by Gudrun Bowers | 21, Jan 2020
BOOK SIGNING AND CHARACTER MEET AND GREET. Saturday 1st February from 11.30am. Booking Essential.
To celebrate 20 years of the Acorn Wood books, we have a very special visitor on February 1st! Postman Bear will be making an appearance at the Steyning Bookshop, accompanied by his creator, Julia Donaldson! We will have Acorn Wood themed games and activities, free refreshments for children, and of course Julia will be meeting fans to sign books purchased at the shop.
To book your place, either call the shop on 01903 812062, pop in, or use our NEW ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM! This event is essentially free – with a book purchase. To allow for online booking, we will charge £7 per family group. A family group can consist of either 1 or 2 adults and up to 3 children. This will entitle you to a confirmed place at the signing. Your £7 payment will be deducted from the price of the Julia D book/s that you purchase on the day. The Steyning Bookshop will have a full range of all Julia’s books on sale for signing, including of course, all the lovely Acorn Wood books! We regret that attendees are not permitted to bring books purchased elsewhere to be signed by Julia. Booking will be in timed half hour slots, starting at 11.30am.
The 11.30, 12 and 12.30 slots are full, we are booking into afternoon slots now. Please give us a ring on 01903 812062 if this link does not work or the slot has sold out without us noticing!
2 pm slot.
2.30pm slot
The delightful Acorn Wood series are some of our very favourite picture books for pre-schoolers. With their simple rhyming stories, charming illustrations by Axel Scheffler and fun flaps to peek under on every page, they are a perfect introduction into Julia and Axel’s world. The original four stories are Postman Bear, Fox’s Socks, Hide and Seek Pig, and Rabbit’s Nap, which have all been re-issued as smart new anniversary editions by Macmillan to celebrate 20 years in print! Even more excitingly, Julia and Axel are creating four new stories set to be published in 2021 and 2022.
by Gudrun Bowers | 20, Jan 2020
On Monday 27th January 2020 at 11.30am we have a very special story time for little people! Actors from the brilliant Freckle Theatre production of Zog, which will be at the Capitol in Horsham next week, are kindly joining us at the bookshop for a story time session.
Expect much raucous roarsome fun! Perfect for pre-schoolers. Please book in advance so we know how many little people to expect. Only £3, redeemable against book purchase.
by Gudrun Bowers | 27, Nov 2019
On Wednesday 4th December from 6-9pm Steyning High Street becomes a winter wonderland! With street entertainers, live music, a candle-lit procession, Father Christmas in his vintage transport, and a host of wondrous stalls selling all manner of artisan gifts, plus delicious, tempting food stalls, and, of course, most of the high street shops open for business.
As always, at the bookshop we will be dispensing Rob’s legendary home-made mulled wine, to accompany Sara’s famously melt-in-the-mouth mince pies, and this year our guest author is Julia Donaldson!
Although the shop is open all evening from 6pm-9pm, Julia will only be signing at the shop from 7.45-9pm, we calculate this is enough time for about 30 families to meet her, so, if you want to be SURE you’ll get a chance to buy a book and get it signed & dedicated in person, we recommend you give us a ring on 01903 812062 to book your place.
Julia’s latest book is The Smeds & the Smoos (£12.99 hardback), a hilarious and heart-warming inter-galactic love story – she’ll be signing this and all her previous books.
by Gudrun Bowers | 30, Aug 2019
Very last minute but Julia has just kindly agreed to come for a signing for her brilliant new book The Smeds and the Smoos!
This will take place on Saturday 7th September here at the Steyning Bookshop, from 10.30 am till 12.30 pm. If you wish to attend, you must pre-order and pay for your copy of The Smeds and the Smoos (£12.99) by phoning us on 01903 812062 or popping into the shop. For queue management, we will divide the 2 hour period into 30 minute time slots, and let you know your time slot when you pre-order. As always, all Julia’s other books will be on sale and available for signing, you can shop for these when you arrive. We must ask that you do not bring books purchased elsewhere, or books from home to be signed. If the weather is warm the signing will be in the garden. Free activities and refreshments for children will be provided.
*Local customers who are not able to attend the signing but wish to obtain a signed and dedicated book can pre-order a book to be picked up at a later date*
The Smeds and the Smoos is an out of this world intergalactic love story from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
In a distant galaxy, far far away…The Smeds (who are red) never mix with the Smoos (who are blue), so when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love, their families strongly disapprove. The star-struck lovers elope on a cosmic rocket trip around the universe, meeting all manner of curious extra-terrestrials. Eventually, a bouncing purple baby brings the two tribes together, and love and unity prevail!
This wonderful picture book is a joyous celebration of inclusivity and diversity, with Julia Donaldson’s humorous rhymes exuberantly brought to life by Axel’s colourfully hilarious illustrations. A real treat for bedtimes!
by Gudrun Bowers | 30, Aug 2018
On Saturday 20th October at 2.30pm fans of Julia Donaldson will get another chance to meet her as she celebrates the release of not one, not two, but THREE new books – a delightful alphabet of animals: Animalphabet, a new story with the fabulous illustrator Lydia Monks: The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes, and a beautiful new illustrated hardback edition of Julia’s play about the second World War: Bombs and Blackberries. The book-signing is an amazing chance to buy one of these wonderful new books in first-edition hardback, and get it personally signed and dedicated by Julia.
In order to make the signing an enjoyable experience for everyone
- Entry will be strictly by prior booking only, and limited to under 100 families.
- You can book your place by calling the shop on 01903 812062 and purchasing any of Julia’s new books (or her older titles!)
- Your pre-order allows entry of 1 family group (1/2 adults and up to 4 children).
- You may purchase additional books on the day – all Julia’s books will be available for purchase and signing.
- There is no way to host a Julia D signing without some queuing, but we will attempt to reduce the queue time by staggering the entry times: 2.30 pm for the first 30 families to book, 3.30 pm for the next, and 4.30 for the final group. You will be advised of your recommended signing time when you book.
- The signing will take place inside the shop /the back room of the shop, there will be refreshments and activities for children, but space is fairly limited.
- Please do not bring ‘books from home’ or books purchased elsewhere for signing.
- If you are unable to attend the signing but would like to order and pay for a book to be signed/dedicated by Julia, to pick up in person later, please call in/ phone the shop and we will be happy to arrange this for you.
- Don’t forget – for those who live further away – you can get a signed Julia Donaldson book anytime from our website store!
JULIA’S NEW BOOKS
Animalphabet is Julia’s delightful alphabet of animals with stunning illustrations by Sharon King-Chai.
Julia’s cleverly written, rhythmic text invites children to compare one animal to another, and ingenious hints and peep-through holes within the artwork make the book a hugely entertaining guessing game as well! Each intricately cut page draws you further into a beautifully vibrant world of huge elephants, slithery snakes and growling tigers, and the book will make a gorgeous gift. £14.99 in hardback.
The Girl, the Bear and the Magic Shoes is an exciting new story illustrated with glittery magic by Lydia Monks. When Josephine leaves the shoe shop after buying some new running shoes, she hears an unusual sound – Click-click! Click-click! A bear with a backpack is following her! Luckily for Josephine, her new shoes are anything but ordinary – these are magic shoes. But can they help her escape the bear when there’s a mountain, a bog and even a lake in her way? £12.99 in hardback.
Bombs and Blackberries is a dramatic and touching play which brings Manchester during the Second World War and its people to life.
World War Two has been declared and the Chivers children are sent to the safety of the countryside. They are delighted to be brought back home when it looks like the Germans aren’t going to invade after all. But the air-raid siren goes off and this time it’s frighteningly real. It is perfect for class reading as well as performance, also includes helpful tips on staging and costume. Beautifully illustrated by Thomas Docherty. £12.99 in hardback.
