Posted By Laura in Bookshelf, Family Days Out, Featured | 1 comment

Secrets of treasured children’s books revealed in summer exhibition of A Puffin Book

Oh, I loved ALL of these books! I’m a bit excited that this summer there’s a unique opportunity to see first editions, original letters and artwork from authors such as Mary Norton and Michelle Magorian, and to find out how The Borrowers and Goodnight Mister Tom became the stories we know and love. 

This summer, Puffin is bringing a series of timeless and unforgettable stories to life for a new generation of readers to discover as ‘A Puffin Book’. From Goodnight Mister Tom to Charlotte’s Web, Watership Down to Tarka the Otter, these beloved children’s books are stories that last a lifetime.

The free exhibition of Puffin archive material at Waterstones Piccadilly will give readers both young and old an exclusive insight into the history of such childhood favourites (*makes note to read The Borrowers next to the daughter*) and is sure to enchant the many readers who fell in love with these books many years ago as well as those just discovering these extraordinary stories for the very first time.

Highlights include:

·         First and early editions of A Puffin Book titles, including one of the earliest titles published in Puffin paperback

·         The original cover art and proof for The Borrowers

·         Original letters relating to the publication of The Borrowers

·         Reproduction pages from Michelle Magorian’s notebook, showing extracts from the hand-written draft of Goodnight Mister Tom

And on 23rd July there’s an even more special event at the exhibition – ‘An evening with Michelle Magorian’. Her heart-warming stories Goodnight Mister Tom and Back Home have remained firm favourites for over 30 years, adapted for screen, stage and radio. Michelle will be appearing at the exhibition for one evening, talking about the inspiration behind these stories, the notebook on display in the exhibition, as well as signing copies of her books.

It’s at 6.30pm at Waterstones Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HD. Tickets are just £5 (or £3 for Waterstones cardholders), and available in store, via 02078512400 or piccadilly@waterstones.com