Festival Guide
Information to support you to watch previous events and promote reading for pleasure.
Event Info | Festival Themes | Accessibility | Libraries | Books | Resources
Event Information
Members Area
A selection of events from previous festivals are available to watch for a small one-off fee of £5. Please click here to sign up or log in if you are already a member.
Age Ranges
Each event has a suggested age range: 4-7, 7-11, 11-13, 13+ and YA. These are our recommendations based on the style of the event and the content of the talk or books.
However, you know your class/your child best so do read the event information, have a look at the links on the event pages and the books the authors and illustrators are talking about too, in order to decide which events would be most suitable.
Festival Themes
Themes from Cressida’s Waterstones Children’s Laureate Charter were used when curating the festival events. The events addressed one or more of the points which celebrate things children have a right to with their own reading and writing:
'every child has the right to…
… be creative for at least 15 minutes a week
… have a planet to read on
… see themselves reflected in a book
…have some choice in what they read
… read for the joy of it
How to join your local library
UK
You can find your local library in England and Wales by going to this website and entering your postcode, this will then redirect you to your local council’s library website. www.gov.uk/local-library-services
You can find out more about Scottish Libraries here: www.scottishlibraries.org
Information on how to join the library in Bath & North East Somerset here: beta.bathnes.gov.uk/join-library-network
CANADA
How to join the Toronto Public Library: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/using-the-library/your-library-card
Find a local library in Canada: www.lib-web.org/canada
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
You can find your local library in Trinidad and Tobago by going to this website and entering your postcode: www.nalis.gov.tt/Libraries/Public-Libraries/Find-A-Public-Library
How to buy festival books
You can purchase books from the 2023 Reading is Magic Festival on Bookshop.org
Our previous festivals were supported by brilliant Independent bookshops:
Accessibility
All our video events will be embedded in our events pages.
Captioning
All video events will have the options to display the captions. To display, click on the CC button in the lower right corner of the video and click on English (United Kingdom) CC.
British Sign Language
All the video events will include a British Sign Language interpreter.
Audio Description
We have included Voice Over for the text displayed in the events. We have also worked with The Egg theatre's young audio describers and Vocal Eyes to help our authors and illustrators make our events more accessible for our blind and partially sighted audiences.
Audio Books
Our Accessibility Partner - Calibre Audio offered audiobooks of a selection of the books from the Reading is Magic Festival. Calibre Audio is a national charity lending free audiobooks for anyone who is print disabled. Please visit their website for more information on how to access audiobooks. It’s easy to join online, find out more here.
Living Paintings
Living Paintings is a national charity that enables blind and partially sighted children to enjoy the magic of reading. Their braille, tactile and audio described editions give blind and partially sighted children equal access to pictures, books and reading. Their Touch to See books are available to borrow from their free postal library service. It’s easy to join online here and find out more here.
Resources
Some of the events in the Members Area also feature suggested ideas for the classroom or links to resources to support your experience of the events.
Festival experience resources
Festival Bunting
Download and print the triangle template onto card or paper here and repeat to create as many triangles of bunting as you would like.
Cut out out the templates with scissors
Make two holes using a hole punch - one either of the top of every triangle
Thread the string through the holes to create a string of bunting
Hang up where you would like the bunting to be displayed
Author Kristina Stephenson with her festival bunting!
Pen pot
Download and print out the pen pot template onto card here
Cut out the template with scissors, so there is no white space left
Fold the card where there are lines on the template
Glue the tabs on the template and assemble the rectangular pen pot
Fill with all your stationery
Here’s one we made earlier!
Reading for pleasure resources
UK
There are lots of fantastic organisations across the UK supporting teachers with Reading for Pleasure, as well as brilliant teachers sharing their experience and advice through their own blogs and social media. Here are some to get you started:
National Organisations
BookTrust
BookTrust is the UK's largest children's reading charity, reaching 3.4 million children across the UK with books, resources and support. Their website has book recommendations, advice and tips and articles.
Literacy Hive
Literacy Hive is an open access literacy resource signposting website designed to help teachers find the support they need to deliver an engaging literacy curriculum for all.
Use the online Literacy Year calendar to take advantage of everything that the wider world of books and reading has to offer.
Search for resources covering all aspects of the literacy curriculum, all under one virtual roof.
Scottish BookTrust
Scottish BookTrust is a national charity that believes books, reading and writing have the power to change lives. It promotes reading engagement and create writing opportunities for everyone. Its website includes recommendations, resources and articles.
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)
The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education is a charity working with all those involved in teaching literacy in primary schools. Their website is full of free resources, info on their training courses, as well as research and articles.
National Literacy Trust
National Literacy Trust is an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life. They have lots of info, articles and resources on their website.
National Writing Day
National Writing Day is an annual celebration of writing designed to inspire people across the UK to get writing. They have a map of activities and lots of resources to inspire you to take part on their website. National Writing Day is coordinated by First Story.
National Poetry Day
National Poetry Day is an annual celebration that inspires people throughout the UK to enjoy, discover and share poems. Its website has poetry recommendations, resources and events.
Federation of Children’s Book Groups
The Federation is a national voluntary self-funded organisation whose aim is to promote enjoyment and interest in children’s books and reading and to encourage the availability of books for children of all ages, from first picture books to young adult. Our groups around the country, whose members include parents and carers, teachers and librarians, along with our individual and professional members, all want to nurture a love of reading through the sharing of books with children. The Federation also runs the Children’s Book Award, the only award voted for by children themselves.
The School Run
The School Run gives you all the tools you need to understand what and how your child is learning at primary school.
In this section of the site you’ll find advice and tips from teachers and experts on why it’s important to make time for reading and how to get your child reading, creating a book-friendly home, unusual ways to get them hooked on books, why comics are brilliant for encouraging reading and how to help dyslexic children enjoy reading.
www.theschoolrun.com/leisure-time/reading-for-pleasure
Reading Zone
ReadingZone.com is dedicated to helping young people, parents & adults and teachers to find out about children’s books. Each area on the site provides information about new and classic titles with expert advice, author and illustrator interviews and book extracts.
CANADA
A list of Canadian book resources for children/educators from The Canadian Children's Book Centre: www.bookcentre.ca/resources
Video book trailers to help you figure out what you want to read next from the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers: www.canscaip.org/BookTrailers
Fay Slift’s Top 10 Pride Reads for Kids (from TIFA's blog): www.festivalofauthors.ca/2020/blog/fay-slifts-pride-reads-for-kids
Resources on Emotional Education: please click here to download