The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour travels to Borders primary schools this week with award-winning author Philip Ardagh.
The South Scotland tour sees the children’s writer meet more than 1,800 P4-P7 pupils from 25 schools between the 3-7 December, giving them the opportunity to meet and interact with the popular author.
Philip will be reading excerpts from his novels, and answering questions from young aspiring writers.
Michael Merillo, acting children’s events manager at the Scottish Book Trust, said: “Philip Ardagh is a very funny, hirsute, and hugely inspiring writer, and we look forward to giving pupils in the Scottish Borders, the opportunity to meet him, laugh with him, and learn from him.”
In 2009 Philip Ardagh beat his rivals to win the highly-competitive 7-14 year old category of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize for his renowned series Grubtown Tales.
Philip is best known for his critically acclaimed Eddie Dickens series: a sort of Dickens meets Monty Python adventure story. His latest series, The Grunts, is about the Grunt family whose improbable adventures are as unsavoury as they are entertaining.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour, organised by Scottish Book Trust, has been running since 1998, and has taken internationally renowned authors, including Michelle Paver, Julia Donaldson and Barry Hutchison, from Shetland and Orkney to Wigtown and Manchester.
The trust’s 50 tours have visited 125 schools and over 6,000 pupils from P1 to S2, aiming to bring “literacy to life”. Philip Ardagh’s schedule in the Borders begins this morning (Thursday), when Philip visits Edenside Primary School in Kelso, Broomlands Primary School, Morebattle Primary School, Yetholm Primary school, and Sprouston Primary School.
This afternoon, the author moves on to Drumlanrig St Cuthbert’s Primary School in Hawick, and then Newcastleton Primary School and Stirches Primary School.
Tomorrow morning, he will visit Langlee and St Peter’s Primaries in Galashiels, Tweedbank Primary School, and finally Priorsford Primary School in Peebles in the early afternoon.
For more information, visit www.scottishbooktrust.com.