Storytelling Extravaganza! Immerse yourselves in captivating tales that transport you to far-off lands and spark the flames of your imagination.

11.00 / 11.45 / 12.30 / 1.15

Crafty Corners
Unleash your inner artist or illustrator. Make you own bookmarks and write and illustrate your own books and comics. Use your creativity to bring your stories to life through art.

Bookmarks – Library Atrium with George
Pick your favourite story and use this as inspiration to design, draw and colour your own beautiful bookmark!

Comics and Books – Atrium space led by The Story Drawing Club and Lauren
Work with illustrator Emma to make and fold your own concertina book, then with drawing, colouring and writing tips you can use the mini book to create your own brilliant and colourful stories and comics.

Brand New City-wide Book Trail
Embark on an exciting literary adventure! The Blue Peter Book Club Badge Trail challenges children to discover special Blue Peter badges on display in 12 different cultural venues across Manchester, with a bonus badge in the Blue Peter Garden in Salford. You can collect your first badge at Z-arts at our event! Pick up your special trail map at Z-arts. It will guide curious minds to the various locations, where each badge will be decorated to celebrate one of 12 books in the Blue Peter Book Club. Each badge has a letter, find them all to create three special names and be in with a chance to win a prize.

Meet & Greet with Authors and Illustrators
This is your chance to meet some inspiring authors and illustrators who will be sharing their work. Engage in interactive sessions, listen to their stories, ask questions and have a go at some writing and drawing challenges.

Artist Studio
11.15 – 12.00pm Susannah Lloyd – Here be Giants & Who Ate Steve – aimed at ages 4+
12.15 – 1.00pm Joan Haig – Great Minds & Tiger Rugs! – aimed at age 8+
1.15 – 2.00pm Paul Morton – Bug Belly Adventures – aimed at ages 6+

The Tiger Skin Rug Inspired Art Installation
Contribute to a collaborative masterpiece led by artist Andy Fear. Families are invited to leave their artistic mark on a communal art installation, showing our communities love for reading inspired by Joan Haig’s book Tiger Skin Rug.

Tiger Skin Rug by Joan Haig
“An old promise. A mysterious tiger. A magical adventure. Fly into the night with this enchanting tale of friendship, family, and what it means to find home. Lal and his brother Dilip miss home. They don’t like drizzle, midges, or the tiger skin rug in their creepy new house. All they want is to leave Scotland and go back to India. But that’s before they make friends with Jenny, and before the tiger comes back to life. The tiger tells them it will take them home in return for their help: it cannot rest until it fulfils an old promise. Can Lal, Dilip and Jenny help it on its quest? Who is trying to stop them? And will they get back home?”