Linton Children's Book Festival is returning next month after an enforced break due to the pandemic.

On Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14, festival-goers can meet their favourite authors and get stuck into arts, crafts and stories.

The free family festival, which has been running since 2006, will be held at Linton Village College, with appearances from popular authors, illustrators and storytellers.

This year's line-up includes Andy Stanton, author of the mad-cap Mr Gum series, dinosaur delights with picture book writer Rashmi Sirdeshpande, and James Mayhew and Ian Eagleton, co-creators of inclusive fairy tale Nen and the Lonely Fisherman.

There will also be high-energy silliness from the Really Big Pants Theatre Company, and fans of CBeebies' JoJo and Gran Gran can meet the characters' creator Laura Henry-Allain MBE.

Other activities include encounters with storybook animals, science workshops and dragon-drawing masterclasses, as well as poetry, ghost stories and world folk tales.

Harts of Saffron Walden will provide a festival bookshop, and light refreshments will be for sale.

Blakeney Clark, organiser of this year's festival, said: "I have grown up with this festival, having attended every one since I was six years old.

"Some of my favourite memories are of meeting inspirational authors and writing stories for competitions and running around dressed as a lion during garden story times.

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"It has in large part been this festival which made me so interested in becoming a writer and has inspired my lifelong love of books."

The honorary patron of Linton Children's Book Festival 2023 is award-winning science writer Isabel Thomas, who has written more than 200 books for children and young people.

She said: "Meeting authors and illustrators is a brilliant way to inspire a lifetime of reading for pleasure."

Linton Children's Book Festival is run by volunteers from the village and is funded by Arts Council England, Linton Parish Council, the Leys Community Fund and the Anderson Trust, with additional sponsorship from local businesses.

Although all the events are offered for free, donations are always appreciated.

For the full programme, and to book tickets for talks and workshops, visit www.lintonbookfest.org.