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Children's Book Special

Mariella Frostrup presents a children's book special with Richard Curtis, Charlie Higson, Lauren Child, Jeff Kinney and Amanda Craig.

Open Book is devoted to the joys of children's literature

Four Weddings and a Funeral screenwriter Richard Curtis explains why he has written his first children's book The Empty Stocking, and Jeff Kinney explains the key to the success of runaway bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid; a book he originally thought he had written for adults.

In the studio Mariella is joined by two giants of the children's literary scene, Lauren Child and Charlie Higson, who between them have brought us Ruby Redfort, the young James Bond, Charlie and Lola and zombies, and by the esteemed children's book critic Amanda Craig. They'll be discussing how literature remains vivid in this new digital world, the difficulties of buying books for different age groups, how The Hobbit, seventy five this year, remains a favourite for all the family and why children loved to be scared by literature.

Producer: Andrea Kidd.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Thu 29 Nov 2012 15:30

Read the Opening Chapters of Ruby Redfort by Lauren Child

BOOKLIST

Lauren Child

Clarice Bean series

Charlie and Lola series including I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato published by Orchard Books

Ruby Redfort Series: Take Your Last Breath (Ruby Redfort, Book 2) is out now published by Harper Collins

Her picture book Maude: The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton is published in February by Puffin

Charlie Higson

Young James Bond Series. Latest in his zombie series: The Sacrifice published by Puffin

Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel published by Puffin

Richard Curtis

The Empty Stocking, with illustrations by Rebecca Cobb published by Puffin

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein published听by Harper Collins

Recommendations:

Maggot Moon听by Sally Gardner published by Hot Key Books

The False Prince by Jennifer A Nielsen published by Scholastic Children鈥檚 Books

Katya鈥檚 World by Jonathan L Howard published by Strange Chemistry听

Cracks by Caroline Green听published by Piccadilly Press

Gone by Michael Grant published by Katherine Tegen Books

Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham published by Touchstone Books

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo published by Kaye & Ward

Goblins by Philip Reeve Marion published by Lloyd books

Operation Bunny by Sally Gardner published by Orion

Doglands by Tim Willocks听published by Andersen Press

Superworm听by Julia Donaldson published by Scholastic Children鈥檚 Books

The Disappeared by 听C.J Harper听published by Simon and Schuster

The Bridges of RollRock Island by Margo Lanagan published by David Fickling Books

Ronald Dahl books

Broadcasts

  • Sun 25 Nov 2012 16:00
  • Thu 29 Nov 2012 15:30

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