Barnes Children's Literature Festival

It was a glorious two days at the the second annual Barnes Children's Literature Festival and I'm not just talking about the weather.  It seemed that every available nook and cranny in the idyllic village of Barnes was dedicated to children's lit this past weekend.  And with so many of my favourites on the bill I was never going to take it all in. Word is they were laughing out of their seats listening to Ed Vere, and Anthony Browne's family of musicians brought Willy the Wimp magically to life. I was privileged to be volunteering in the marquee while Jacqueline Wilson won over the crowd with her charm, honesty and engaging personal anecdotes.

The Booktop marquee

 The picturesque Barnes Common was on show and it delivered. The place simply buzzed with books: strangers meeting and talking about books, people eating burgers and talking about books under the trees, children lying on the ground reading books, authors chatting with fellow authors about books. It was a treat to spot Judith Kerr in the audience for Lauren Child/David Mackintosh and in turn spot Axel Scheffler in the audience for Judith Keer. These are all the kinds of positive exchanges that the festival prides itself on and the weekend passed in a flash leaving a trail of sheer delight.

The OSO community arts centre on Barnes Common

For all the wonderful moments and new books discovered I think my lasting memory will be Judith Kerr in conversation.  It was a grown up interview and her sense of fun was evident from the start. She spoke with quiet conviction about her need to draw and create and the limitations imposed on women of her day. She spoke in detail of her family's escape from Berlin and the new home that she eventually made in London, in Barnes with the cat she'd always wanted.  I really could have listened to her cat stories for the entirety of the interview but the gems were in her description of her drawings, the motivations for her stories, her personal anecdotes and her drive to continue working.  I think she summed it up best when commenting about her hip replacement she remarked: 'I'm not decrepit, I'm just someone who used to dance the can can.'

Bring on Barnes Children's Literature Festival 2017!

Swans by Barnes pond ... probably the only ones not reading books.