Book Festival for kids

With all of the self-contained Book Festival's activities located in the city centre marquee village of Charlotte Square, it’s the perfect place to spend the day. Everything you need is on hand: buggy park, toilets, baby changing facilities, a newly expanded children’s bookshop, a great cup of coffee and excellent lemon muffins.

The new drop-in session space—free and open all day every day—has something for every age; The National Museums of Scotland are on hand with special handling boxes containing different historical objects for older children; Edinburgh City Libraries with the popular Book Bug singing sessions for tots and Edinburgh Under 5’s are busy with their engaging and entertaining story telling for little ones.

Are you sitting comfortably? is a daily free event celebrating the art of story telling with leading children’s authors Sue Heap, Kathyrn Erskine, Philip Ardagh, Jeremy Strong and Tony Bradman reading their favourite stories. It’s a great way to see one of the popular authors if you don’t manage to get tickets for their events.

The full programme is an exciting read, packed with the best-loved children’s authors and illustrators the world has to offer. It also has its fair share of A-listers alongside some surprising names you might not even know are kids authors.

Grannies appear to be all the rage with David Walliams, star of Britain’s Got Talent and Little Britain, sure to charm the children with his new book Gansta Granny and best selling crime writer Val McDermid presenting her first children’s book My Granny is a Pirate.

DJ Simon Mayo brings his latest offering Itch about an accident-prone, science-obsessed 14 year old, whilst BBC Reporting Scotland’s presenter Sally Magnusson brings our national dish to life with her debut Horace and the Haggis Hunter, a tale of a refugee haggis.  

Young Doctor Who fans will be lucky enough to hear all about the Doctor’s new adventure in Dark Horizons from author J T Colgan; Jacqueline Wilson will offer an exclusive sneaky peek into her book Four Children and It whilst other likely festival favourites include Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Andy Stanton, Michael Morpurgo, Cathy Cassidy and Catherine Rayner.  

If you have a reluctant reader don’t assume there will be nothing for them, quite the opposite. Vivian French is this years Children’s Guest Selector and her passion is making books and reading accessible, allowing youngsters to gain confidence through story telling and using story telling through drama, song writing and illustration. Her ethos: you might not find reading or writing easy but you can still be a great storyteller.

It’s not all about the written word; there’s an amazing selection of illustrator events to choose from too. Artist in Residence Chris Riddell will be leading the activities and hosting master classes for both adults and children and collaborating on live art; Morris Heggie former Editor of The Dandy might just reveal what, or who, inspired characters such as Beril the Peril and Stephane-Yves Barroux, French illustrator of the popular Mr Leon’s Paris, will be showing us how it’s done.