A HOST of family and children’s events at Stroud Book Festival are taking place on November 4 and 5 at The Museum in the Park, Lansdown Hall, Subscription Rooms and Stroud Library. 

There will be craft workshops, storytelling and fun interactive activities with special story times at Stroud Library over half term. 

Celebrated local author, and writer in residence at Minchinhampton Primary School, John Dougherty will be joined by pupils and teachers from the school at Lansdown Hall from 11am-12pm on November 4 to talk about their joint project to write a book in a year, A Portal Through Time.

Following on from that, and for an even bigger challenge, John Dougherty and the Minchinhampton School team will be attempting to write a book in just 90 minutes in The Big Write. 

On Sunday, November 5, Tom Percival’s Perfectly Normal captures the imagination of 4–6 year olds with the story of a boy who sprouts wings, and Andy Seed banishes boredom with non-fiction side-splitting family fun. 

At the Museum in the Park, there’s a touch of magic with Fiona Eadie‘s Wise Women and Witches for families with children over five. 

Children can get creative in puppet and mini-book making workshops with much loved illustrators Hannah Shaw, and Martha Lightfoot, and come and meet Uley Blue, a little hare with a big imagination, in a new picture book by Tracy Spiers. 

In Stroud Library, there will be animals galore with Tracey Corderoy’s hilarious new book Fairy Tale Pets. What do fairy tale pets get up to in their spare time? And discover the many wonders of the hedgehog with Hugh Warwick.

As well as children and family events, Stroud Book Festival will present a creative programme of high-quality, entertaining and thought-provoking events, kicking off on Thursday with a talk by Polly Toynbee and David Walker.

On Sunday, there is a chance to join celebrated food critic, travel writer and adventurer Matthew Fort, for a guide through the culinary and cultural history of the Italian Islands.

  •  The Stroud Book Festival runs from Thursday, November 2-Sunday, November 5. 
  • Box office subscriptionrooms.org.uk/tickets or telephone 01453 760900. 
  • For events at the Museum in the Park please call 01453 763394.
  • For the full line-up visit stroudbookfestival.org.uk.
  • For events at the Museum in the Park please call 01453 763394.
  • For the full line-up of children’s events and venues please visit stroudbookfestival.org.uk or contact Louise Brice Louise@stroudbookfestival.org.uk