The National Trust Children’s Book Festival

The National Trust Children’s Book Festival is returning on 23 – 24 June 2018, and this year is hosted by Quarry Bank in Styal, Cheshire. Following two highly successful years at Wray Castle in the Lake District, the festival is on the move and is set to be bigger and brighter than ever.

Visitors to Quarry Bank will be able to meet their favourite children’s authors and illustrators at the two day festival where there will be talks, book signings and workshops. Highlights include a chance to meet Axel Scheffler, the creator of Pip and Posy and illustrator of The Gruffalo and Stick Man on Saturday 23 June. There’ll be live drawing and storytelling and perhaps even a surprise guest or two as Axel introduces the latest adventures of best friends Pip and Posy.

On Sunday 24 June, the festival will present the world premiere of Alex T. Smith’s Claude on TV. The bestselling books are launching as a TV series on Disney Junior in June, and this will be an exclusive opportunity to see an episode of Claude, meet Alex T. Smith and find out all about his brand new detective character, Mr Penguin.

Other appearances include model making workshops with animators from Aardman Animations; Tracey Corderoy, author of Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam; Benji Davies, the author and illustrator behind The Grotlyn, The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island; Harriet Muncaster, creator of the Isadora Moon series, and interactive storytelling sessions.

Katie Bond, Children’s Publisher for the National Trust, says “We’re very excited to bring the Children’s Book Festival to Quarry Bank and we’ve put together an action-packed weekend with some of the UK’s best-loved children’s authors and illustrators. Everything that we do at the National Trust helps us to look after special places for generations to come, so it’s great to be able to host the festival at Quarry Bank and find new ways to engage families through stories and imagination.”

Visitors at the National Trust Children’s Book Festival, 2016, at Wray Castle, Cumbria

Across the festival weekend, Quarry Bank will be running story-themed family activities, inspired by the authors who are appearing at the festival. With activities including dressing up, craft activities and interactive games, there’ll be plenty for the whole family to get stuck into. Visitors can also delve deeper into Quarry Bank’s own story with the Journeys of the Imagination trail that will be running from 5 May – 28 October 2018. Journeys of the Imagination follows the tales of six remarkable travellers who journeyed to and from Quarry Bank, drawing on the wealth of stories hidden within the archives.

“We’re thrilled to be hosting the Children’s Book Festival in 2018,” says Suzanne Bowling, Visitor Programming Officer at Quarry Bank. “We’ve taken inspiration from all the authors and illustrators who are appearing and put together a host of activities for families to connect to the stories and characters featuring at the festival. It’s a weekend not to be missed for bookworms of all ages.”

Visitors reading books in the second-hand bookshop at The Argory, County Armagh.

Tickets for author and illustrator workshops must be booked in advance. Additional activities are included in the Quarry Bank admission price (free for National Trust members). For the full festival line-up and to book tickets visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank