After all the months of planning and preparation the weekend of the inaugural Fourbears Fest finally arrived - and then, of course, it seemed to be over in a flash. As with many new ventures, things didn’t turn out quite as planned but we hope that everyone who attended one or more of the events on the children’s programme had a great time! Here’s a round up of the weekend with some suggestions for follow-up reading.
Starting with a lively interactive session on Saturday morning, children and adults alike had a go at creating characters for their own awesome comics under the guidance of cartoonist and writer Neill Cameron with the help of local illustrator Lewis James. It was great to see Neill having as much fun as his audience - sharing ideas and enthusiasm for books. Some children had brought examples of their own artwork to show Neill, while others brought copies of The Phoenix comic for him to sign. The Phoenix is a weekly magazine designed to inspire 7-14s to get reading, writing and drawing. You can try out the magazine by buying 6 issues for £1 via their website; and although tickets for this year’s Phoenix Fest live show in Oxford on Saturday 20th July have sold out, digital tickets are still available https://thephoenixcomic.co.uk/phoenix-fest/ In addition to Neill Cameron’s Mega Robo Bros series, look out for other popular graphic novel series for young readers including Bunny vs Monkey, Dogman and Investigators.
Neill was followed by local best-selling author of animal stories Holly Webb. She talked about how she draws inspiration from her own pets (she has three cats) as well as from some real-life animal stories - including the one about a lost dog guided to safety by a sausage dangled from a drone! The majority of her 150 plus books are aimed at 5-8s making them ideal for newly independent readers. Series like the Animal Stories, illustrated by Sophy Williams, appeal to many youngsters because of their subject matter, but they also provide young fans with a means of building their reading stamina. Holly has recently published the first two books in a new series for more experienced readers of 9+: The Story of Greenriver and The Swan’s Warning.
Our local poet A F Harrold began his session by introducing his poetry books and discussing the merits of having a carrot as a pet - as always demonstrating the joy of playing with words and ideas. Ashley is also a novelist. If you’re looking for funny, try the hilarious Fizzlebert Stump series which begins with The Boy Who Ran Away From the Circus (and Joined the Library) illustrated by Sarah Horne. He has also written four haunting fantasies for 8-12s in which illustration plays a powerful part. During his talk he asked one of the parents in the audience to rate the scariness of Emily Gravett’s images for The Imaginary - and yes, they are scary! The book has recently inspired a full-length animated film created by Japan’s Studio Ponoc, soon to be released on Netflix. Ashley is hoping for a special showing at The Biscuit Factory sometime in the future. You can see a trailer and find out more here http://www.afharroldkids.com/the-imaginary
At the end of the first day, picture book writer Fiona Barker delivered a perfectly pitched presentation for her young audience. Starting with a brief introduction to her books, Fiona read her latest title A Swift Return, followed by a quiz about swifts and a drawing workshop, ending with a swift-themed sing-a-long. The book is her third title created in partnership with illustrator Howard Gray. Both Setsuko and the Song of the Sea and A Swift Return are gorgeous environmental stories set in different parts of the world with parallel texts in the language of the place where they’re set: Japanese in the case of Setsuko and Arabic in the case of A Swift Return which is set in Damascus. Both invite us to think about the effects we are having on our environment and what we can do as individuals to help.
After enjoying the fantastic facilities at Caversham Baptist Church on Saturday, we transferred to the familiar bookish surrounds of Fourbears Book Shop for the children’s events on Sunday. Reading-born James Carter was accompanied by two musical friends - Steve the Melodica and Derek the Ukelele - and was occasionally interrupted by Bob the Banana Phone. It was quite a lively (and somewhat silly) affair involving poetry, riddles and collaborative writing, with participation (including dancing) encouraged
throughout. James has published a wide range of poetry books, many of which are non-fiction, including individual titles like All the Things a River Can Be and Once Upon a Big idea, plus anthologies like Weird, Wild and Wonderful and Out There in the Wild: Poems on Nature with Nicola Davies and Dom Conlon.
For the final session middle-grade author Jo Clarke led a workshop on How to Write Your Own Heist Story. She fired up the aspiring young authors’ creativity as they enthusiastically followed her step-by-step guide to planning a story. We’d love to know if anyone went on to complete their story based on the notes they took. Jo’s inspired Travelling School Mysteries series has allowed her to transport her own crime-solving characters to different places including Paris, Scotland and New York. With the current popularity of mystery stories, we’re now looking forward to Jo’s next book Libby and the Egyptian Escapade which is due for publication in January 2025.
All of the books mentioned above plus others by the authors who appeared at the Festival are available to purchase from Fourbears Books, or ask staff to order them if they are not in stock.
It was an absolute joy to give young readers the opportunity to hear and meet their favourite authors, and to meet some new ones too. We loved overhearing the buzz about books over the weekend and we’re already looking forward to the possibilities of Fourbears Fest 25! In the meantime, keep an eye on the website for information about more book events for children.
Reading Children’s Book Group
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