The fantastical tales we read as children often stay very real within our imaginations but isn’t it fabulous when they sometimes take actual 3D form too?
Newark Book Festival 2018 (July 13th-15th) will see knights, bookworms, the Gruffalo, very, very, very long dogs and fat cats, aliens, gardeners and much more popping out of the pages of a book into storytimes, dramatic presentations and character appearances. And you can even transform yourself into a literary character too and take part in the fancy dress competition.
Interaction is always key in any children’s event but there are also dedicated workshops to make sure your mini one’s own imagination takes centre stage including a fantasy writing workshop with Gareth Baker (recommended ages 8-12) and the chance to make a concertina stand-up book (all ages). Author and illustrator Julia Patton will also be helping Newark Library launch the Summer Reading Challenge (age 4-11) encouraging young readers to keep celebrating their love of stories long after the weekend is over.
And it’s not surprising that at a book festival the love of reading itself becomes the subject of events. Little Red Reading Hood by Lucy Rowland and Ben Mantle sounds a perfect title for little literary lovers and, for us older ones who still hold fairytales close 
to our hearts, Lucy Mangan’s Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading (among the many adults events on offer) will see the author and her interviewer Tina Bettison “take a trip down a rabbit hole and a visit to Narnia” as “she relives our best-loved books, their extraordinary creators and looks at the thousand subtle ways they shape our lives”.
Whether you’re cruising down the river on the Ship of Stories or exploring fairy trails in the Castle’s Enchanted Forest, Newark will be a very magical place for all literary lovers to visit in July.
Find out more at www.newarkbookfestival.org.uk and join in the conversation using #newarkbf.
Is it all about the journey rather than the destination for you? Take a look at Mrs S of Otis & Us suggestions of 7 books and activities for kids to take on a road trip to ensure your mini ones’ imaginations are switched on from the very start of any visit.
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