Frank Cottrell-Boyce Brings Laughter, Stories and Inspiration to The Children's Bookshow

By Jenni Harrison | Review

We were lucky enough to go along to The Children's Bookshow to see author and current Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce

This week, the New Theatre in Peterborough was buzzing with the laughter, curiosity and excitement of young readers as celebrated author and Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce took the stage for The Children's Bookshow. An event designed to connect pupils and teachers with the magic of reading, The Children's Bookshow is a charity that brings authors into the lives of schoolchildren, allowing them to experience the joy and inspiration of meeting a writer in person. To top it off, each pupil received a free copy of Frank’s latest book Noah’s Gold to take home, which is fantastic - getting books in the hands of kids is the first step to get them reading!

We were lucky enough to go along and see what it was all about.

The second Frank stepped on stage, the cheers were loud and welcoming, and he kicked things off with a question that got everyone’s attention: “Who remembers their first day at school? Was it horrible, scary, funny, or sad?” Hands shot up (there was no fear of audience participation from these kids) and a few shared their tales of first-day mishaps.

Then Frank took us all back to his first day at school, which involved a bow tie, a fear of Daleks, and a rather intimidating nun. He has a way of making everyone feel like he’s talking directly to them, which kept the audience captivated - no mean feat when it’s a theatre full of excitable kids who have been set free from the classroom! With his warm humour and captivating voice, Frank had everyone laughing.

He read from his latest book, Noah’s Gold, and explained his inspiration for the story, and how the pupils can find inspiration for their own stories. He’d noticed that in so many classic island stories like Treasure Island or Lord of the Flies, or even Fortnite (which got a big reaction - he knows his crowd!) things usually go wrong. But what if they didn’t? He asked pupils to think back to the pandemic, and how everyone looked after each other, to remember that time and tell those stories, because our own experiences are where stories come from. As he said so succinctly: “We are the stories we tell.”

The Q&A session at the end of his talk was a testament to the children’s engagement – they came up with thoughtful, interesting questions. One student asked, “What inspired you to write this book?” Frank explained that he had been struggling with another project and decided to take a break by drawing a map of an island. Thinking about what might happen on that island sparked the idea for Noah’s Gold, which led to the fantastic tip that doodling can be a brilliant way to start crafting a story.

Other questions included “What’s your relationship like with your illustrator”, “What’s your favourite book?” (‘Where The Wild Things Are’ or ‘The Tiger That Came To Tea’ if you’d like to know) and the somewhat cheeky “How old are you?” One pupil asked, “What’s your favourite project you’ve ever done.” Frank is more than an author, he’s written many film scripts, the Olympics 2012 opening ceremony, and was the writer behind Queen Elizabeth II’s famous meeting with Paddington Bear! So he had plenty to choose from, but ultimately chose writing books, because they last and mean so much to people.

Throughout the show, Frank’s warm personality, humour, and genuine interest in the children’s questions made it a truly engaging experience. Hopefully these children have gone home with the reading bug, and maybe the spark of inspiration to write their own stories too.

The Children’s Bookshow succeeded in giving pupils an unforgettable experience with a real-life author. If there’s any doubt about the effect these shows can have on pupils, then you only had to look at the rockstar reception Frank received as he hopped down from the stage and did a lap of the stalls, kids reaching over to shake his hand, thrilled to have had even a moment of direct interaction with him. It was truly a delight to see how engaged and excited they were to be part of this fabulous show. If you get the chance to take your class to The Children's Bookshow, I highly recommend it. 

You can find more about Frank and his books here.

You can find out more about The Children’s Bookshow here.