"All children, except one, grow up."

Today I was a kid again and went along to the Children's Book Festival a FREE event at the State Library in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. At first I was a bit hesitant to go because I figured the event would be mostly attended by children (obviously) and parents, of which I am neither. However, my love for picture books won out and so I hopped on the train into Melbourne.

Fitting for the day I started reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie on the ride in. Only got a chapter in but it good so far! I'll tell you more about when I get around to finishing it. I got the title for this post from its opening sentence.

It was a day catered for kids with performances, a petting zoo, face painting, meet the authors/illustrators, book signings and places for kids to created their own comics/books/crafts.

Is that a guy in a orange suit?! YES it IS!! Yay for bright colours!

Make your own book...

or a Great Wall of Comics

nawwww

AND WE ALL KNOW FROGS GO LA-DEE-DA-DEE-DA!!! Is stuck in my head now thanks to a performance by Rhys Muldoon. That guy from playschool! At least I think he's still on playschool judging by the reception he got from the kids who rushed onto the stage.

He was on playschool back when I watched it which was a loonnnng time ago now. And on The Genie From Down Under (any 90's kid remember that show?). He also plays dad characters on Lockie Leonard (one of the best kids shows, based on the books by Aussie Tim Winton) and House Husbands. And now you know that I watch more Australian television than the average Australian and this guy is officially my second favourite Australian entertainer/performer/actor person after Hugh Jackman. Hehe Hugh Jackman should do a playschool episode that would be fun.

Back inside the library and there is a small display of some wonderfully illustrated Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. This one was my favourite. It's a page from a pop-up version. So its 3D and was in a glass box so the photo doesn't do it justice. Pop into the State Library to check it out; its free and there until May 20.

Ducked into the Readings bookstore in the library and wanted to get this T-shirt so badly! It's a T-shirt of one of my favourite picture books that I discovered one day randomly. More on the book in a future post perhaps. Also I would've been perfect for a kids themed party coming up. But alas, I couldn't get itbecause it only came in kids sizes. And even though I'm tiny I looked at this and judged it wouldn't have fit. Sigh :( I bought a book instead (hence the bag in the first photo) which I'll write about some other time.

Final thing for the day, a meet the author session with Rhys Muldoon.  The kids really like the guy and he interviewed a whole bunch of them which was very sweet. The lucky chosen kids loved it and the adults in the audience had a fun time too. Who knew that today's kids favourite foods are couscous, pancakes with spag bol sauce and CAPSICUM?! At least dinosaurs, kid spies, and Going on a Bear Hunt are still favourite stories. Things haven't changed too much :p

Being interviewed by Rhys from Playschool!

Story time! Jasper and Abby & the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle  by Rhys Muldoon, ft. KRudd's cat.

Hehe can you spot the kid in the very Aussie hat??
Well that's it for today! I had a lovely arvo by myself if slightly out of place. I'd recommend anyone with kids to go next year (which said kids of course). The kids wandering around today seemed to have a blast.

To end:

“A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.”- C.S. Lewis

The Magic Garden

So the story behind this scribble.

Well it started as scribbles back and forth again and again. I realised it looked a bit like some sort of plant - and then I thought of gardens - and then magic gardens with fairies. So I drew in the fairy on the right and the toadstool because they look cool and appear in magical garden don't they? Lastly I added in fairy number 2 because a flying fairy would be nice and now fairy one has company.

I love this scribble because I think it looks like I didn't draw it. What I mean is that it looks like it belongs with the block of text, almost like an illustration in a novel. But really, this is a column from Sunday Life, one of those supplements that come in The Sunday Age.

On that note I love reading the newspaper. Especially on a leisurley weekend day. And in hardcopy. Flipping though the physcial pages just doesn't compare to scrolling and clicking online or swiping and tapping on an Ipad. It's the atmosphere of the whole thing. Haha now you probably thing I'm a bit weird. Which I am I suppose. Although I don't believe in fairies. Sorry Tinkerbell! But I do love the idea of them in fiction.