2021 › Coventry

Past event

Yuval Zommer Performance

How did it go?

To a bright and frosty morning, we arrived at the magnificent Warwick Arts Centre, a key venue this year in Coventry’s City of Culture 2021. We were especially excited to be welcoming outstanding illustrator and writer, Yuval Zommer to the Bookshow for the very first time.

Right on time we had lots of excited children arrive from seven different schools, all eagerly waiting to watch and listen. Yuval was compelling, he didn’t use his chair once preferring to move around on the stage and interact directly with the children, calling many up onto the stage to help with questions, displays and draw bird life. We learnt about nature, different birds names and alliteration through the titles of Yuval’s books: The Big Book of Birds, The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts and his most recent, The Big Book of Belonging.

How to tell a story on the page? Not just a double page spread, or a pull out page, oh no. Yuval showed us how he ingeniously managed to show the different layers deep underground in The Street Beneath My Feet and journey up into the air in The Skies Above My Eyes zooming from earth to the sky and up to the solar system beyond - with just one concertina page, 2.5 metres long! Ooohs and ahhhs of delight from the audience.

A closer look at the characteristics of the birds, the cheeky robin, the hummingbird and the sleeping pose of the flamingo, as tried out by some of the children on stage - with varying degrees of success! To finish the performance, some drawing. How to draw a bird… start with an egg of course and with the help of two lucky children, Yuval’s distinctive birds emerged from the paper. Finally, the icing on the cake, a beautiful copy of The Big Book of Birds for all the children to take home and keep. Another blooming brilliant Bookshow!

Yuval Zommer Workshop

In 4 schools in Warwickshire Yuval Zommer talked to children about the importance of the natural world and shared some of his beautiful books with them. Then they took part in a step by step drawing activity with Yuval to create their own colourful artwork.

Did you go to this performance or attend one of the related workshops? Send us your photos and feedback to be featured on this page

FREE copy of *The Big Book of Birds* for every child attending this performance! cover

FREE copy of The Big Book of Birds for every child attending this performance!

Venue:
Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL
Date:
Tuesday 2nd November
Time:
11:00 am
Duration:
Approx. 1 hour
Age range:
Years 2, 3 and 4

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Yuval Zommer

Yuval Zommer graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in Illustration. He worked as a creative director at leading advertising agencies before becoming the author and illustrator of highly acclaimed non-fiction. Yuval's stunning 'Big Book of...' series encourages children to explore and care for our natural world.

Praise for The Big Book of Bugs

The Big Book of Bugs is an example par excellence of the new variety of non-fiction for kids which brings facts and fascination together with fabulous illustration

Playing by the Book


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