Four Australian author-illustrators of children’s books will be touring China this month and next as part of an initiative to promote the local industry in the Middle Kingdom. The tour, billed as the ‘Swimming with Stories’ festival, will feature an exhibition of book illustration as well as workshops focusing on writing, illustration and other facets of narrative performance.
Thirty-one authors and illustrators will be featured, and four of them will visit the People’s Republic in person: Sally Rippin, Leigh Hobbs, Ann James and Alison Lester. Swimming with Stories begins at the Bookworm in Chengdu from May 18 to May 22, moves on to the Shanghai Children’s Museum from June 1 to June 5, and winds up at the Beijing Bookworm from June 6 to June 9.