The first ever Festival of Children’s Literature in Malta is being held at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity between April 21 and April 25, with events open to the public on Thursday 22, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April.

The organisers, Clare Azzopardi and Darren Tanti, have concocted a programme with a broad range of events which are bound to appeal to people of all ages, from the very young to the very old.

During the Festival, St James Cavalier will be virtually transformed, as artists Raphael Vella and Pierre Portelli give their imagination free reign with a series of installations inspired by famous works of literature for children, while a group of MCAST students, under the direction of Katya Borg, let characters of Maltese children’s books roam the building, turning the space into a literary adventure playground.

The events range from storytelling sessions to workshops on illustration and digital media, as well as encounters for children and adults with a great lineup of Maltese and internationally renowned authors. Come along and meet some of your favourite writers, such as Trevor Żahra, Carmel G. Cauchi, Charles Casha, Ed Vere and Lauren St John (UK), André Letria (Portugal) and Lluís Farré (Catalonia). Special appearances by Simon Bartolo and Rita Saliba, the winners of the 2010 Konkors Kitba għaż-Żgħażagħ, are also on the programme. Take a walk down memory lane at the Ġabra ta’ Ward event in the company of George Peresso, Victor Fenech, Marlene Abela and Sergio Grech, or peek into the future of the children’s book at the seminar on Children’s Literature and Digital Imagination with Neal Hoskins from the Winged Chariot publishing house. Hone your writing skills at a writing workshop with Adrian Grima and Rita Saliba, or listen to some brand new compositions by Alex Vella Gregory, inspired by the works of Trevor Żahra, there will be something for everyone at Ħarba.

And if it all gets too exhausting, you and your kids can chill out in one of our quiet corners reading a book or writing a story of your own, which you can exhibit on the spot. By the way, you should listen out for the bell, which will ring from time to time to announce a great new adventure with our animators!

All events are free of charge. The full programme is available on the Festival website on http://www.inizjamed.org

The British Council is bringing over a British children’s author Ed Vere. The public has the opportunity to meet Ed on April 24 at 11.30 at St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity.

Ed Vere studied fine art at Camberwell College of Art and has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1999. He is published in the UK, Europe and the US.

His first picture book, 'The Getaway', won the Highland Children's Book Award in 2007. His second, `Banana', was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway prize in 2008. His third, 'Mr Big' was chosen by Booktrust as the official Booktime book for 2009 and was distributed to 750,000 British schoolchildren making it the largest single print run of a picture book. His fourth, 'Chick', (a pop-up) won the Booktrust Early Years Award for best baby book for 2009.

Ed was the World Book Day illustrator for 2009 and the official illustrator for Hay Fever, Hay Festival 2009.

Ed is also a painter working from his studio in London, he has exhibited worldwide in New York, L.A., Tokyo, Reykjavik, Cape Town and extensively in London. He is represented by galleries in London and South Africa.