Celebrated children's writers Chris Riddell, Joseph Coelho, and Cressida Cowell will be appearing at 'meet the author' events for Wandsworth schools during the Autumn.
Chris Riddell
Monday 15th September 2025 at ARK Putney Academy
In partnership with MacMillan and Waterstones we invite Year 3, 4 or 5 pupils from Wandsworth primary schools to join celebrated children’s author Chris Riddell at Ark Putney Academy for an inspiring event to encourage a love of reading. Featuring spectacular live drawing during the session, pupils will hear Chris speak about his wide range of work including his new title A Mermaid's Diary as well as what it means to be an author.
Chris Riddell is a writer, illustrator and cartoonist and was appointed Waterstones’ Children’s Laureate 2015-2017. As well known for his own fiction for children, including the Ottoline, Goth Girl and The Edge Chronicles series, and for his many successful collaborative works, Chris Riddell is a tireless champion of reading and illustration in the modern age. He has won many awards for his work, including the Nestlé Gold Award, the UNESCO Award for Something Else and the rare honour of three Kate Greenaway Medals.
Joseph Coelho
Thursday 18 September 2025 at Wandsworth Civic Suite
In partnership with Quarto Publishing and Waterstones, Poet and former Children’s Laureate (2022-24) Joseph Coelho will host 3 interactive poetry events for Wandsworth’s younger readers in years Reception – Year 2 at Wandsworth Civic Suite in September 2025 to celebrate his new book Children of the Throne - a gentle, poetic story about climate change, working together, building communities and living in tune with nature. A spectacular living throne will also be installed in Southside Shopping Centre for the public to engage with alongside a public book signing event at Waterstones.
Joseph Coelho, who grew up in Wandsworth, is a performance poet, children’s author and winner of the Children’s Laureate (2022-24). He is the winner of countless poetry and literary prizes, including having twice won ‘best picture book of the year’, as voted for by independent bookshops (If All The World Were and My Beautiful Voice). He has written plays for the Polka Theatre, Soho Theatre and Unicorn Theatre, and performs with the UK’s top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes.
Cressida Cowell
Friday 17 October 2025 at Burntwood School
In partnership with Waterstones and Hachette Children's Group we invite Year 4, 5 or 6 pupils from Wandsworth primary schools to join celebrated author Cressida Cowell at Burntwood Academy for 3 inspiring events to encourage a love of reading. Pupils will hear Cressida speak about her wide range of work including her new title Which Way to the Future as well as what it means to be an author.
Cressida Cowell is the author and illustrator of the bestselling How to Train Your Dragon, The Wizards of Once and Which Way to Anywhere books series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. She was the Waterstones Children’s Laureate from 2019 – 2022. The Wizards of Once series has been translated into 37 languages and has been signed by DreamWorks Animation. How to Train Your Dragon has sold over 11 million books worldwide in 38 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation film franchise, as well as being made into a TV series on Netflix and CBBC.
Schools Poetry Festival
18 & 19th November 2025 at Wandsworth Civic Suite
During Autumn Term 2025 as part of Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture year, 12 classes of pupils age 8-10 from Wandsworth Primary Schools will work with professional poets over 6 sessions who will empower them to write both individual and group poems – developing oracy and literacy skills as well as developing confidence in performance, working collaboratively and taking creative risks.
As well as performing their poems during a series of in-school performances, one group from each class will be invited to a finale event at the Civic Suite where they will participate in workshops and share their team poems with the other participating schools as well as family and invited guests. This finale event will be headlined by celebrated children’s author and poet Joseph Coelho.
The following day the Civic Suite will host a series of SPIN performances for Wandsworth’s younger pupils where over 1200 pupils will be invited to come for a spin with the word warriors of Apples and Snakes, including Joseph Coelho, as they share a fun-filled performance with raps, poems and stories.
The LBOC Schools Poetry Festival is delivered in partnership with Apples & Snakes, the UK’s leading national organisation for performance poetry.