A CELEBRATION of reading is coming to Caversham next week, just in time for half-term.
The Caversham Children’s Book Festival is running from Fourbears Books in Prospect Street, giving younger readers the chance to meet authors and discover some great new adventures.
It is the bookshop’s first mini-festival and events launch with a local lad on a double-header on Monday, October 25.
Poet extraordinaire – and author of Fizzlebert Stump series – AF Harrold will be sharing some of his funny poetry in a session aimed at children six and up. This takes place from 10.30am and 11.30am.
If AF’s name sound familiar, he used to host the Poets Café at South Street.
He is looking forward to coming to the event.
“I’m doubly excited about being a part of this brand-new festival – firstly because it’s always fun sharing poems with actual live audiences in the same room, especially after these interesting times! but secondly because it’s my first chance to come celebrate Reading’s new independent bookshop and I can’t help but love indie bookshops,” he said.
In the afternoon, Iszi Lawrence will be sharing information about the Suffragettes who had a secret weapon … and some amazing Spitfire pilots. She will be speaking from 1.30pm and 2.30pm.
On Tuesday, October 26, Tim Tilley will inspire children to create their own mini-forest journal and explain more about his book Harklights. This is aimed at children aged eight and up and takes place at 10am for an hour.
Kate Poels will lead a creative writing workshop for budding young authors aged seven and updwards from 10am to 11am on Wednesday, October 27.
Holly Webb, who was one of the speakers at the recent Wokingham Children’s Book Festival, will be appearing on Thursday, October 28, at 10am.
In her hour-long session, she will talk about her children’s series on cats, including her latest, which looks at how the cats play when the mice – well, museum visitors – are away.
The fun continues on Friday, October 29, with a visit from Mike Facherty, author of Patch Peg’s Pirate Yarns. Fourbears says in its publicity for this session: “Avast ye lubbers, all young pirates come and join our boarding party”. This is aimed at ages four to nine.
And the final session is with Fiona Barker on Saturday, October 30. She will unpack her amazing underwater world of Setsuko and her friend the whale in an hour-long event aimed at ages five upwards.
Each session costs £5 per person and children should be accompanied by an adult.
There is an additional event, running in the evening of Tuesday, October 26. This is for parents and carers and aimed at helping them find some great titles for young readers aged five to 11.
That’s not the only event that Fourbears Books is organising this month.
On Saturday, October 30, Robin Ince will be visiting to sign copies of his latest book, The Importance of Being Interested.
The actor, comedian and presenter of the BBC Radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage, is currently visiting 100 different bookshops on the tour, and will be in Caversham from 1.30pm.
For more details, call the shop on 0118 948 1747.
