For this year's Bournville BookFest videos will be arriving on their website at 9am every day during World Book Day Week, March 1-5 2021. They all have an interactive element to them (we know 6-11 year olds like to be busy) and are all under 30 minutes long so will fit easily into the school timetable. We hope schools will use the videos as part of their World Book Day celebrations. The line-up is as follows.

Monday 1st March
Poetry with broadcaster, poet, author and activist Michael Rosen and Handsworth-born poetry legend Benjamin Zephaniah. Video is 30 minutes.long with linked activities in the Learning Pack. Suitable for: Poetry Rookies and Confident Writers.

Drawing Dobbie with Jonny Duddle. Video is 14 minutes long. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for everyone!

Tuesday 2nd March
Writing adventure stories with award-winning author Katherine Rundell. Katherine’s books The Explorer and Rooftoppers have won awards and her new prequel Sky Steppers is a World Book Day book. Video is 24 minutes long with linked activities in the Learning Pack. Suitable for: Story-Makers and Confident Writers.
Poetry writing for beginners with Matt “Poet with Punch” Windle. Matt is the former Birmingham laureate AND a part-time boxer – and he’s here for a masterclass in how to write an acrostic poem. Video is 7 minutes long. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for: Poetry Rookies.

Wednesday 3rd March
Making up hilarious stories with Walsall author Serena Patel, who has just published the third of her Anisha, Accidental Detective novels. By the end of this, you’ll be ready to turn quirky family moments into hilarious anecdotes! Video is 3 minutes long. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for Story-Makers
Funny stories draw along with Nothing to See Here Hotel creators Steven Lenton and Steven Butler. Video is 30 minutes long. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for Reluctant Readers, Young Artists, and Children Who Like Jokes.

Thursday 4th March
Reading and writing stories about what you love with D-Day Dog and Roy of the Rovers author Tom Palmer, touring 5 West Midlands football grounds. Ideal for sparking interest in more reluctant readers and a must for all football fans but Tom's enthusiasm will be great for all children. Video is 20 minutes long. Learning Pack. Suitable for Story-Makers and Reluctant Readers
Storytelling with Anna O’Brien of Face to Face Storytellers. Video is 5 minutes long. Suitable for Young Story-Seekers.

Friday 5th March
Dragons and magic with Children's Laureate Cressida Cowell, including draw-along and sketch book masterclass. Video is 11 minutes long with linked activities to Learning Pack. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for Story-Makers, Confident Writers, Young Artists.
Draw-along with BookFest patron Nick Sharratt. How to capture character and expressions with one of Britain’s best-loved author-illustrators. Join in with paper and pen! Suitable for Young Artists.

Monday 8th March
The great Shakespeare mystery by storyteller John Edgar of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

For more information, visit the BookFest website

eBooks and eAudiobooks discussed by the authors can be downloaded from the Birmingham Libraries website

Article published 24 February 2021