As part of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, Book Festival staff have been working with a group of school pupils aged 8-14 from Craigmillar in Edinburgh to co-curate a strand of events exploring the concept of freedom. The name the young people have chosen for their strand is Codename F.
The Codename F young programmers have designed 9 events across the Book Festival’s public adult and children’s programmes, and the programme for schools. In a series of posts, the young people (and some of the authors featured) explain the reasoning behind their decisions.
Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks: Perfect Picture Books
Saturday 25 August, 15:15 – 16:15
Baillie Gifford Main Theatre (Charlotte Square Gardens)
£5.00 – Tickets available here from Tues 26 June
In her only event at the Book Festival this year, The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson presents her latest creation with illustrator Lydia Monks. An exciting adventure packed with magic and a very unexpected ending, The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes is sure to be a bestseller. Don’t miss your only chance to see the picture book dream team behind What the Ladybird Heard.
Whilst debating freedom, our Year of Young People co-programmers talked about the efforts we can each take to improve quality of life for ourselves and others. How we approach other people and differing situations was a big discussion point which led to the selection of Julia and Lydia’s latest picture book as part of the Codename F strand. Co-programmer India Cierpikowska noted that the book:
…helps teach young people to not be greedy which in later life can help us to be more compassionate and understanding of other people and the disadvantages they may face.
In response to being selected by the young programmers, bestselling author Julia Donaldson had this to say:
To be selected by the Year of Young People Edinburgh International Book Festival co-programmers was a lovely surprise. I’ve been acting out my stories and singing songs at the Festival for nearly 20 years now, and when Lydia can join me to draw pictures on stage it adds a wonderful extra dimension to the shows. It’s always great to see children and their families captivated by stories in this way, and I’m delighted that this year there is a strand of programming dedicated to enhancing the creativity and compassion of young people.
Come and enjoy the stories and songs on Saturday 25 August. Tickets cost £5.00 and we recommend booking in advance.
You can find a full list of the Year of Young People: Codename F events here.
You can book tickets for any of the events in the Codename F strand from Tuesday 26 June online, by phone 0345 373 5888 or in person. You can find all of the booking information on the Book Festival website at www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/how-to-book
About the Year of Young People 2018
In 2018, Scotland puts its young people in the spotlight, celebrating their talents, contributions and creating new opportunities for them to shine. The Year of Young People 2018 is a year-long programme of events and activities that will give young people in Scotland the opportunity to show the world what they are made of.
