By Rosie Luffingham, Molly Arabella Kirk, Gabriela Kaczmarek and Tehreem Mallhi
In this issue, we had the pleasure of chatting with Kate Arafa, Co-Director of The Children’s Bookshow, about her thoughts regarding the show! How exciting! The Children’s Bookshow is a gorgeous charity that inspires school children across the UK to foster a love of reading through live theatre performances and in-school workshops. Now in its 22nd year, The Children’s Bookshow tours the UK each Autumn with some of the best children’s authors, poets and illustrators. So, keep a close eye on schools near you this autumn!
Can you tell us about The Children's Bookshow's origins and mission?
I was lucky to meet Siân Williams at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. I was in my early twenties, temping and doing lots of unpaid work experience at publishing companies, charities and radio production, and nothing ever seemed to lead to paid work!
Siân and I worked well together, and I suddenly saw that perhaps there was a way to follow in her footsteps and forge a career in books, authors and live performances. I was delighted when Siân asked me to work with her on a new tour in 2003. This was the first ever Children’s Bookshow that promoted the authors and books featured in Simply The Best Books for Children, published by The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. This tour featured many legends: Grace Nichols, Roger McGough, James Berry, John Agard, Jamila Gavin, Adrian Mitchell, Posy Simmons and Michael Rosen.
We have always focused on bringing the best literature from around the world to children and their teachers. There are many statistics about the importance of reading and how it opens up opportunities for children, but it’s also about experiencing the pleasure of reading. The joy of escaping into another world, of being inside a character’s head, listening to their thoughts and feelings, experiencing someone else’s version of the world –- the funny parts, the sad parts and the exciting bits that make it impossible to put a book down. Our performances spark children’s curiosity and interest and open a door for children to access the pleasure of reading. We give every child who comes to one of our performances their own free copy of the author’s book to take home and keep. Teachers regularly tell us the delight this brings: “They love their free books! We even had children reading them on the coach back to school and in the playground at lunch!” This is why we do it.
The festival's Autumn 2024 UK Tour features a great lineup of children's authors, poets and illustrators, including beloved names like Michael Rosen, Valerie Bloom, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Ele Fountain. How do you select the authors and illustrators for the tour?
We do lots and lots of research and reading to find the best books for children. We work not only with beloved household names who are champions of The Children’s Bookshow but also with new and relatively unknown authors and illustrators. The Children’s Bookshow has always celebrated international artists, diverse artists and children’s literature in translation. We have worked hard to bring excellent books from Europe and beyond to the attention of teachers and children in this country. For instance, this year’s autumn tour features poet Kwame Alexander from the US, illustrator Elīna Brasliņa from Latvia, author and illustrator Sydney Smith from Canada and Beatrice Rodriguez from France. New artists for us this year include SF Said, Al Rodin, Sam Usher and Catherine Johnson. We can’t wait!
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to work in organising large-scale literature events like The Children's Bookshow? What skills and experiences are most valuable for entering this sector?
It’s hard work and not always straightforward, but it is varied and exciting. In a small charity like ours, we constantly learn new things, try things out and experiment! Regarding the skills and experience needed to organise large-scale literature events, I think you must pay great attention to detail and be highly organised and ambitious. We have a brilliant team, and they are excellent at planning and thinking ahead, but at some point, we know we have to hold our nerve, relinquish control and allow the performance to happen! It’s live, and there must be space and freedom for the magic between the artist and the audience. Each performance is always different, always fresh and new.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your work with The Children's Bookshow?
I love that I work on a tour from the beginning to its conclusion, from helping choose the authors and the theatres, working closely with each artist on their performance and finally producing the live event. I love the buzz as the children enter the theatre; the excitement is palpable. Then, when the show starts, you can feel the collective interest and engagement with what is unfolding. You can hear a pin drop as an illustrator begins to draw live on stage, or you might need to cover your ears as children suddenly realise that Michael Rosen is about to perform Chocolate Cake. Then, a book is put into every child’s hands as they leave the theatre. Thousands of books. That feels good!
The Children’s Bookshow continues to enlighten young minds with the magic of reading among children through its engaging live performances and workshops. This Autumn, the 2024 UK Tour promises an exciting lineup of renowned and emerging authors and illustrators from across the globe. Kate’s dedication to enriching children’s literary experiences is palpable in the joy and enthusiasm seen at every event. For more details about the charity and this year’s schedule of live literature events for children, visit their website here.