Chiswick Book Festival Launches Children's Books Day
Special event to mark National Year of Reading
Left: Janet Ellis. Picture: Curtis Brown. Right: the cover of the biography of Kaye Webb by Valerie Grove
February 4, 2026
The Chiswick Book Festival will host a special Children’s Books Day on Saturday 7 March as part of the National Year of Reading 2026, bringing together writers, performers, publishers and local schools to celebrate the importance of children’s literature in an increasingly digital age.
The event will take place across St Michael & All Angels Church and the Tabard Theatre on Bath Road, close to Turnham Green station, and will feature a full day of discussions, readings, screenings and hands-on activities for families.
The Festival is partnering with local schools and libraries, as well as three national arts organisations — Action for Children’s Arts, the Children’s Media Foundation and the Cultural Policy Unit — to explore what it calls the “Golden Age of Children’s Books, TV and Theatre”.
The morning programme, aimed at adults and industry professionals, will look back at the classic era of children’s publishing and broadcasting. Speakers include Janet Ellis (Blue Peter, Twice Upon A Time), Vicky Ireland (Words & Pictures, Polka Theatre), Jonathan Cohen (Play School, Jackanory), Lucy Briers, Alison Cole and Greg Childs of the Children’s Media Foundation.
A highlight will be a conversation about the legacy of Kaye Webb, the influential editor of Puffin Books, led by her biographer Valerie Grove and broadcaster Janet Ellis. They will be joined by former Puffin and Penguin editor Jane Nissen, now known for reviving out-of-print classics, and Sally Floyer, former managing director of Ladybird Books and Frederick Warne. The session will be chaired by Festival director Torin Douglas.
“The morning is aimed at parents, grandparents and those in publishing, TV and theatre who look back fondly at the ‘golden age’ — and care about the future — of works for children,” said Douglas. “Anyone who was a fan of Puffin Post, Blue Peter, Play School or the Polka Theatre will enjoy the morning.”
After lunch, the church will open its doors to families for readings, screenings and craft activities celebrating today’s children’s authors and illustrators — including the chance for younger visitors to “paint a puffin”.
Across the road at the Tabard Theatre, Vicky Ireland and playwright David Wood — described by The Times as “the national children’s dramatist” — will discuss the golden age of children’s theatre in a session chaired by Janet Ellis.
Throughout the day, the church will host an exhibition, ‘Chiswick’s Books for Children’, showcasing book covers, illustrations and television work created by artists, writers and performers who have lived in the area.
“We’re highlighting Chiswick’s own place in the untold story of children’s books,” said Douglas. “Most of the day’s speakers live or grew up here, as did Kaye Webb. The Observer once wrote that ‘Chiswick may be Britain’s most literary location’ — and we can now see that it has a fine record in works for children too.”
Three ticketed sessions are available:
- £12 – Morning session: The Golden Age of Children’s Books & Television (St Michael & All Angels)
- £6 – Afternoon family session: Meet the authors, Buy the books (St Michael & All Angels)
- £12 – Afternoon session: The Golden Age of Children’s Theatre (Tabard Theatre)
Tickets are on sale at: chiswickbookfestival.net/childrensbooks
Any profits from the day will be donated to Action for Children’s Arts and the Heritage Conservation Fund of St Michael & All Angels Church.
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