Saturday 2nd December 2017
live shows at 10 am (SOLD OUT), 11.40 am (SOLD OUT) and 1.20 pm (SOLD OUT)

All Saints Church, Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JP

Tickets £8*. Suitable from 3 years.

Get your little ones away from the telly. Inspire them to love books and discover the joy of the natural world around them!

Axel Scheffler, the world famous illustrator of the Gruffalo will be in Kingston on Saturday 2nd December, reading the new Julia Donaldon/Axel Scheffler book, sketching your favourite characters (the Gruffalo – of course! – Stickman, the Smartest Giant in Town, Superworm….) and signing books. Famous actress Helen Baxendale (Cold Feet, Friends, Cuckoo) will also be there to help with the reading and talking to the children about her love of the local area. It’s going to be a fantastic afternoon with hundreds of young children attending 3 live shows at the All Saints Church in the heart of Kingston town centre.

Sponsored by Bright Horizons 

Bright Horizons Family Solutions are delighted to be the very proud sponsors of this fantastic event. To support the charity in encouraging children to value, appreciate and respect their natural environment is very important to us and goes in line with offering families and children exceptional education. Visit Bright Horizons Nurseries here! 

Live shows lasts approximately 30 minutes. The performers will be reading The Ugly Five (a new picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler) and The Highway Rat, which is going to be on BBC 1 at Christmas!  Axel will also be drawing his most famous characters, the Gruffalo, Stickman, Snail and the Whale…and teaching the children how to draw them too! 

Each show will be followed by a FREE book signing session**.  

Do your Christmas shopping with us!
There will be plenty of lift-the-flap books and fun stocking fillers available to purchase at the event – as well free stickers, postcards and bookmarks! All profits support local wildlife conservation.

*All children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult. All accompanying adults must purchase their own ticket, e.g. a parent and child would need two tickets. 'Babes in arms' do not need a ticket as long they are on their parent's lap. 

**Please note: book signing will be limited to one book per person/family if they are brought from home, however,  Axel will sign all new books/prints bought from the Environment Trust bookstall at the event. Thank you for your cooperation.

All the proceeds from the event will enable the Environment Trust to continue to conserve wildlife and heritage for the benefit of the environment and communities across south west London.