Take the kids on a flight of fantasy

Looking for a way to make books come alive for your children? You couldn't do better than to get along to the Aotea Centre next weekend (June 8-9) for the ninth annual Storylines Festival: two days of activities, both serious and fun, designed to bring story-lovers face to face with those who write and illustrate their favourite books.

The festival offers a real who's who of local talent over two distinctive days. Saturday kicks off with the "Fantasy Flights of the Mind" literature seminar with Ken Catran, Joy Cowley, Margaret Mahy and Australians Terry Denton and Andy Griffiths; and those five come back in the afternoon to run writing and illustrating workshops, joined by other writers and illustrators. Entry to Saturday's events is by ticket from Ticketek, with some workshops already sold out.

Sunday, however, is Free Family Day, including readings, storytelling and signings, a Best Dressed Bear Competition, and the national finals of the Kids Lit Quiz.

Australian author Andy Griffiths (whose nose-burning books such as The Day My Bum Went Psycho, soon-to-be published Zombie Bums From Uranus and Bums: The Final Conflict are illustrated by the equally crazy Terry Denton) will be a big draw to the festival. While adults may turn away in horror, he has the opposite effect on kids - especially boys.

"What amuses me is how much it amuses kids," he says of "bum", his use of which must easily break any established records.

Griffiths is a terrific entertainer - former punk musician, stand-up comic, teacher, writer of a bestselling creative writing text for schoolchildren, father of two young daughters - and his instinct for what children find funny (and what will inspire them to read) is spot on.

Check him out. Programmes for the Storylines Festival are widely available from bookstores.