Saturday 21st November 2026
Eaton House the Manor, Clapham

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  Ages 5+ Book this session →

  Emma Farrarons: Wands Away

  Have you ever wanted to go to magic school? Meet Ramona Spellstar, witch in training, as she discovers her powers for the very first time in this exciting series for young readers. Come along and learn all about Ramona and her adventures, and then join her award-winning creator, Emma Farrarons, for some draw-along magic.

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  Ages 9+ Book this session →

  Struan Murray: Enter the World of Dragonborn

  What if you discovered you weren’t quite human after all? Step into a world of hidden dragons, extraordinary powers and fire-breathing danger with Struan Murray, award-winning author of Orphans of the Tide and the New York Times bestselling DRAGONBORN series. Find out where Struan gets the ideas for his magical worlds and how you can create your own. If you love Skandar and Impossible Creatures, you don’t want to miss this.

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  Ages 9+ Book this session →

  Onjali Q Rauf: The Game I Will Never Forget

  ‘If you want to be a champion, you must think differently from the crowd.’ - Judit Polgar, Chess Grandmaster

  Join bestselling and award-winning author Onjali Rauf and discover her latest incredible book that celebrates the special relationship between a grandmother and grandchild, the enduring memories we share and all the fun of chess.

  Onjali is the founder of two charities and received an MBE for her incredible work. She won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’. This is a talk not to be missed.

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  Ages 9+ Book this session →

  Katie and Kevin Tsang: Adventure to Neverland

  Join bestselling authors Katie and Kevin Tsang for an exciting and interactive author event introducing their new book, THE NEVERLAND THIEVES, written in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. Katie and Kevin will explain the link between Great Ormond Street Hospital and the original Peter Pan, and then invite young readers to let their imaginations take flight and design their very own Neverland Island! Will your Neverland have pirates, mermaids, fairies, and Lost Boys and Girls, or something new entirely? What will you add to make your Neverland unique to you? And if you were to land on Neverland -- where would YOUR adventure begin?

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  Ages 3+ Book this session →

  Rachel Bright: Roar, Draw and Imagine!

  Stories, characters and pencils at the ready… Rachel Bright is back!

  Festival of Stories favourite Rachel Bright brings with her the much-loved characters and stories behind The Lion Inside, The Koala Who Could, The Squirrels Who Squabbled and many more. Hear how Rachel draws her unforgettable characters, join in with one of her hugely popular live draw-alongs, and meet Morris, the star of her brand-new book The Most Magnificent Moose.

  Come ready to listen, laugh, draw-along and discover a little of the magic behind some of today’s best-loved picture books.

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  Ages 7+ Book this session →

  Susannah Lloyd: Badgering for Beginners

  ATTENTION! This information is TOP SECRET and for badger eyes only…

  Report for duty with Susannah Lloyd, author of the brilliantly bonkers Badgers Are Go! series, for your very first lesson in BADGERING FOR BEGINNERS.

  Take the solemn oath and gain access to highly classified badger intelligence. Learn the six tell-tale signs that your grown-up might secretly be a Badger Operated Person. Put them through state-of-the-art scanning equipment. And discover whether YOU belong to Team Badger or Team Mole…

  There will be quizzes, secret intelligence, suspicious grown-ups and plenty of badgery nonsense. So sit up straight, snouts in the air and prepare to be shocked to the very tips of your whiskers.

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  Ages 4+ Book this session →

  Simon Mole & Gecko: The Great Big Bug Show

  Minibeasts. Massive beats. And some seriously weird bugs…

  Which beetle has a blaster on its bottom? Which minibeast is barely the size of a full stop? And which eight-legged hunter has fangs as big as a cheetah’s claws?

  Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a joyful mix of poems, raps, songs and seriously strange bug facts, inspired by Simon’s A First Book of Bugs. Sing, dance, rhyme and wriggle your way into the secret world beneath our feet, meeting some of its most beautiful, disgusting and downright weird inhabitants along the way.

  Expect big laughs, live music and plenty of audience participation. Every tune is an earworm – even the one about woodlice!

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  Ages 3+ Book this session →

  Benji Davies: Draw with Benji!

  How does a tiny idea become a picture book adventure? Pencils at the ready…

  Step inside the magical illustrated worlds of award-winning author and illustrator Benji Davies, creator of The Storm Whale, Grandad’s Island, Tad and many more much-loved stories.

  Discover where Benji finds his ideas, how his characters and stories come to life on the page, and hear some of the tales behind his books. Then pick up your pencil and join Benji for a fun draw-along as he shows you, step by step, how to create one of his characters for yourself.

  Come for the stories, draw along with Benji and leave with a character of your very own.

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  Ages 3+ Book this session →

  Kate Rolfe: Let Your Words Wiggle!

  What if the words on the page just wouldn’t stay still?

  Meet Kate Rolfe, winner of the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Illustration, and step inside the wonderfully imaginative world of Wiggling Words, where letters jump, tumble and twist into something completely unexpected. Hear how Kate turns words, pictures and her own experiences into stories, meet characters from Wolf and Bear and Owl and Moon, and get creative with some drawing of your own.

  A playful celebration of words, pictures and all the wonderfully different ways our imaginations work.

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  Ages 9+ Book this session →

  Quickdraw Comics Club: Here Be Dragons!
  (9-12 years)

  Dragons at the ready. It’s time to create your own comic adventure!

  Join illustrator and comics expert Mark Pembrey from Quickdraw Comics Club and learn how to turn a few simple lines into fearsome dragons, fantastic characters and stories of your very own.

  Draw along with Mark as he shares his tricks for creating brilliant comic characters, then put your new skills to work designing a dragon and sending it soaring into its own comic-strip adventure.

  No drawing experience needed. Just bring your imagination and get ready to create!

  Suitable for ages 9-12 years. 1 ticket per participant. Parents are able to observe only with no ticket required, or for this older category, children are able to be left without parent supervision. In doing so, we ask that parents stay on site and leave a telephone number.

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  Ages 6+ Book this session →

  Quickdraw Comic Club: Drawing Fun
  (6-8 years)

  Have you ever wanted to make your own comic book character? Join illustrator and comics expert Mark Pembrey for some fun drawing and picture making experiments. Get some top drawing tips and tricks and maybe teach a few of your own!

  Suitable for ages 6-8 years. Adults must stay with their children for this workshop. Tickets are only required per child, accompanying adults are free.

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  Ages 2+ Book this session →

  Long Nose Puppets: Penguin

  Say hello to Penguin… although don’t expect Penguin to say hello back!

  Ben is delighted when he opens his present and discovers a penguin inside. But no matter what he tries, tickling, funny faces, silly songs and even sending Penguin into OUTER SPACE, Penguin refuses to say a word. What will it take to get Penguin to speak?

  Based on Polly Dunbar’s award-winning picture book, Long Nose Puppets bring Penguin to life with beautiful puppetry, lively songs by Tom Gray of Gomez and plenty of wonderfully surreal surprises.

  And when the curtain comes down, stay behind for a special chance to meet the puppets!

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  Ages 9+ Book this session →

  Gyles Brandreth: Winnie-the-Pooh at 100

  A bear of very little brain, a boy called Christopher Robin, and a story that has enchanted the world for 100 years.

  Join writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth for a very special journey into the Hundred Acre Wood, celebrating the centenary of A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh.

  Drawing on his new book Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear – and his own memories of knowing the real Christopher Robin – Gyles brings to life the remarkable story behind Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and their friends, and reveals how a father telling stories to his young son created some of the best-loved characters in children’s literature.

  A joyful celebration of stories, childhood and the world’s most famous bear – for anyone who has ever loved Winnie-the-Pooh.

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  Ages 2+

  Som Holliday: Stories with Som

  Make a day of it with 'Stories with Som'. Join Som Holliday, winner of the Penguin Random House 2026 WriteNow Programme, in the library for interactive storytelling adventures including YUCK!, The Honey Heist, Veggies Are Villains (No We’re Not!) and A Sprinkle of Sparkle.

  Booking for at least one workshop ticket is required to enter the festival. Once in, story time is free and tickets are not required. Please consult the schedule on the day to choose which story time session you would like to attend.