Barnes has London’s largest and most innovative literature festival for children. Sophie Farrah books a session with its ambitious founder...
Victor Hugo said it best. “To learn to read,” ventured the poet and novelist, “is to light a fire.” And it’s safe to say that plenty of literary sparks will be flying this month, as the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival celebrates its fifth birthday.
“Working as a book publicist I went to a lot of festivals,” says founder and director Amanda Brettargh, who moved to Barnes 14 years ago having just had twins. “And it was obvious, particularly with children, how powerful is the experience of live literature.
‘I used to push my buggy around beautiful Barnes Pond every day, and all the time I would think: ‘You know what would be great here? A children’s literature festival.’ But, of course, with two seven-month-old babies, my hands were well and truly full!”
Time passed and Amanda’s children were soon heading off to primary school. At the school gates, Amanda met other parents who were either involved in books or at least interested in them, and once again she found herself musing upon her old, familiar idea: a local literature festival for children and families.
“It reached a point where I thought: ‘I’ve either got to get on with it or shut up about it.’ People would literally cross the road to get away from me!” she laughs.
Luckily, she chose the former course of action. With the help of six other families all contributing different skills – from bookkeeping to graphic design – Amanda and her team launched the inaugural Festival in 2015.
“When we started out, it was the support of two people in particular that really helped us. One was Roger McGough [the celebrated poet, presenter of Radio 4’s Poetry Please], who lives in Barnes. We met for coffee and he said: ‘If you do this, I’ll be there.’ That gave us a lot of power to go forward and approach others.
“And then, the wonderful Axel Scheffler, who illustrated The Gruffalo and lives in Richmond, also agreed to do it. So really, from those two things I was able to put a programme together.”
That year, 20 events took place around Barnes Pond over the course of one busy day, with an impressive 2,000 tickets sold. It was generally a huge success, though not without the odd hiccup…
“That first year, a little boy got stuck up a tree with two books! Naturally, you have procedures in place for these things, so we called the fire brigade,” recalls Amanda.
“We eventually got him down using the traditional method – an ice cream! After the rescue, he said: ‘My eyes just wouldn’t stop reading.’ To me, that summed up everything that we’re about – kids and books.”
Today, Barnes is the largest dedicated children’s literature festival in London, with more than 80 events and numerous free activities taking place across two days, at venues around the village. And yet, despite the Festival’s considerable success and significant growth, it’s still Amanda and the same six families who lovingly and voluntarily run it, supported by a team of over 130 volunteers.
“It has a transformational effect on Barnes because it’s something that we all work on together. Barnes Methodist Church, the OSO [Arts Centre], St Mary’s, the BCA [Barnes Community Association], Castelnau Community Centre – we all come together and there is an enormous sense of pride in delivering something to this standard.
“We’re on the same level as the literature festival at Cheltenham, or Oxford, or Hay – and we know that because the authors say so. They call this the author’s festival,” says Amanda proudly. “Literacy lovingly wrapped in community – that’s how we like to think of ourselves.”
In addition to the Festival itself, the weekend is now preceded by three days of specially curated, curriculum-linked sessions offered free to pupils of all state primary schools in London – the largest free literature festival education programme in England, funded entirely by the Festival. This year over 4,500 children from schools in Richmond, Wandsworth, Hammersmith, Kingston, Walthamstow and beyond will grab the opportunity to engage with renowned authors and illustrators.
“From the moment we started the Festival, we knew that we wanted every child to have the opportunity to experience the power of live literature. That’s where the school's programme came from. When the first children arrived, we felt that we had achieved something very important to us.
“We are trying to create excitement about reading, writing and creativity. This is the future. With interest comes pleasure, then practice, then proficiency and proficiency enables children to build completely new futures for themselves. There is a moment when you look around and think: ‘We’re really developing something of value here.’”
Amanda and the team hope to expand the schools' programme to five days next year and eventually take it on the road so that with every school that can’t come to Barnes, the Festival can go to them.
The ambitious primary schools' programme isn’t the only thing that sets Barnes apart. In a welcome initiative, every participating writer and artist is paid in accordance with the Society of Authors guidelines. A surprising rarity in the book festival world – Philip Pullman famously resigned as a patron of Oxford Literary Festival because it didn’t pay authors.
Barnes also boasts two special programmes: one for babies aged six months to two years and another for children with special and extra needs, the latter embracing inclusive storytelling, Makaton – a language programme using signs and symbols to aid communication – and touch tours for the visually impaired.
Moreover, the Festival is also what Amanda describes as “curated”.
“Basically, it means that we drag our kids around all the festivals throughout the year so that you don’t have to!” she laughs.
“If I see something new or different, I think: ‘We’re having that!’ We pick all the amazing things that we think our audience will love too. That’s the difference between Barnes and other festivals – it’s put on by families, for families, and we are 110% committed to ensuring that they have an amazing time.”
With current UK Children’s Laureate Lauren Child leading the way, and master storytellers Judith Kerr, Michael Rosen, David Almond, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Francesca Simon also on board, this year’s programme looks set to hit new heights. Other confirmed names include Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Holly Smale, Matthew Syed and recent Costa Children’s Book Award winner Hilary McKay, as well as the ever-popular Elmer the Patchwork Elephant and Paddington Bear.
Author readings and interviews aside, attractions include Matilda the Musical theatre workshops hosted by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), The Greatest Showman singing sessions and hands-on model making workshops with Aardman Animations. There is a new interactive show from the Roald Dahl Estate, and also the London premiere of a new outdoor production of Seek, Find, Speak, the theatrical companion to the acclaimed illustrated book The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.
“With children, there are so many diversions and distractions, and so it’s just wonderful to be a part of something where books are king for the day,” enthuses Amanda.
“Within each book is a little universe; the chance to travel to different places without taking a step and to walk in someone else’s shoes. There are just so many possibilities, and that’s what we are always trying to bring to children. To enable them to think: ‘Maybe I could do that.’”
Barnes Children’s Literature Festival 2019 takes place on May 11-12 in venues across Barnes. For tickets and further information visit: barneskidslitfest.org
