactive session with Editorial Director Craig Graham and Creative Director Mike Stirling from the Beano Studios. Together they are in charge of making sure that everything in the Beano is as funny and naughty as it can possibly be. They will also tell some favourite jokes from IP Daley’s latest boomic, Attack of the Evil Veg!

Join the award-winning author, environmentalist and zoologist to explore her new novel in which dark forces are destroying nature. Those with the ability to listen to animal thoughts stand in their way. Who will triumph in this epic conflict? Who will learn The Song That Sings Us and what it means, in the world of the story and on our own planet?

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 2.5 hour duration. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.

An environmental fairytale for all ages, newly made for our times by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road. In the forest near Mangoshi’s village in Africa there grows a very special flower. Mangoshi knows that only this flower can save her mother’s life. It can save her village, too. All she has to do is find it. Ben Okri and illustrator Diana Ejaita have created a magical forest of beauty and colour from which the great baobab, the chief tree of the forest, invites readers into his branches to travel the world and see for themselves the perils of not listening to nature.

Join Jenny Valentine for a creative writing workshop based on her joyful new series of stories. Jenny teaches children the tools of the trade to create believable characters in a real world setting and to focus on building a story around themes that they are passionate about.

Come and hear all about the Burpee Bears, the picture book characters created by global fitness star and PE teacher Joe Wicks. Find what adventures Joe has in store for this modern-day bear family as they tackle the ups and downs of everyday family life. And be ready to join in with their exercise routines while you listen. Perfect for energetic little bears everywhere.

The winner of this year’s Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is a book in which data can not only be visualised but also heard and touched. Join winning author and data journalist Miriam Quick and children’s author Sharna Jackson, a Young People’s Book Prize judge, as they explore the wonders of our world through this year’s winner, I Am a Book. I Am a Portal to the Universe.

The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize aims to promote literacy in young people and to inspire them to read about science. Each year, the winner is selected by judging panels made up of thousands of young people at schools across the country.

An exciting workshop with plenty of hands-on activities and exciting coding challenges for parents and children who will work together and code Sphero SPRK+ robot to dance to their favourite song. Children will then code their Spheros to race, with amazing prizes for the winning robots.

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 2.5 hour duration. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.

Determination, the environment, open-mindedness and wellbeing are explored in this physical theatre performance based on The Promise written by Nicola Davies. Aspiring performers, musicians and textile artists from Hereford College of Arts come together to create an uplifting, joyous outdoor short performance suitable for all ages. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will move to the Main Garden Tent.

Allen Fatimaharan, illustrator of We Are the Egyptians by David Long, leads an interactive drawing workshop and reading event designed to bring the ancient world to life. Step back in time to ancient Egypt and meet some of the many people who lived, worked, and played during that time. Discover how to draw ancient Egyptians using visual references from the book and take part in some hieroglyphic drawing.

Setting the scene and atmosphere is key to a twisting thriller story that keeps readers guessing. From sweet summer roses to the foetid stench of decay, scent is a powerful, yet all too often an underused, storytelling tool. Krystal Sutherland, author of House of Hollow, leads an interactive workshop on good and bad smells, and how to use the language of smell to create atmosphere in your writing.

An exciting workshop with plenty of hands-on activities and exciting coding challenges for parents and children who will work together and code Sphero SPRK+ robot to dance to their favourite song. Children will then code their Spheros to race, with amazing prizes for the winning robots.

Join author and illustrator James Mayhew for storytelling and live painting as an accompaniment to a fabulous quartet of young musicians as they play much-loved music by wonderful composers including Rossini, Rimsky-Korsakov and Grieg. Enjoy this playful adventure that combines art, storytelling, and music in an event for very young listeners.

A sharp, funny adventure with themes of real-life activism, celebrating the inventiveness, spirit and warmth of young people doing their best to help others and make a difference. Author Sharna Jackson is an artistic curator who lives on a ship in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 2.5 hour duration. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.

Join the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist in conversation with the Unbound publisher about her dazzling, feminist retelling of the Greek myth Medusa. Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal.

Áine Ní Ghlinn, Ireland’s Laureate na nÓg (Children’s Literature Laureate) joins Children’s Poet Laureates for Wales Casi Wyn and Connor Allen for a dynamic Celtic language conversation with Welsh author and presenter Jon Gower. All of them work with great energy and passion to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure and explore their creative expression in Cymraeg and Gaeilge.

Discover the joy of dancing and the importance of family, whatever your culture, ability or style with Luna, brought to life by author Joseph Coelho and illustrator Fiona Lumbers. When Luna dances, she feels like the world’s volume turns up, like all colours brighten, like sunlight sparkles behind every cloud. But when she takes her dance exam she ducks, dives, spins and... falls. Luna thinks she can’t be a real dancer now. Can Luna’s family convince her otherwise?

Join Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, authors of The Stick Book and many other outdoor adventure favourites, for a fun interactive workshop. Try some wild activities taken from their new book to make a creative scrapbook. Cut things out, doodle, stick in natural materials. How wild can you make yours?

How best can we support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing? Join the Strong Young Minds champions and wellbeing ambassadors for a panel discussion about ways we can provide support to our young people.

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 2.5 hour duration. An accompanying adult must attend at all times but does not require a ticket.