The Imagine festival is back, putting children and storytelling centre stage on London's South Bank with a line-up of authors including Quentin Blake, Jacqueline Wilson and children's laureate Malorie Blackman
Children's laureate Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson, Quentin Blake, Lauren Child, Francesca Simon and Patrick Ness are just some of the top authors and illustrators who will be helping children to take centre stage at London's Southbank Centre for two weeks in February with the return of the Imagine festival.
Celebrating classic and contemporary children's literature, Imagine features the mainstay of every literature festival: a galaxy of starry names talking about their books and writing. But with a children's panel helping to devise a programme with storytelling at its heart, some of the 100 or so events are a little less conventional.
A mass sleepover in the Royal Festival Hall – complete with bedtime stories, midnight snacks and the prospect of little sleep both for children and their adult companions – is one of the more unusual treats on store during the festival, along with a Secret Garden promenade tour of the sprawling festival site.
Much-loved children's classics will be celebrated, with live drawing by Roald Dahl's illustrator Quentin Blake and a promenade performance of We're Going On A Bear Hunt. The Vintage Book Library will allow parents to share their own favourite childhood stories with their children, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Elmer The Patchwork Elephant, all celebrating big birthdays in 2014.
Michael Rosen's The Great Enormo, which premiered at the Brighton festival this year, is back with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain introducing the world of classical music to a new generation of children. Theatre highlights include Tube (for babies six months up), Captain Flynn and the Pirate Dinosaurs (for four plus) and Bryony Kimming's That Catherine Bennett Show, challenging today's role models for eight-year-old girls.
A panel of local schoolchildren aged between seven and 11 – the Festival Ideas Cloud – have been programming events for the festival. During the festival the Kids' Takeover will see children in charge of showing visitors to their seats, selling programmes and making sure shows start on time.
"Southbank Centre's Imagine festival does something unique and much needed – it's a festival for children that's actually run by children," says the author Malorie Blackman. "As children's laureate I know the importance of listening to children and their ideas, and greatly admire the work the festival does in involving children in the planning and running of the festival programme and the wonderful opportunities this creates for the next generation. I'm looking forward to coming to Imagine and sharing my new book Noble Conflict with the audience."
Here at the Guardian children's books site, which was created and designed by a panel of children and has always been "by kids for kids", we'll be helping to bring the festival to everyone who cannot make it to London in February. During the middle weekend of Imagine the festival's children's panel will be taking over the site, commissioning the content they want to read, from author top 10s to interviews. There'll be blogposts and podcasts from the festival alongside galleries to bring it all to life.
We'll also have tickets and interview opportunities on offer to those who can be there in person, which will be advertised to members through the newsletter. Under 18 and want to get involved? Join the site!
• The Imagine festival, sponsored by the Book People, will be at the Southbank Centre from Monday 10 – Sunday 23 February 2014
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