National Museum Cardiff
Green Drops and Moonsquirters: The Utterly Imaginative World of Lauren Child
Lauren Child’s best-selling books have been captivating children and their parents for almost 10 years.
Green Drops and Moonsquirters is the first ever exhibition to bring Lauren Child’s popular books to life, and is at National Museum Cardiff from 21 November until 31 January 2010.
Based on characters and themes from all her books, the interactive exhibition combines over 40 original illustrations with fun and engaging hands-on activities for under 7s and their families.
Among the characters featured are the hugely successful Charlie and Lola (now stars of a CBBC and Disney Playhouse television series) as well as Clarice Bean, That Pesky Rat and Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent.
Curated and developed by Manchester Art Gallery, Green Drops and Moonsquirters lets you literally step into the world of Lauren’s books, by exploring playhouses based around her most popular characters.
Enjoy pink milk and other yummy delights from the Museum café and Oriel Restaurant, or pick up souvenirs from the shop. Visitors will also get the very first sneak peek of Lauren’s next illustrated storybook!
Some of the fun activities on offer:
• Sit at Charlie and Lola’s kitchen table and make meals with food from their fridge
• Dress-up in their favourite outfits, including Lola’s fabulous alligator costume from I Am TOO Absolutely Small For School
• Draw imaginary friends on a magna-doodle (inspired by Lola’s friend Soren Lorensen)
• Perform 3D puppet shows to an audience of family and friends (in a theatre created from the four-poster bed in The Princess and the Pea)
• Visit Grubby Alley where That Pesky Rat lives
• Play a selection of the Bartle-Bobton Trent family’s favourite games including pairs, a giant Connect Four and Scrabble
• Make Lauren Child’s characters pull funny faces in a special computer interactive.
In the meantime, why not pay a visit to Charlie and Lola on the web where you can play games, watch video and enjoy other interactives.
Free events
Story Time - Every Friday throughout the exhibition 11.30 & 12.30
Sit on our story mat and listen to tales about your favourite characters from Lauren Child’s books. 30 minute sessions, places limited – first come first served.
Utterly Fun Family Day - Saturdays 5, 12 & 19 December 11am – 4pm (sponsored by Funky Monkey Feet)
Have an utterly fun day at the Museum - make some festive gifts and decorations to take home including party hats, jeweled crowns and a colourful crafty butterfly. Listen to your favourite Charlie & Lola stories, hunt for treasure and enjoy a visit from Santa.
Amgueddfa Cymru and Funky Monkey Feet have received an investment from A&B Cymru's CultureStep to develop their creative partnership. CultureStep is made possible by funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Arts Council of Wales.
About Lauren
During the exhibition you can also find out about the author's life before she was an author and illustrator.
Listen to Lauren talking about her work, look at one of her sketchbooks to see how she develops her ideas, as well as examples of illustrations and art by artists including Quentin Blake and Damien Hirst, who have inspired Lauren’s work.
Lauren Child studied art in Manchester and worked as an artist’s assistant for Damien Hirst before embarking on her career in children’s literature.
Her illustrations combine drawing, collage and photography, while witty text weaves through the pages in unconventional ways.
Teachers' Pack
Click here to download the free teachers' pack [PDF]
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