 Wokingham Children's Book Festival this weekend
Award-winning authors are coming to town this weekend (19 and 20 October) for the seventh edition of the Wokingham Children's Book Festival.
The festival is a chance to meet and listen to talks by authors of children’s books, as well as learn about the writing process and have fun.
It gets underway on Saturday at the Carnival Hub in Wokingham with a visit from Enchanted Players Theatre Company from 10.30am to 11.30am. The audience will be taken on a journey through a selection of Julia Donaldson's popular tales, with drama, puppets, props and music.
Sessions on Sunday will be held at Wokingham Town Hall and Wokingham Library, with a mixture of book readings, crafting and singing.
Authors attending this year's festival include Charlotte Middleton, Eloise De Sousa and Nizrana Farook.
 Learn and create this half-term with our fun activities
Spooky Stories
Come and join us for some spooky stories, suitable for children aged four to ten, with no booking required:
- Lower Earley Library, Tuesday 29 October, 10.30am to 11am
- Wokingham Library, Tuesday 29 October, 4pm to 4.30pm
- Twyford Library, Thursday 31 October, 2.30pm to 3pm
- Winnersh Library, Thursday 31 October, 3.45pm to 4.15pm
Get Arty
Express your creativity and enjoy arts and crafts at these sessions, which are suitable for children aged four to seven:
- Wokingham Library, Friday 1 November, 10.30am to 11.30am
- Finchampstead Library, Friday 1 November, 2.15pm to 3.15pm
Places must be booked in advance and it is £2 per child.
Explore Learning
All knights go through many quests and this journey to the king’s throne is no different. Join us as we travel back to medieval times and children joust their way through many grammar tournaments.
Sessions are being held at:
- Woodley Library, Wednesday 30 October, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
- Lower Earley Library, Friday 1 November, 10.30am to 11.30am
These are free to attend, suitable for children aged five to seven and places must be booked.
 Celebrating a decade of nurturing young minds
A creative writing group recently celebrated the ten-year anniversary since it held its first session.
Igniting Writing is for children and young people aged 11 to 18, with sessions held on Saturdays during term-time. They are encouraged to develop their writing skills and build friendships with other aspiring young writers in a fun and relaxed environment.
Since 11 October 2014 - the date of the first event - around 300 individual sessions have been held and the team of volunteers have also worked with more than 50 schools, youth clubs and libraries across Berkshire to run additional sessions.
Lead volunteer Alex Baker said: "I want to express my gratitude to everyone that has given their time, effort or writing expertise in helping to boost Igniting Writing to new heights.
"So many librarians have gone out of their way to help nurture the group from the ground up, recommend our sessions to library users and help out with all the behind the scenes bits.
"I'm deeply grateful to have met so many creative, talented and kind people over the years of running Igniting Writing. Every one of you has been a source of inspiration, feeding into a river of positivity and creative spirit and I hope that it has made the local writing community a slightly brighter place."
 The new one-stop shop for all your questions
Our new outreach project Residents' Reception has launched, with sessions held on the first Thursday of the month from 10am to 1pm at Woodley Library.
The aim is to provide you with advice on a range of subjects at a regular venue and time each month.
If you are unable to attend the Woodley Library session, there are three other regular events:
- Wokingham Without (starting date and venue to be confirmed), held on the second Thursday of the month, from 10am to 1pm
- Swallowfield Parish Hall (RG7 1QW), held on the third Thursday of the month
- Arborfield Green Community Centre, Princess Marina Drive (RG2 9NN), held on the fourth Thursday of the month, from 10am to 1pm
Sessions are attended by the likes of Citizen's Advice, The Cowshed, First Days Children's Charity, Involve and Community Wellness Outreach Wokingham.
 Get the most out of your tech at digital skills sessions
Do you want help with your phone, laptop or tablet? Our volunteers will guide you through your device and the online world.
Sessions are held at libraries across the borough from 10am to 11.30am and are free to attend, with no booking required:
- Finchampstead Library, Gorse Ride North (RG40 4ES), second Friday of the month
- Lower Earley Library, Chalfont Close (RG6 5HZ), second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month
- Twyford Library, Polehampton Close (RG10 9AD), first Friday of the month
- Woodley Library, Headley Road (RG5 4JA), first Monday and first Thursday of the month
We also have digital skills for beginners sessions at Wokingham Library every Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm.
The charity AbilityNet host digital skills sessions at Lower Earley Library on the fourth Friday of the month from 10am to 11.30am. Get help with apps, health trackers, online banking and more.
You can also get specific help with using the NHS app at Wokingham Library on the fourth Monday of the month from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.
To connect your devices to the library Wi-Fi network, you will need to be a registered library member. It is free to join the library and all you need is proof of address.
 Join the Little Explorers Book Club challenge
Little Explorers is for children aged seven and under and they can take part in the challenge at any of our libraries.
It is a great way for them to discover their local library and is open to library members.
All they need to do is collect a stamp each time they go to a library and borrow books and when they have collected six stamps they receive a certificate. There are ten certificates to collect in total.
 Volunteer: LEGO and Dungeons & Dragons clubs
LEGO Club
We are looking for help with our LEGO Club at Finchampstead Library.
A volunteer is needed to help run the club, which is held at the library on the first Thursday of the month from 3.45pm to 4.30pm. These are free sessions, suitable for children aged six to 12, with booking required via our library events website.
Applicants must be aged 16 and above. If you are interested in volunteering, send us an email.
Dungeons & Dragons Club
We are also looking for volunteers aged 18 and above to run our Dungeons & Dragons Club at Wokingham Library.
You will be given the chance to take part and learn from the current co-ordinators prior to getting started. If you are interested in volunteering, send us an email.
 Recommending reading for Black History Month
Black History Month takes place every October and this year's theme is 'Reclaiming Narratives'.
The theme calls on Black people to take ownership of their stories, making sure that their voices are heard, experiences acknowledged and contributions recognised.
You can read our blog article on Black History Month, which features recommended reading for children and young people.
 Celebrating green initiatives through our libraries
We recently promoted Green Libraries Week (7 to 13 October), celebrating our libraries with a focus on the climate emergency and sustainability.
This year's theme was about green initiatives, showcasing the imaginative and creative work libraries are doing.
You can find out more by reading our blog article on Green Libraries Week, which features lots of book recommendations.
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