Winners at the children’s Book Jam in St Ives

Published: 7:47 AM June 20, 2012 Updated: 4:22 PM November 1, 2020

ST Ives Book Jam was jam-packed with children and families on Saturday (May 26) as the written word and illustrations took centre stage at the town’s first children’s book festival.

About 200 children took part in workshops involving children’s authors, storytellers and book illustrators at the town’s Corn Exchange. And dozens and dozens more listened to stories, sang with pirates, searched for Where’s Wally, bought books from Waterstones and took part in the events laid on in the building’s main hall.

For the organisers of the event, which was free thanks to sponsorship by St Ives-based Movewithus, the Book Jam was a huge success, receiving rave reviews from the families that took part.

“It far exceeded our expectations,” said Ros Pascoe, a member of ACE, the group which organised the festival. “The hall was full apart from about half-an-hour at lunch time but it picked up again in the afternoon.

“We have had so many positive comments about all the workshops – in particular people were raving about storyteller Andy Hawkins and illustrator Steve Smallman.”

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Gilly Jackson, chairman of events for ACE, added: “It was wonderful to see so many children enthralled in books and reading books, as well as people buying books and people having fun with books.”

Mrs Jackson thanked Movewithus, Richard Young at Cambridgeshire libraries, and The Hunts Post for helping to make the event a success.