Authors, illustrators and storytellers from all over the country will be joining Big Wig – a large, friendly blue creature who lives in the woods – for the annual children’s book festival named in her honour.
Among them will be Alan Windram, from near Oban, who will be joined by Saffanna Al-jbawi to read his book One Button Benny in English and Arabic.
One Button Benny, the winner of this year’s BookBug Picture Book Prize, tells the story of a robot with a single red button on his stomach with the words “Only Press in an Emergency” written next to it.
Alan, a former theatre nurse and pop musician, sees the Wigtown Book Festival, and the Big Wig children’s festival which forms part of it, as a great way to stimulate young minds.
He said: “Children go into their own rooms and their own worlds when they are reading. So it’s something very special to go somewhere and meet the person who created the story and the characters.
“And in Wigtown there is so much for them to see and do – the variety is inspirational. What we are aiming to do is help encourage the next generation of readers, writers and illustrators.”
Alan believes the fact that Wigtown is for all ages and interests also gets the message across that a love of stories and books is something everyone can share.
Alan’s events are highly interactive, with a mix of storytelling, pictures, music and song, that children love.
One Button Benny is also a great story for children because it emphasises that everyone has their special qualities and has a valuable contribution to make – as the other robots, which have lots of buttons, discover.
And before the festival got underway Councillor Adam Wilson, Dumfries and Galloway’s Events Champion, dropped in to meet some of those involved in the festival, to see how preparations were going.
While there he discovered more about the festival’s 2019 themes – which include an emphasis on the Dark Ages with events about epic tales like Beowulf and about Galloway’s ancient archaeology, history and place names. He also had the chance to meet BIG Wig – the children’s festival mascot.
He said: “Helping nurture children’s imaginations is one of the most important responsibilities adults have. It is clear that the authors within the Big Wig programme are able to do this with their wonderful creations, that adds fun and creativity to the experience of family visits to Wigtown. The council is proud of our work supporting the festival over close to two decades to fund children’s book events at the Wigtown Book Festival.”
Big Wig opens up a huge world of imagination for children aged up to 14 and starts with a party to celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th birthday.
Other attractions include Shalla Gray and Saffanna Al-jbawi telling the story of Big Bill the Beltie Bull as he goes to his local agricultural show. Then there’s Debi Gliori with The Bookworm the light-hearted tale of Max’s pet worm, which suddenly grows spikes and breathes smoke! Dragons don’t exist, do they?
Renita Boyle will entertain with The Strange Visitor, a traditional tale in Scots and English, which features a wily old woman, wide-eyed cat, wild weather and a weird newcomer.
Vivian French will present The Steam Whistle Theatre Company, the adventures of a family theatre-troupe struggling to avoid financial ruin and a story filled with dark deeds and piratical plots.
Youngsters will also be able to pick up a pile of drawing skills with Shoo Rayner at a session entitled Shoobedoodling Cats and Dogs.
Anne Barclay, Wigtown Book Festival Operational Director, said: “The children’s festival will be loads of fun and some lucky visitors will also get to meet Big Wig herself who will be coming in from the woods where she lives to listen to some of the stories.
Alan Windram will also be leading another event, along with Sara Sheridan, aimed at young people and adults called So You Want To Be a Children’s Author?
Sara is an author and Alan is a publisher as well as being a writer. Together they will share tips on how to develop characters, drive a story and take the next steps.
He said: “Some people want to write for themselves, some want to tell their own story, others would love to became children’s authors. The important thing is to get it down on paper, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you have to to get the story out there. And I only began writing books in my 40s, so it’s worth remembering that it’s never too late to start.”
- Big Wig family tickets are available for £25 per day. A day ticket permits entry for up to five family members, including a maximum of two adults. To guarantee availability for specific events, day ticket holders must also reserve seats.
- For full details of Wigtown Book Festival go to wigtownbookfestival.com.
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For further information and interview requests contact Matthew Shelley on 07786 704299 or [email protected]
Picture by Colin Hattersley.
Festival themes
Epic North: A short strand that takes a fresh look at Northern European epics, from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Finland and Scandinavia. Sessions include discussions of a key passage of the text. Book them all for a serious discount.
This Farming Life: A series of events on the life agricultural, including the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen and three of Galloway’s finest farmer-writers. Plus put your wellies on and see behind the scenes on inspiring visits to three very different farms.
Lost Province: The story of Galloway is written in its place names, which reveal an extraordinary variety of languages: Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon, Scots, Norse and Cumbric, the Brittonic language closely related to Old Welsh. The Lost Province celebrates the region’s past as a melting pot, through new writing, translation, illustration, speaker events and even an archaeological survey.
A Year of Conversation: Wigtown Book Festival is part of A Year of Conversation 2019, a Scotland-wide collaborative project about the potential for conversation to make our lives better. Events include The Wigtown Feasts, a town-wide invitation to eat together.
Bookspired: A mini film festival within WBF19, supported by Screen Scotland, where cinema and books meet. Films include 1984, The Snow Goose and Angelou on Burns, Elly M Taylor’s remarkable documentary about Maya Angelou’s fascination with Scotland’s national bard. In association with Driftwood Cinema.
Year of Indigenous Languages: In the UN International Year of Indigenous Languages, we celebrate Scotland’s own. Activities include two days of drop- in Gaelic events and the relaunch of Wigtown’s Scots and Gaelic poetry prizes. We also ask why minority languages matter and welcome Celtic cousins from Galicia.
Out and About
From brewery tours to birding, cycling to botany, we encourage visitors to make the most of a trip to the festival by getting out of Wigtown and seeing some of the many other attractions that make Galloway special. We even provide ride shares.
For younger visitors
- WigWAM is the new name for our young people’s festival, programmed and run by a dedicated team of volunteers aged 13-25. For the first time this year, you will find WigWAM events in our main listings. And they are open to all ages – but free for under 26s.
About EventScotland
EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events, EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org. Follow EventScotland on Twitter @EventScotNews.
EventScotland is a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, the national tourism organisation which markets Scotland as a tourism destination across the world, gives support to the tourism industry and brings sustainable tourism growth to Scotland. For more information about VisitScotland see www.visitscotland.org or for consumer information on Scotland as a visitor destination see www.visitscotland.com.
Wigtown Festival Company Ltd, 11 North Main Street, Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK, DG8 9HN © 1999 – 2018. Wigtown Festival Company Ltd is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Scottish Charity No. SCO37984.