Andy Seed will be launching his new book RSPB Wild Facts about Nature, the sixth and final title in his Bloomsbury humorous non-fiction series which won the Blue Peter award in 2015. Andy specialises in fun, interactive sessions which inspire children to read and write. Andy loves doing festival events: I think it's the whole family thing: parents and kids having fun together, enjoying books and celebrating reading. And it works particularly for me because my books appeal to both children and grown-ups (so I'm told!).

Children were mesmerised by Andy's interactive, funny and creative workshops. A Primary School Teacher's response to Andy's workshop

Amy Wilson is the Bristol-based author of A Girl Called Owl (nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018), and A Far Away Magic, third novel Snowglobe coming in October! Amy will do a short reading and discuss her writing practice, inspiration, editing and what she knows of the publishing industry. Amy has an interactive element where she discusses ideas of magic in writing and where the inspiration for this can be found in nature. She will touch on themes of friendship, empathy and self-discovery. Whatever your passion, from magic to football, from space to travel - there's a world for you and Amy will help you to find it and get it down on the page.

Leigh Hodgkinson is an award-winning author and illustrator of books for children. Her books have been translated into oodles of different languages around the world. Leigh is art director and co-creator of an inventive new animated show called Olobob Top for Cbeebies. Leigh likes swimming, buttons and cheese, but she's not so keen on slugs, tidying or parking.

Leigh will read her book Troll Swap then do some big drawing. Afterwards, everyone will have a chance to make their own special swip-swap picture!

Create a Picture Book:
In David Lucas' workshop each child will be an author illustrator. David will create a storybook character and start a story with the participants. He will then read Grendel and will explain how the story fits the classic 12 page picture book storyboard. After, each participant will produce their own drawing of characters and scene setting detail. Children will then write a story about their own unique, original character and make a storyboard of their own, plotting their story across 12 page spreads.

I just wanted to thank you for gifting me the most wonderfully inspiring, creative and engaging hour I have spent in a long time. A response to David's workshop at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Emma Randall is an award-winning illustrator from Bristol; you can find her bright and lively illustrations in a variety of picture books including How to Trap a Leprechaun, Diary of a Disciple and The Twelve Days of Christmas. Emma's workshop is based on her book How to Trap a Leprechaun. After an interactive reading of the book, Emma will lead activities such as Find the Leprechaun and the children will have the opportunity to design their own leprechaun traps.

Murderous Maths: Magic
Kjartan Poskitt's Murderous Maths books have sold millions in over 30 countries and over the last 20 years he has performed his hilarious maths shows all over the UK and Ireland. Join Kjartan Poskitt for his brilliant maths magic show where he performs weird tricks and games you can't lose. He'll show off his fabulous flexagons, and he can even make an infinitely big hole in a postcard and a dragon from a cinema ticket.

A stand-up maths routine has children and teachers in fits of laughter... The Times Educational Supplement

Mini Grey has an engaging and enthusiastic approach and delivery. Her workshop will provide children with outstanding learning experiences that will inspire creativity in their thinking and writing. Mini uses her book characters, illustrations and 'zig-zag' story planner to provide children with an engaging insight into the life of an author and the story-writing process.

An Olobob Top Event
Leigh is also co-creator & art director of the Cbeebies show Olobob Top.

The magical world of CBeebie's Olobob Top comes in all shapes, colours and sizes! Join co-creator Leigh Hodgkinson for a colourful creative play session celebrating all things Olobob.

There will be games ... there will be prizes ... there will be creativity!

Create a Picture Book
In David Lucas' workshop he will create a storybook character and start to write a story with the participants. David will read Grendel and show how to draw Grendel step-by-step. Each child will produce a drawing of their own of a character that no one has ever thought of and then think of a wish. Children will then write a story about their own unique, original character.

My daughter was in awe of him, as we all were - so engaging, confidence -boosting as well as informative and fun! A response to David's workshop at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Magical Creatures
Bristol author Amy Wilson will look at everything from unicorns to narwhals and how we draw from nature to fuel our imaginations. Children will then think about the sort of creature - real or imagined - they would like to meet or create, what is special about them, and how they might describe them and their setting for a short story.

A performance of songs and poems by 'The People's Poet Laureate'. John Hegley performed in Bristol at the Tobacco Factory in October 2017. He is a master of spontaneous audience participation, with call and response songs and poems and humorous word-riff chorales. Of late, John has been getting his audience to draw boats with crew and passengers and some unusual islands which they visit. Come and hear his songs and poems and see his drawings. John is an Edinburgh Festival regular, noted for his exploration of such diverse topics as dog hair, potatoes, handkerchiefs and the misery of human existence.

Marvellous, joyful fun. The Telegraph
Scandalously talented. Sunday Times

Murderous Maths: Numbers
Kjartan Poskitt's Murderous Maths books have sold millions in over 30 countries and over the last 20 years he has performed his hilarious maths shows all over the UK and Ireland. Join him to discover the fun side of numbers, including trick numbers, weird numbers and absolutely mind-melting massive numbers. Find out about the real Murderous Mathematicians, see how a chessboard gives you a pile of pennies as high as the sun and be amazed by what happens in the ice cream shop with 517 different flavours!

A stand-up maths routine has children and teachers in fits of laughter... The Times Educational Supplement

Junkyard Creations with Space Tortoise
In Space Tortoise a lonely tortoise tries to reach the stars using the items he finds in the bin - everything from a spacesuit to a hot air balloon. In this event, children think about other items that the tortoise could have made from discarded objects in the park: a hang glider from newspaper and dental floss? A car made from burger boxes, with onion ring wheels? The only limit is your imagination!

Ross was brilliant at involving the children's thoughts and ideas...children had a fantastic time and created some super, imaginative designs. Reception Teacher

SuperYou
If you had a magical super power what would it be, and why? Bristol author Amy Wilson's SuperYou workshop will encourage you to think about who you are, what you'd love to be able to do most, and how that would affect your life and friendships. What would be the consequences? How could you describe it all in a short story, so that other people can see it just as you can, in your mind?

Mini Grey has an engaging and enthusiastic approach and delivery. Her workshop will provide children with outstanding learning experiences that will inspire creativity in their thinking and writing. Mini uses her book characters, illustrations and 'zig-zag' story planner to provide children with an engaging insight into the life of an author and the story-writing process.

A performance of songs and poems by 'The People's Poet Laureate'. John Hegley performed in Bristol at the Tobacco Factory in October 2017. He is a master of spontaneous audience participation, with call and response songs and poems and humorous word-riff chorales. Of late, John has been getting his audience to draw boats with crew and passengers and some unusual islands which they visit. Come and hear his songs and poems and see his drawings. John is an Edinburgh Festival regular, noted for his exploration of such diverse topics as dog hair, potatoes, handkerchiefs and the misery of human existence. This workshop will have an additional Carrot Corner!

Marvellous, joyful fun. The Telegraph
Scandalously talented. Sunday Times

Miniature Marvels with Max and the Millions
In Max and the Millions a boy discovers a microscopic fantasy civilisation living on a bedroom floor. After discussing microscopic worlds the children imagine what it would be like to be an ant-sized person. How would everyday objects and rooms look to you? In the writing workshop children will write entries from the expedition diary of a pint-sized explorer!

Ross Montgomery was fantastically engaging and gave one of the best talks I have ever witnessed. Head of Drama, Primary School

Create a Picture Book
In David Lucas' workshop each child will be an author illustrator. David will create a storybook character and start a story with the participants. He will then read Grendel and will explain how the story fits the classic 12 page picture book storyboard. After each participant will produce their own drawing of characters and scene setting detail. Children will then write a story about their own unique, original character and make a storyboard of their own, plotting their story across 12 page spreads.

I just wanted to thank you for gifting me the most wonderfully inspiring, creative and engaging hour I have spent in a long time. A response to David's workshop at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Andy Seed will be launching his new book RSPB Wild Facts about Nature, the sixth and final title in his Bloomsbury humorous non-fiction series which won the Blue Peter award in 2015. Andy specialises in fun, interactive sessions which inspire children to read and write. Andy loves doing festival events: I think it's the whole family thing: parents and kids having fun together, enjoying books and celebrating reading. And it works particularly for me because my books appeal to both children and grown-ups (so I'm told!).

Children were mesmerised by Andy's interactive, funny and creative workshops. A Primary School Teacher's response to Andy's workshop

Chris d’Lacey writes books for children of all ages, but is best known for his fantasy series, The Last Dragon Chronicles, which have sold close to four million copies worldwide. When not writing books, Chris makes school visits as a way of getting to know his readers. He explains on his website, I think this is one of the best things about being an author. It's really brilliant to see children [in the classes I visit] getting excited about making up stories. It makes me feel I am doing a good job.

Chris wowed and inspired the children so much that they haven't stopped talking about his visit or when he is coming back! Primary School Teacher

SF Said is an award-winning author. His first novel, Varjak Paw, won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize for Children's Literature. It has since been adapted as a stage play and an opera, and a film version is in development. It has been translated into 12 languages, and worldwide sales are now over half a million. The sequel, The Outlaw Varjak Paw won the BBC's Blue Peter Book of the Year. SF's third novel, Phoenix, is an epic space adventure for readers of 9 and up. It was chosen as an IBBY Honour List Book for the UK and won both the Warwickshire Secondary Schools Book of the Year Award and the Haringey Children's Book Award. He'll be talking about all his books, and his journey from being a young reader to an award-winning writer, with many insights into the writing process, and a full question & answer session at the end!

Junkyard Creations with Space Tortoise
In Space Tortoise a lonely tortoise tries to reach the stars using the items he finds in the bin - everything from a spacesuit to a hot air balloon. In this event, children think about other items that the tortoise could have made from discarded objects in the park: a hang glider from newspaper and dental floss? A car made from burger boxes, with onion ring wheels? The only limit is your imagination!

Ross was brilliant at involving the children's thoughts and ideas...children had a fantastic time and created some super, imaginative designs. Reception Teacher

Create a Picture Book
In David Lucas' workshop he will create a storybook character and start to write a story with the participants. David will read Grendel and show how to draw Grendel step-by-step. Each child will produce a drawing of their own of a character that no one has ever thought of and then think of a wish. Children will then write a story about their own unique, original character.

My daughter was in awe of him, as we all were - so engaging, confidence-boosting as well as informative and fun! A response to David's workshop at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Andy Seed will be launching his new book RSPB Wild Facts about Nature, the sixth and final title in his Bloomsbury humorous non-fiction series which won the Blue Peter award in 2015. Andy specialises in fun, interactive sessions which inspire children to read and write. Andy loves doing festival events: I think it's the whole family thing: parents and kids having fun together, enjoying books and celebrating reading. And it works particularly for me because my books appeal to both children and grown-ups (so I'm told!). My events are based on non-fiction, which doesn't get much of a look-in even at some of the bigger book festivals.

Children were mesmerised by Andy's interactive, funny and creative workshops. A Primary School Teacher

SF Said is an award-winning author. His first novel, Varjak Paw, won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize for Children's Literature. It has since been adapted as a stage play and an opera, and a film version is in development. It has been translated into 12 languages, and worldwide sales are now over half a million. The sequel, The Outlaw Varjak Paw won the BBC's Blue Peter Book of the Year. SF's third novel, Phoenix, is an epic space adventure for readers of 9 and up. It was chosen as an IBBY Honour List Book for the UK and won both the Warwickshire Secondary Schools Book of the Year Award and the Haringey Children's Book Award. He'll be talking about all his books, and his journey from being a young reader to an award-winning writer, with many insights into the writing process, and a full question & answer session at the end!

Chris d’Lacey writes books for children of all ages, but is best known for his fantasy series, The Last Dragon Chronicles, which have sold close to four million copies worldwide. When not writing books, Chris makes school visits as a way of getting to know his readers. He explains on his website, I think this is one of the best things about being an author. It's really brilliant to see children [in the classes I visit] getting excited about making up stories. It makes me feel I am doing a good job.

Chris wowed and inspired the children so much that they haven't stopped talking about his visit or when he is coming back! Primary School Teacher

Junkyard Creations with Space Tortoise
In Space Tortoise a lonely tortoise tries to reach the stars using the items he finds in the bin - everything from a spacesuit to a hot air balloon. In this event, children think about other items that the tortoise could have made from discarded objects in the park: a hang glider from newspaper and dental floss? A car made from burger boxes, with onion ring wheels? The only limit is your imagination!

Ross was brilliant at involving the children's thoughts and ideas...children had a fantastic time and created some super, imaginative designs. Reception Teacher

Andy Seed will be launching his new book RSPB Wild Facts about Nature, the sixth and final title in his Bloomsbury humorous non-fiction series which won the Blue Peter award in 2015. Andy specialises in fun, interactive sessions which inspire children to read and write. Andy loves doing festival events: I think it's the whole family thing: parents and kids having fun together, enjoying books and celebrating reading. And it works particularly for me because my books appeal to both children and grown-ups (so I'm told!).

Children were mesmerised by Andy's interactive, funny and creative workshops. A Primary School Teacher's response to Andy's workshop

Drama Workshop
For the last 30 years Peter has been working as an actor (in theatre, television and short films), a director (of theatre and magic shows) and a writer (of a couple of plays and many theatre magic shows).

He also works as a magician and magic consultant for theatre and television; he was part of the original creative team for Derren Brown and was co-creator and co-director of Derren's first live tour and West end run. More recently he worked with David Blaine on 'Beyond Magic' for television and was a co-creator and co-director of David's first live theatre show.

He has two children, both of whom went to Horfield school. Peter can currently be seen playing Capulet (Juliet's dad) in the critically acclaimed Insane Root's production of Romeo and Juliet at Eastville Park Swimming Pool. On until 29th July - tickets available through www.insaneroot.co.uk.

After his workshop Peter will become our Strolling Storyteller. If you see the Strolling Storyteller (Peter Clifford) in the public areas at any time, grab him and ask him to share his favourite story/poem/sonnet with you.

Have you ever heard The Gruffalo in Spanish? Come and join our interactive story-telling session.
Do you know how to rhyme in Spanish? Come and meet our friend Cocodrilo and he will teach you.

Come and learn some basic Spanish songs that are catchy and easy to follow.

Let's build a story about a castle together: El Castillo de Cucurumbé.

With Natalia (Pasitos) and Kate (Horfield School)

Do you know any songs inspired by stories? Come and sing along to some of our favourites. There will be a medley of funny songs, songs that will keep you humming all day and songs to make you smile. No singing expertise needed!

With Kirsten Cunningham, Laurel Steel, and Claire Alsop (Horfield School)

Do you know any songs inspired by stories? Come and sing along to some of our favourites. There will be a medley of funny songs, songs that will keep you humming all day and songs to make you smile. No singing expertise needed!

With Kirsten Cunningham, Laurel Steel, and Claire Alsop (Horfield School)

A range of art and craft activities are on offer which have been inspired by the stories of our visiting authors. Explore a variety of media and techniques including screen and block printing!
Suitable for ages 6-11

With Holly (artist & print specialist) and Theresa (specialist primary school teacher in art & design)

Lisa AKA The Fuss Free Foodie is a Bristol-based food blogger who writes about how she shops, cooks and eats delicious food without the fuss. Since beginning her journey in December 2016, Lisa has appeared twice on BBC Radio Bristol, cooked live in St. Nicks Market, appeared on The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas and worked on a campaign cooking for Branston Pickle. Lisa is involved in the lively Bristol food scene, reviewing restaurants, supporting bringing communities together through food, eating locally and in season, growing your own and teaching children to cook. To stay up to date with Lisa's latest adventures, including event appearances, workshops and collaborations, follow The Fuss Free Foodie on Facebook, Instagram or see all her 'how to' videos and recipes at www.fussfreefoodie.com

Children will be given the chance to log in to ReadingWise and complete a Roald Dahl comprehension strategy activity. They will leave with a log in for their own use.