- 03.10 - 08.23
iTony Robinson
How to get started
Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson has been a writer since he was old enough to pick up a pencil. He’s written long stuff (last year he wrote a history of Australia) and shorter stuff (like this). He’s rewritten old stories (like the ones about Odysseus and Theseus) and made up new ones (for instance his children’s TV series Tales from Fat Tulip’s Garden). But history is what he likes best, because he says, ‘How do you know who you are if you don’t know where you came from?’ That’s why he’s writing the Tony Robinson’s Weird World of Wonders series, and he doesn’t want to stop until he’s covered every single bit of history there’s ever been – although in order to do this he’ll have to live till he’s 8,374!
- 08.24 - 14.02
iLiz Pichon
How to capture ideas and plan your writing
Liz Pichon
Liz Pichon studied graphic design at Middlesex Polytechnic and Camberwell School of Art in London. She then worked in the music industry for Jive Records as a designer and art director, organising photo sessions and designing record and CD covers. Liz later went freelance and her work has been used on different products all over the world.
After that she turned her talented hand to children’s books, including writing and illustrating Smarties Book Prize Silver Award-winner My Big Brother Boris, published by Scholastic Children’s Books in 2004. Other titles include The Very Ugly Bug, Bored Bill, and The Three Horrid Little Pigs and The Friendly Wolf, which was shortlisted for the Red House Book Award 2009.
- 14.43 - 19.48
iLauren Child
How to develop your characters
Lauren Child
Lauren Child first introduced the character of Ruby Redfort in her three award-winning, bestselling Clarice Bean novels (Utterly Me, Clarice Bean; Clarice Bean Spells Trouble and Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now). Since then she has been inundated with letters from fans asking for the Ruby Redfort books. And it must have worked, because the first two in the series, Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes and Ruby Redfort: Take Your Last Breath have already been published to great critical and commercial success.
Lauren is also the creator of the phenomenally successful Charlie and Lola books, as well as Associate Producer on the TV show of the same name. She has sold millions of books around the world and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize (four times), the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Red House Children’s Book Award.
- 21.00 - 27.00
iShirley Hughes
How to illustrate
Shirley Hughes
Shirley was born in West Kirby, near Liverpool, and studied fashion and dress design at Liverpool Art School, before continuing her studies at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford. She then embarked on a career as a freelance illustrator in London, where she still lives today. She illustrated other writers’ work, including Noel Streatfeild, Alison Uttley, Ian Seraillier, Margaret Mahy and notably Dorothy Edwards’s My Naughty Little Sister series.
Shirley began to write and draw her own picture books when her children were young. Her first book – Lucy and Tom’s Day – was published in 1960, and she followed it with, among others, Dogger and the Alfie series.
Shirley Hughes has won the Other Award, the Eleanor Farjeon Award, and the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration twice, for Dogger in 1977 and for Ella’s Big Chance in 2003. In 2007 Dogger was voted the public’s favourite Greenaway winner of all time. Shirley received an OBE in 1999 for services to Children’s Literature.
- 27.28 - 32.34
iGuy Parker-Rees
How to illustrate animal characters
Guy Parker-Rees
Guy Parker-Rees’ exuberant and energetic illustrations have made him a household name and one of today’s bestselling children’s illustrators. He was described in the Rough Guide to Children’s Books as being ‘One of the most exciting young artists in the children’s book world.’
Notable successes include: Giraffes Can’t Dance, a worldwide success and bestselling picture book that has sold well in excess of 250,000 copies; Spookyrumpus, winner of the Sheffield, Dundee and Portsmouth book awards; and the highly acclaimed and much-loved Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus.
- 33.10 - 39.09
iCathy Cassidy
How to structure astory
Cathy Cassidy
Cathy Cassidy is Puffin’s top-selling author for girls. She was an art teacher, a magazine editor and an agony aunt before becoming a full-time writer. She has worked at Shout magazine and previously at Jackie, the magazine famously named after Jacqueline Wilson. Cathy tours extensively around the UK – meeting over 10,000 young readers in 2012. She has twice won the prestigious Queen of Teen award. Cathy lives with her husband, two teenage children, two dogs, two cats and a rabbit.
- 39.24 - 45.04
iFrancesca Simon
How to use words to bring your characters to life
Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon spent her childhood on the beach in California, and then went to Yale and Oxford Universities to study medieval history and literature. She now lives in London with her family. She has written over 45 books and won The Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the Galaxy British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.
- 45.34 - 51.06
iAnthony Horowitz
How to plant clues and build suspense
Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz is one of the most popular contemporary children’s writers, and his Alex Rider series is enjoyed by millions of readers worldwide. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed Diamond Brothers detective stories, as well as the bestselling The Power of Five books. Anthony has won many major awards, including the Bookseller Association/Nielsen Author of the Year Award, the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards and the Red House Children’s Book Award. He also writes extensively for TV, with programmes including Foyle’s War, Midsomer Murders and most recently Collision. Anthony lives in London.
- 51.38 - 55.52
iRachel Bright
How to illustrate book covers
Rachel Bright
Rachel is a writer of words, drawer of pictures and thinker of happy thoughts. With a cacophony of quirky characters tumbling tirelessly from her imagination, she is one of the South West’s most prolific talents. Creating a growing portfolio of beautifully imagined children’s stories, an award-winning card and gift empire and a smorgasbord of delicate etchings, silk-screens and hand-printed poems, Rachel brings her own unique sunshine to the very young and the slightly older alike.
- 57.52 - 01.09i
Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon reading from Horrid Henry’s Nightmare
Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon spent her childhood on the beach in California, and then went to Yale and Oxford Universities to study medieval history and literature. She now lives in London with her family. She has written over 45 books and won The Children’s Book of the Year in 2008 at the Galaxy British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.
- 01.10 - 01.27
iQ&A with the authors
Q&A with the World Book Day authors
Q&A with the authors
Watch the question and answer session recorded with the World Book Day authors as part of the Biggest Book Show.
- 03.10 - 08.23i
Tony Robinson
How to get started
- 08.24 - 14.02i
Liz Pichon
How to capture ideas and plan your writing
- 14.43 - 19.48i
Lauren Child
How to develop your characters
- 21.00 - 27.00i
Shirley Hughes
How to illustrate
- 27.28 - 32.34i
Guy Parker-Rees
How to illustrate animal characters
- 33.10 - 39.09i
Cathy Cassidy
How to structure astory
- 39.24 - 45.04i
Francesca Simon
How to use words to bring your characters to life
- 45.34 - 51.06i
Anthony Horowitz
How to plant clues and build suspense
- 51.38 - 55.52i
Rachel Bright
How to illustrate book covers
- 57.52 - 01.09i
Francesca Simon
Francesca Simon reading from Horrid Henry’s Nightmare
- 01.10 - 01.27i
Q&A with the authors
Q&A with the World Book Day authors
