Each child attending a workshop will receive a FREE copy of Saving Mr Hoot by Helen Stephens or The Tree by Neal Layton to take home and keep!
Spring Performances 2025 › Thetford
Helen Stephens and Neal Layton's performance
In partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) we bring you an exciting opportunity to get Year 3 fired up about birds and conservation this Spring.
Bring Year 3 children to see award-winning author and illustrators Neal Layton and Helen Stephens on stage at The Carnegie in Thetford. They will be reading their award-winning picture books, talking about how you can help protect bird life in your local area, and drawing live! This is a fantastic opportunity to hear two of our most exciting picture book creators talk about their work. Every child will receive a free copy of Neal Layton’s book The Tree or Helen Stephens’ book Saving Mr Hoot to take home and keep.
After the performance Neal or Helen will come into your classroom and work with the children creatively. The work produced in these fun and engaging sessions will be displayed in an exhibition at Thetford Library which the children and their families will love going to see!
BTO will also come into your school assembly to inspire pupils and teachers about the wonder of birds and why they are important. BTO will give each school a free bird box, bird feeder and identification kit to help make your school grounds better for birds.
- Venue:
- The Carnegie, Cage Lane, Thetford, IP24 2DS
- Date:
- Monday 28th April
- Time:
- 11:00 am
- Duration:
- Approx. 1 hour
- Age range:
- Year 3
- Tickets:
- FREE
Helen Stephens
Helen is an award-winning author, illustrator, best known for her international bestselling How to Hide a Lion series. Her books are published in about 30 languages worldwide. Helen loves to try new ways of working: some books are made by hand on paper, some are a hybrid of handmade and digital, and recently Helen made a picture book entirely on Procreate. She lives on the windy Northumberland coast with her family and her dog, Peggy. Her most recent book, Smelly Peggy, is named after and inspired by her dog and published by Walker Books.
Praise for Fleabag
This touching tale of love and friendship is complemented by beautiful illustrations
Watch:
Helen Stephens introduces herself and her work
Neal Layton
Neal was born and raised in Chichester, West Sussex and whilst growing up spent much of his time playing in the dirt, making homemade catapults and drawing pictures. Although gaining a place to study science at University, he went to Art College instead studying BA Graphic Design at Newcastle, and MA Illustration at Central Saint Martins. His latest picture book A Climate in Chaos and how you can help was published by Wren and Rook in 2020.
In Praise of The Tree
“Just 51 words elevate our thinking and leave us with a sense of hope.”
Watch:
Enjoy this creative drawing and writing activity with Neal Layton
Neal Layton draws Emily Brown
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.
Thank you to The Childrens Bookshow for a fantastic live event with the wonderful Helen Stephens. The children loved listening to her fantastic stories and joining in with her amazing illustrations.
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 Jo Daley, she will be happy to answer any queries you have:
- jodaley@thechildrensbookshow.com
- Phone
- 07769 216493