Peachicks & Elephants! With Clive McFarland & Ellan Rankin

We start the weekend of Belfast Book Festival with activities for young people! Come along and join us for fun and frolics; there’s also books to read in the Cafe and excellent coffee. Click here to explore family activity at festival.

What is a Peachick? And what if there really was an Elephant in the room? Join 2 fabulous illustrators for creative activities and readings from their new books. 

Clive McFarland's hilarious new his book, What is a Peachick? (written by Erika McGann), is a playful adventure featuring zany creatures, and Ellan Rankin's beautiful book, The Secret Elephant, is the (true!) story of friendship between a baby elephant and her Belfast zoo keeper.

Expect heartfelt and fun readings along with some crafting: little ones can unleash their imagination and create their own crazy-creatures to befriend!

Recommended age is 4-8 years, but all ages are very welcome to join in (guardians too!). 

Materials provided.

Clive McFarland is an author and illustrator of children’s picture books, including A Bed for Bear, The Fox and the Wild, Caterpillar Dreams, and The Ballad of Cactus Joe (written by Lily Murray). He was born in Omagh and learned his craft in Liverpool. Clive’s books have been translated into numerous languages and sold all over the world.

Ellan Rankin is a Belfast-based author and illustrator. She earned an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and won the Sebastian Walker Prize and Carmelite Prize in 2020. Her book, The Secret Elephant, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year Prize 2024. Primarily an illustrator, she blends words and images to craft immersive, magical stories. A lover of animals, history, and cinema, her work often features quirky animal tales and historical details, from 1980s jackets to 1930s living rooms.