Country’s Favourite Children’s Author Set to Visit North East

The author behind the UK’s most popular children’s book, The Gruffalo, is visiting the North East next month as part of a fortnight of literary celebrations. The region’s youngsters will be able to meet Julia Donaldson, whose book 'The Gruffalo' has just been named as the country’s favourite children’s book, at the Northern Children’s Book Festival (NCBF). Donaldson will be attending the two-week long NCBF, Europe’s largest free children’s literary event, as part of its Gala Day extravaganza on Saturday 20 November. The Booktrust Survey named 'The Gruffalo' as the nation’s favourite as almost one in five children aged between four and 11 (18 per cent) named ‘The Gruffalo’ as their favourite book. Julia Donaldson will be just one of the many top children’s authors making special appearances throughout the festival, which brings together writers, illustrators and storytellers from the world of children’s literature to celebrate the importance of reading. Janice Hall, Chair of NCBF, said: “Just when I thought our Gala Day line up couldn’t get any better, we now have the author of the country’s favourite children’s book coming along. Children really need great stories like this to help them to make sense of the world and understand different feelings, experiences and relationships – that’s why reading is so vital to a child’s development. “At NCBF we really want to get children excited about reading and encourage them to make use of their local libraries, so it’s wonderful that Julia Donaldson is coming along to help us spread this message. “Additionally, over 40 other well known writers, poets and illustrators will be taking part in the festival, so we hope that dedicated fans of Julia Donaldson’s titles will discover even more fantastic books to fall in love with.” Julia Donaldson will be holding two workshops for children and parents on the day, where she will perform exclusive readings from ‘The Gruffalo’ and new title, ‘Cave Baby’. Families will also be encouraged to join in acting out stories and singing songs, before getting the chance to have their favourite book signed by the author herself. NCBF encourages children to enjoy reading and develop an appreciation of high quality literature, as well as highlighting the many free services available in libraries across the region. Other authors including Dr Who writer Chris Bradford and international best-seller Robert Crowther will be attending this year’s festival as well as North East-born author and illustrator Liz Million. The 2010 Festival runs from the 8th – 20th November, culminating in a Gala Day event on the 20 November at Mortimer Community College. The theme of this year’s Festival is ‘Out of this World’. Over 40 popular children’s authors will be taking part over the two weeks, running activities, workshops and reading sessions in schools and libraries across the region. For more information visit www.ncbf.co.uk. ~ENDS~

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