Introduce your children to the joy of books at JBW’s family day. Here's the lowdown on all the fun to be had
BELIEVE IT OR SNOT, 11AM
Get the day off to a slimy start with zoologist Dani Rabaiotti, who’ll be sharing fun – if gross – facts about nature’s gunk. Find out what on earth “hyena butter” is and whether or not you’d dare eat it, see if you can guess just how much goo a hagfish can spew in less than a minute, and meet an animal that can make itself a snotty sleeping bag. Then take these new-found wisdoms home in Rabaiotti’s new book, Believe it or Snot: The Definitive Field Guide to Earth’s Slimy Creatures (also worth checking out from the same author: Does it Fart? and True or Poo?).
BRAIN FIZZING FACTS, 12.30PM
What does your funny bone have in common with a crocodile’s jaw? We’ve no idea either, but Dr Emily Grossman does and she’s raring to share the explanation to this and other bizarre queries, as featured in her new book, Brain Fizzing Facts: Awesome Science Questions Answered. Grossman is an expert in molecular biology and genetics, a STEM Ambassador (volunteers helping to bring science to the masses) and has a PhD in cancer research. So she’s more than qualified to teach you highly scientific stuff like, for instance, which animal can breathe through its bum?
THE GREAT HOUDINI, 2.30PM
Born Erik Weisz in Budapest, 1874, Jewish Hungarian illusionist Harry Houdini immigrated to America with his family four years later and began pursuing a career in magic from the age of 17. He was inspired by a “man with no head”, reveals Kjartan Poskitt, author of the children’s series Murderous Maths, whose latest book is The Great Houdini: The World’s Most Amazing Escape Artist. Find out why the masterly magician loved hanging upside down 120 feet in the air, escaping from dangerous places (including the belly of a whale) and performing other death-defying stunts.
THE MISSING, 4PM
Poet and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen closes the show with a charming, if heartbreaking, story about the search for relatives who disappeared in World War II. He’ll read from The Missing: The True Story of My Family in WWII, his collection of poetry and prose – and an effective tool for children learning about the Holocaust. These writings are the culmination of many years’ work, which started when Rosen was a boy, hearing stories about great-uncles lost after the war. The answers he found were harrowing and, as well as inspiring this book, have inspired much of his work to date.
By Danielle Goldstein
Jewish Book Week Family Day takes place Sunday 2 February; suitable for ages 9+. Times vary. £8.50, £6.50 children. Kings Place, N1 9AG. 020 7446 8771. www.jewishbookweek.com
This article also appears in the Jan 2020 issue of JR.