Come and have your face painted, and celebrate Fabula Festival in style. Choose from one of 3 designs. Or have a small temporary tattoo on your hand instead.  Face painting charges:  Face Painting - £2.50 per child / £4.00 for two Temporary Tattoos - £1.00 each This activity is not available to pre-book and will be offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please pay at the welcome desk and present your receipt to the face painters. 

Get ready for an event that’s filled with fun and fizzing with invention! Join illustrator and author Chanté Timothy as we meet Nova, a science superstar on a mission to tackle the worlds plastic problem. But when her plastic eating monster starts rampaging through the city, only a GENIUS can solve this problem. Can YOU help Nova save the day? There’ll be drawalongs, scientific experiments and of course, lots of fun as we activate our imaginations in an event that’s guaranteed to be SUPA! Chanté Timothy is an illustrator who loves experimenting with movement, vibrant colour, character design and storytelling. She is the illustrator of a number of non-fiction books and has previously published picture books with Tola Okogwu for Simon & Schuster Children’s Books. Chanté featured in Dapo Adeola’s Hey You! which won Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards. Drop-In, Free – or pre-purchase a signed copy of the book!

The laughter never ends with Oi Frog and Friends! Join bestselling author Kes Grey for a roar-some read-along of his new picture book Oi Dinosaurs! Join Frog, Cat and Dog for oodles of prehistoric rhyming fun packed with dinosaurs, mammoths and – of course – prehistoric frogs! Then, grab your colours and transform the story into your own masterpiece. Kes Gray is the bestselling author of the OI FROG AND FRIENDS series of books that has sold over 1.5 million copies and has been adapted into a theatre show. He is a multiaward-winning author with over 70 books published. He eats Ideaflakes for breakfast, spreads silliness on his toast and loves to write books that will make children laugh out loud. He has won the Sainsbury's Children's Book Award and the Laugh Out Loud Book Award and has been shortlisted for the British Book Awards. Drop-In, Free – or pre-purchase a signed copy of the book!

Join Discover Children’s Story Centre for a story adventure through a magical world, unfolded before your eyes from a one-of-a-kind suitcase. You’ll find mountains, rivers, villages, a growing beanstalk, our resident space monster and more… all designed to spark your imagination and grow a unique story of your own. An interactive event for everyone aged 4 – 11 and their families.

Stay behind or join us after Rhyme Time for a craft especially for our under 5s and create your own elephant mask to celebrate World Elephant Day!

Stay behind or join us after Rhyme Time for a craft especially for our under 5s and create your own tropical summer wreath!

Stay behind or join us after Rhyme Time for a craft especially for our under 5s create and create a colourful under the sea scene!

Stay behind or join us after Rhyme Time for a craft especially for our under 5s and create your own fun clown mask!

Stay behind or join us after Rhyme Time for a craft especially for our under 5s and create your own bunny rabbit headband to celebrate Beatrix Potter day!

Unleash your imagination and join Patrick Gallagher, author of the unmissable Transcendent series, for an out-of-this-world creative writing workshop and learn how to create your very own action-packed adventure story. Patrick Gallagher is a primary school teacher from South London with roots in Goa in India and Donegal in Ireland. Like lots of Goans of that generation, Patrick's mother was born and raised in Uganda and the time he spent there inspired the spectacular backdrop to Transcendent. It draws not only on Patrick's experience of dual heritage but every science-fiction and adventure story he devoured as a child. Drop-in, free - but spaces are limited! Ages 7-12

Join us in celebrating South Asian Heritage month and make your own colourful animal creation! Will you choose a tiger, a peacock or an elephant?

Make your own paper chain sea serpent to celebrate sea serpent day!

Make your own colourful pinwheels, perfect for celebrating carnival!

Make your own roarsome lion to celebrate Lion Day!

Join us in celebrating South Asian Heritage month and create your own unique rangoli picture.

Decorate your own positive affirmation bookmark to celebrate National Thoughtful Day

If you love reading and discussing books, this is the perfect event for you! We’ll be reading and discussing ‘Brotherless Night’ by V.V. Ganeshananthan, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2024.

Take a musical journey through Kerala with this fun and hands-on workshop. Led by a musician from KALA, you’ll explore South Indian instruments, rhythms, and melodies in a session designed to entertain and inspire.

Join the Tamil Community Centre for a programme of activities on Wednesday afternoons during South Asian Heritage Month.

Join us on Saturday 19 July for the Fabula Festival’s Families Take-Over Day! Redbridge Central Library will be bursting at the seams – with a whole day of free family events in store. There’ll be author visits, special story times and loads of crafts and fun activities. Come along, enjoy the fun – and don’t forget to sign up to the Fabula Reading Challenge!