Gruffalo artist Axel Scheffler has put out a free new picture book explaining the coronavirus to children, Marian Keyes has invited readers to sit down with her for a virtual cup of tea, and Cressida Cowell is reading How to Train Your Dragon aloud for confined children. For the book industry is pulling out all the stops to help keep Britain’s locked down masses entertained, whether that’s expert librarians – now unable to work at their branches – offering reading tips, JK Rowling launching Harry Potter at Home, or a digital version of the cancelled Hay literary festival.
Here are some of the best free activities now available for the bookishly minded, which we’ll continue to update during the lockdown:
For children and families
Harry Potter at Home: “Bringing Hogwarts to you,” the new website offers stir-crazy children a mix of craft videos, puzzles and quizzes. Drawing a niffler, knitting a Weasley-inspired scarf and discovering your Hogwarts house are all on offer.
The Summer Reading Challenge: the annual event for children aged four to 11 is running from 5 June to September to keep children reading over the summer. With a theme of “Let’s Get Silly”, the website will host virtual events with celebrities and authors, games, quizzes, and downloadable activities, all to encourage children to read whatever makes them happy.
Puffin Storytime: children’s publisher Puffin is offering regular readings and draw-alongs from its list of authors on Mondays and Fridays at 3.30pm BST. It has also launched a Puffin podcast with comedian and children’s author Humza Arshad, packed with “laugh-out-loud stories, games and jokes guaranteed to give you the giggles”.
James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends: Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi has teamed up with the Roald Dahl Story Company to perform Dahl’s classic book in 10 instalments to raise money for healthworkers. Actors including the Hemsworth brothers, Eddie Redmayne, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong’o, Mindy Kaling and Ryan Reynolds are performing different roles, with Waititi as narrator.
Letters from Lockdown: the Children’s Bookshow has launched a project where authors and illustrators are sending handwritten letters to children in lockdown to inspire them to write their own. Names including Quentin Blake, Posy Simmonds, Roger McGough and Costa children’s book award winner Hilary McKay are among contributors. A new letter will be posted online each week day.
Axel Scheffler’s free coronavirus picture book: The Gruffalo illustrator lays out the coronavirus and the measures being taken to control it in a way that is comprehensible to children. “I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis,” said Scheffler.
National Shelf Service: UK librarians have launched a live daily YouTube broadcast at 11am BST featuring book recommendations for children and families, at a time when some library services are reporting increases in online book lending of up to 700%.
Julia Donaldson and Friends: Every Thursday at 4pm BST the Gruffalo author broadcasts a show for families on her Facebook page.
Puffin Festival of Big Dreams: an online book festival running from 8-14 June, with authors and illustrators including Jacqueline Wilson, Robin Stevens, Nick Sharratt and Nadia Shireen running writing masterclasses and draw-alongs, with each event themed around dreams.
BookTrust: There’s a plethora of activities at the reading charity’s website. Children’s laureate Cowell is reading a chapter a day from How to Train Your Dragon, illustrators including Rob Biddulph are showing us how to draw their characters, and Andy Stanton has tips on how to write a funny story. They have also kindly rounded up the wealth of activities out there for children.
Authorfy: The website is offering daily 10-minute creative challenges for children from writers including Abi Elphinstone, Anna James and Lucy Worsley.
For adults
Hay literary festival: With this year’s festival postponed, Hay’s “first fully digital” festival will run with 22-31 May, with webinars, workshops and live social media Q&As with guests including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Hilary Mantel, Naomi Klein and Gloria Steinem. It has also launched a Hay festival podcast, giving free access to past events.
The Bookshop Band: the literary musical act formerly of Mr B’s Book Emporium in Bath will play a live concert streamed on Facebook on every Friday at 8.30pm BST, with songs “inspired by five books we absolutely love that you may enjoy during lockdown”.
Independent Bookshop Week: the annual celebration of the UK’s indies will go ahead as planned between 20-27 June, adapted to include virtual events, online story times and author Q&As and more.
Faber: Over on Twitter, the publisher has launched an online programme, including poet laureate Simon Armitage reading and reflecting on his Marsden poems each Monday, picture-book readings on Friday afternoons and lunchtime shortstories from writers including Sebastian Barry and Edna O’Brien.
The Aitken Alexander Isolation Series: Some of the agency’s, including Mark Haddon and Diana Evans, have been responding creatively to the lockdown with essays and short fiction which are free to read online.
Makar to Makar: Jackie Kay, the makar, or national poet, of Scotland, has launched a free weekly series of online literary and musical performances, featuring major names and emerging voices from around the world. The events are streaming on the National Theatre of Scotland’s YouTube channel and its Facebook page every Thursday at 7pm BST for 16 weeks.
At Home With Penguin: On Tuesdays at 5pm BST, authors including Marian Keyes, Richard Osman and Caroline Criado-Perez are streaming live from their homes, where they’ll reveal what they’re reading and watching to get through confinement.