Categories: uncategorized
Date: 25 October 2008 17:47:34
First off thanks to the team: Alison, Nick, Fran, Stephen, Elizabeth, Simon, Rosie and of course Ju the spectacular wifey. Thanks to Jo and Pam and Glen and Manisha, Jane and Emma for all popping in and showing interest and thanks to everyone who took part...
SO! In the midst of the chaos and the busyness has been the Guildford Big Book Draw 4. For the past three years it's been MAXI book time :) Everyone getting together to make the biggest book of the book festival by size and weight if nothing else. Last year, accidentally, we made a book that was so big that lifting it left me with a back so badly mangled I could hardly walk for a good few weeks.
So the vote was in: no more big books.
So this year we went small: the smallest books of the book festival; the ant's library. The Dragon and his Princess, the mascots of the book draw, were chilling out to find that the ant's library had been flooded. Their solution? To ask kids and families and anyone who wanted to join in at the Guildford Book Fest to come and make their own books, all so small that ants would like to read them too! So we did matchbox books and paperclip books and secret space books and shrink plastic books and loads more... And, although the six hours didn't exactly fly by, it was a HUGE amount of fun. Haven't done the head count from the registers yet but there's a good two hundred people gone through the doors I'm a guessin'.
And it was just solidly good fun all the way through. I've done shrink plastic books for years now so, in that area, I was in my element and in fifteen years of doing 'this sort of thing' I've yet to meet a kid or adult who didn't like have a go with shrinkies. Turning them into a book was just the final straw of coolness and, all told, I think every person that took part made at least one book to take home with them, some made four or five, each a different type, and went out smiling.
Good stuff... Also, just to reiterate the thanks thing: most of the names of the kids at the top are friends and kids who we've seen through youth group and, in some cases, leading the youth group at the church we all attend. They've been brilliant all the way through this, past book draws, Ready 4 Action days and much more and I'm both hugely grateful and very lucky to have such a brilliant team :)
That said it's been a long day and wife, daughter and I are pretty exhausted... But hey, was well worth it.
Currently listening to: Duke Special: I never thought this day would come - total corker follow up to Songs from the Deep Forest. Currently playing: A prelude to sleeping like a rock. Currently working on: packing up Guildford Book Fest Big Draw stuff.