Summer Exhibition, The Illustration Cupboard

The Summer Exhibition:The Illustration Cupboard presents its summer exhibition featuring a selection of highlights from the 2010 catalogue. On show at the gallery will be artwork by world-famous illustrators such as the current Laureate Anthony Browne, Shirley Hughes, David McKee, Lauren Child, Emma Chichester Clark, Maurice Sendak and many others. Introducing a celestial theme, the spotlight will be thrown onto Jane Ray with a special display of her new Zodiac paintings, recently created and never exhibited before. These unique pieces are available for purchase alongside a corresponding short-run set of editions, each hand finished and signed by Jane Ray.
The Illustration Cupboard LLP22 Bury StSt James’sLondonSW1Y 6ALPreview on www.illustrationcupboard.com 9.30am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday11.00am – 5.00pm Saturday Summer Exhibition featuring Jane Ray’s Signs of the Zodiac 14 July – 14 August 2010

The Book Factor

PHOTOGRAPH SMALL GROUP James Pybis (winner of the BOOK FACTOR Book Blurb Competition) and Luke Gates (winner of the BOOK FACTOR cover design competition)With Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Hazel Williams, Jonathan Rigby, Liverpool’s Young Lord Mayor and author Alan Gibbons.

Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Hazel Williams, and the Young Lord Mayor, Jonathan Rigby, congratulated pupils from schools across the Alt Valley area, Liverpool for taking part in THE BOOK FACTOR, an innovative project that got more than 500 Liverpool children involved in creating a story that they wanted to read.
The Lord Mayor asked the young people individually if they had enjoyed the competition and was delighted when they all replied “yes” . She told the audience that, while learning to read is important, the key to success is to enjoy reading for pleasure. “Enjoy it and you are half way there,” she said. She added that she was extremely proud of the pupils’ achievements and that in years to come they would still feel a sense of pride in their writing. One of her own greatest personal achievements, she said, had been when her poem, "Ghouls of Hillsborough", was selected for a poetry anthology to help remember those who had died in the Hillsborough tragedy and to recognise what the people of Liverpool did to help.
James Pybis was the winner of the Book Blurb competition and he also thought of the title, THE DYING PHOTO. Alan Gibbons turned James’ idea into a story and Barrington Stoke published THE DYING PHOTO on 14 July. Luke Gates won the jacket design competition, coming up with the perfect design for artist Dylan Gibson to use as the cover.

Children's Book Show...Free School Workshops

The Children’s Book Show 2010 – Stories from Around the World an annual tour of children’s authors and illustrators from the UK and abroad. The theme for this, our 8th Bookshow, is Stories From Around the World, and we have an exciting line-up of award-winning artists to inspire school children with their enthusiasm and passion for stories.
This year is our biggest year yet. Through September, October and November, we have 12 authors and illustrators performing in 14 different theatres around the country.
Many of our authors and illustrators are already household names, some of them may be new to you, but all are among the most exciting artists writing and illustrating for children today.
FREE WORKSHOPSThis year we are delighted to be able to offer 70 FREE workshops to participating schools. This is an exciting opportunity for children to meet and work with an author or illustrator in their own classroom. And every child that takes part in a workshop will also receive their own personal copy of a book by the relevant author or illustrator, free to take home with them.
For information see http://www.thechildrensbookshow.com

Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition 2010

Roger McGough is to chair the judging panel for a worldwide poetry competition for 7-11 year olds. The Competition is organised by the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf, a poetry book club for young people run by the Poetry Book Society. To link with National Poetry Day on Thursday 7 October, children will be asked to write a poem in English on the theme of ‘Home’.
Now in its fifth year, the competition is open to both individuals and schools. Cash prizes of £250 for first prize, £100 for second and £50 for third will be awarded, along with books and CPB memberships, in two age groups, 7-8 year-olds and 9-11 year-olds. Entries will be accepted from Friday 10 September, up until the closing date of Friday 15 October. The winners will be announced at a gala celebration in London in December.
The British Council partnership, now in its third year, will continue to encourage entries to the ‘International Learner category’ for children based outside the UK who are learning English as a foreign or second language.
The Old Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition will encourage children to write poems of their own and help teachers to bring poetry alive in the classroom. A teacher’s guide to accompany the competition will be available to download from the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf website (http://www.childrenspoetrybookshelf.co.uk/) from early September, along with further information about the competition.

Puffin at 70 exhibition

Come to Seven Stories in Newcastle upon Tyne this summer and tell us, and everyone else, about your favourite Puffin book. Find out what inspires your favourite authors from Jeremy Strong andMichael Rosen to Anne Fine and Rick Riordan. Fill in your Puffin Passport and decide what you're going to read next. Email us pictures of your favourite places to read(info@sevenstories.org.uk) or join our Facebook group by searching Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books and upload your pictures there to see them displayed in the exhibition.There’s Nuffin Like a Puffin will be an exhibition for all the family, with a mix of special Seven Stories interactive activities. These include dressing up as Stig of the Dump and drawing cave paintings in his dump, creating your own Michael Rosen inspired poetryusing rhyming stepping stones, and making your own spells with Meg and Mog in a magical cauldron. Why not create report cards of the demi gods with Percy Jackson,and watch Eoin Colfer’s Fairies, Farts and Flatulence American tour exclusive to SevenStories! You can even make up a tune on Mr Big's piano whilst watching how Ed Vere puts his picture books together. Whatever your age there’s something for everyone inthis new Seven Stories exhibition.

Early Years Programme, Scotland

Following consultation with stakeholders and with the support of the Scottish Government, Scottish Book Trust has developed a new book gifting programme which firmly links into Scottish educational and parenting policies. The core format of the programme – including 240,000 free packs of books for babies,toddlers, three year olds and Primary ones, and free Bookbug sessions (which in 2009-10 had audiences of over 170,000) – will stay the same, although some new benefits have beenintroduced including bespoke packs, improved parental guidance and an overall greenerprogramme under a brand new Scottish identity. Scottish Book Trust is confident that the improvements to the programme will strengthen its impact on children and parents,with the continued aim that more parents will be reading more often with www.scottishbooktrust.com/bookbug•