FREE copy of A Place to Call Home for EVERY child attending this performance!
Autumn performances 2022 › Exeter
Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz performance
Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz are acclaimed picture book authors and illustrators in their own right, but they also sometimes collaborate on projects. For the first time in the history of The Children's Bookshow we are extremely excited to present both Alexis and Viv on stage together! There will be live drawing, stories and the chance to hear all about how these two brilliant artists work together.

- Venue:
- Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 4QB
- Date:
- Wednesday 12th October
- Time:
- 10:30 am
- Duration:
- Approx. 1 hour
- Age range:
- Years 1, 2 and 3
- Tickets:
- £6 per child, teachers FREE
Alexis Deacon
Alexis Deacon has always loved to draw and has been keeping sketchbooks since he was a small child, when he would often move from playing games with toys into drawing stories about them.
Alexis started work on his first picture book, Slow Loris, while studying illustration at the University of Brighton. He spent many hours in a zoo sketching a slow loris and then created the story of the creature's secret life after the visitors had gone home. Alexis' second book, Beegu, about a lonely baby alien trying to find its mother on Earth, was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Alexis Deacon may well be Burningham's heir apparent . . . Deacon's poignant and understated text is brilliantly served by his illustrations, which carry distant reminders of some of the best illustrators of the last 100 years and yet still remain uniquely his own.
Watch:
Listen to Alexis talk about his work
Watch Alexis draw characters from Croc and Bird
Viviane Schwarz
Viviane Schwarz makes books, comics and games. She was born in Germany and studied American Literature and Linguistics at Bonn university before moving to England and studying illustration at Falmouth College of Arts. She has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books and a graphic novel as well as designing games and interactive installations.
Praise for How to Find Gold
Schwarz’s illustrations are truly lovely, from the simple lines of the characters to the stunning double spreads of the discovery itself. This story celebrates the imagination, play and adventure – children (and adults) will be behind Anna and Crocodile all the way.
Watch:
Viviane shows us how to create a character
Book tickets for an event and receive two free books for your classroom
Free Workshops!
The Children’s Bookshow will allocate four free in-classroom workshops to schools attending this performance with 30 or more children. Book tickets for this event to have a chance of being chosen to receive this fantastic opportunity.
Find out more:
The kids and adults from Merridale loved it!
Alexis was great with the children and what he did was pitched and shown brilliantly. He allowed us to have a photo with him and did some signings for us!! What a treat!
The details
- Please arrive at the venue at least 20 minutes before the start of the performance, so that you have enough time to find your seats and and use the bathroom. Our start times are strictly governed by the theatres that we work with and by the start and end times of the school day. If you are unavoidably delayed, please get in touch with your Children’s Bookshow contact as soon as possible.
- Depending on the time of the performance, you may want your children to bring a packed lunch. (Please contact the theatre directly to check if there is a suitable space.)
- Parking facilities vary from theatre to theatre; please check the theatre website for details.
- Please contact the theatre directly for risk assessment information.
- Please ensure your children have visited the bathroom before the show starts, or ask them to wait until after the performance ends. A constant stream of children getting up to go to the toilet is very distracting for our performers and other members of the audience.
Still have questions? You can find our FAQs here.
Have any questions? Get in touch

Your contact for this performance is Liz Neville, she will be happy to answer any queries you have:
- liz.bookshow@gmail.com
- Phone
- 07866 311486