FIVE THINGS YOU MUST DO AT THE CHILDREN’S BOOK FESTIVAL
18 January 2019
Budding bookworms, imaginative illustrators, and wannabe writers – a world of wonder awaits you at Dreamland this February.
On Saturday 16th February, we will throw open the doors for our first ever Children’s Book Festival, with authors, activities and awesome entertainment laid on all day down in Hall By the Sea and The Ballroom. What a great way to start February half term!
To help you plan your day, here’s our handy list of five ‘must do’ activities at the festival. Psst! And if you want to dress up as your favourite book character, we won’t stop you!
There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo? Is there…?
Luckily for Dreamland, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s mythical monster will be making appearances at intervals throughout the day at the festival, so you can try to track the fabled creature and maybe steal a hug!
And fans of Julia and Axel’s work will be well and truly spoilt, as there will be screenings of animated film adaptations of their work by Magic Light Pictures, including Room On The Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat…and their highly-anticipated latest release Zog, out on DVD that very week!
Little art lovers aged 3+ won’t want to miss out on this colourful workshop with renowned illustrator and author Emily Rand. Youngsters will learn how to make their own concertina book, based on Emily’s new book The Lost Property Office, using colourful collage and drawing techniques sure to make their parents’ eyes pop.
Margate-based artist Megan Metcalf will also be on hand to teach visitors how to make their own flip book, and how to use moving images to tell a story. She’ll be bringing all sorts of seaside characters to life, and might even have a few goodie bags to give away…
What do you do when there’s a pig up your nose? Where would you go with a time-travelling cat? The answer to these and more crazy questions will be revealed at our festival author talks!
Award-winning author John Dougherty will be sharing stories, songs and poems and talking about his book There’s A Pig Up My Nose – and promises plenty of laughter and silliness. Julia Jarman will be sharing tales from her books Big Red Bath, Class Two At The Zoo and others with under 7s, and the daring adventures of the Time Travelling Cat with kids aged 7 to 12.
Kids will be enthralled, and parents might just pick up a few writing tips…
Surely the best part of any book festival is browsing for exciting new books to cherish? A selection of the best new literature for primary school-aged children will be available to browse during the day, so make sure save some time to look through the works by new authors and find a new adventure to fall in love with.
If the fun of the Book Festival isn’t enough to wear you and your family out, then head over to our Roller Room, hire some skates, and hit the disco floor! Our Tail Spin diner and bar will also be serving plenty of delicious treats to keep you fuelled up all day, or little kids (and parents) can head over to the Octopus’s Garden soft play centre and café for a more relaxing adventure.
The Children’s Book Festival takes place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 16th February at Dreamland Margate. The event is suitable for the whole family, under 16s must be accompanied by an adult
Tickets are £6 each plus booking fee in advance, or £22 plus booking fee in advance for family tickets (up to 4 people). Limited tickets at £3 + booking fee are available for Dreamland members.