Inspiring author stories, exhilarating poetry performances that demystify verse, epic fantasy stories, compelling history, new books to discover, and spell-binding illustrations drawn live on stage: The Children’s Bookshow autumn programme delivers an awesome range of literary experiences designed to encourage creativity and promote the joy of reading, writing and drawing to primary school children across England.
- Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce and multi-million copy bestselling author, Katerine Rundell join the programme, as well as critically-acclaimed poet, Matt Goodfellow.
- International artists include Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson who will travel to Wolverhampton from the West Coast of America; and illustrator and artist Sarthak Sinha, who will be coming all the way from India to draw live on stage in Exeter.
- The tour includes 12 performances over the autumn term. The first stop is The Blackpool Grand on Friday 19th September, the last is Peterborough New Theatre on Monday 17th November.
- 2025 performances will reach primary school children at theatre venues in cities across England, including Newcastle, Hull, London, Ipswich, Bristol and Portsmouth.
- Four free in-school workshops are available in each tour location; schools can express interest in the workshops when booking event tickets.
The Children’s Bookshow aims to bring the best children’s authors and illustrators from the UK and abroad to local theatre venues, giving teachers and primary school children the opportunity to hear world-class artists talk about their work, and helping to inspire a love of reading, writing and drawing in young children.
During The Children’s Bookshow events, authors and illustrators introduce their work, talk about their working lives, show children the paint brushes and notebooks that they use, and talk about the tools and tricks of their trade. In doing this, they offer children a real insight into what it means to work creatively.
Every child who attends an event is given a book by the artist performing to take home and keep. Titles that will be given away this year include Matt Goodfellows’ bestseller The Final Year; 2023 Children’s Fiction Book of the Year, Tyger by SF Said;Rebecca Cobb and Mariesa Dulak’s Oscar’s Book Prize shortlisted picture book, There’s a Tiger on the Train; and hardback copies of Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s forthcoming novel, The Blockbusters (publishing 15 May 2025).
As part of The Children’s Bookshow, author Owen Sheers and illustrator Helen Stephens will be coming to Hull New Theatre on Tuesday 14th October.
Poetry pirates, and flying carpets: schools can join Owen Sheers and Helen Stephens for a magical morning of adventuring with Drew, Moo and Bunny Too, a picture book in verse written by Owen and illustrated by Helen. With readings from the story, the chance to hear how the book came to be written and how the pictures were created, and the opportunity to watch Helen draw scenes from the book live on stage, this fun and interactive performance will delight children with the power of stories, pictures and working creatively.Every child who attends a performance will leave with a free copy of Drew, Moo and Bunny Too to take home and keep.
Kate Arafa, co-director of The Children’s Bookshow, said: “The exceptional authors, poets and illustrators who we work with bring the joy of reading alive for children. I am proud to announce such an inspiring line-up of events that will delight children and teachers alike, and spark enthusiasm for reading that lasts well beyond the theatre performances and creative workshops.
“We are so pleased to be able to put books directly into the hands of children too. Every child goes home with their own copy of a book, to treasure, to share with their families, and to return to again and again.”
This year will mark the 23rd Children’s Bookshow tour, and the 23rd year that Michael Rosen has joined the programme. Michael is one of the UK’s finest childrenʼs poets and authors. He is a patron of The Children’s Bookshow and has been a part of the charity’s programme of live literature events every year since they began. Michael’s performance at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry will be an inspiring and exhilarating hour of poetry in performance.
The Children’s Bookshow 2024 autumn tour reached over 7,600 primary school children. Teacher feedback reported pupils’ excitement in attending Children’s Bookshow events, as well as increased engagement with books and reading within their schools as a direct result of attendance.
100% of teachers who responded to an evaluation survey said they would bring their class to an event again, with many highlighting the positive impact of putting enjoyment at the heart of literacy, particularly for pupils who struggle to meet the demands of the curriculum. Read The Children’s Bookshow 2024 Impact Report.
Bookings for the autumn programme open on Friday 2 May 2025. All the events take place during the school day and schools can book on behalf of their pupils. Detailed information is available on The Children’s Bookshow website: www.thechildrensbookshow.com/performances
In addition to the theatre performances, The Children’s Bookshow has several free in-school workshops available, run by the artists performing on the tour. Schools can express their interest in these workshops at the time of booking to attend an event. Workshops will be allocated by The Children’s Bookshow.