Gavin lives in South Wales with his wife, his young son and their cat, George. He spends his days working as a school liaison officer with the police and won the Greenhouse Funny Prize in 2013 with his debut book, Murray the Horse. Alex is well-known to youngsters in the region having been part of the Big DoG Schools Tour which brought authors to over 2,500 pupils in 53 Schools from Gretna to Stranraer. Record-holding Paralympian swimming champion Ellie Robinson will read from her forthcoming book The Gold Medal Mysteries. This is especially exciting as audiences for Ellie’s event can buy exclusive advance copies of the book – meaning they will be some of the first people anywhere to read it. Meet the very WORST Vikings in the village! Prepare yourself for anarchy, mischief and total chaos as Francesca Simon and Steve May introduce the third instalment in their Two Terrible Vikings series. Moat Brae looks like a fantastic venue for Blanksy to unleash his artistic creativity and I’m excited to visit Dumfries for the first time.”

Jim said: “I am thrilled to be coming to the Big DoG festival. I have a big dog and will be bringing him along as well! Looking forward to playing with clay with everyone in Dumfries.” Vivian French, a wonderful storyteller who has published more than 300 titles, will be there with illustrator Ross Collins, for an interactive event The Newest Story in the Whole Wide World. Vivian said: “ Big DoG is one of the highlights of my year. I’ve never not had a fabulous time.” Blanksy The Street Cat: Blanksy and Pete both live on the streets and become firm friends in this funny, modern chapter book. Pete, who busks, makes enough money for food and a hostel bed for the night. However, Blanksy hatches a plan for them to earn more money: he decides to brighten up their busking space with a bright mural painted anonymously in the middle of the night. It certainly gains attention and, as more murals appear, everyone begins wondering who Blanksy is. However, this has a surprising effect on Pete – not one that Blanksy anticipated. What Pete values about his lifestyle is freedom to move and the satisfaction of chatting to people. Neither of which can be bought.

Bea is reluctantly taken on a tour of France and Italy by the parents she rarely sees, Raffy, equally reluctantly, is taken to see a grandmother in London he was not aware he had and while they are away comes the dreadful news that Ravenwood is to be sold. Nothing can be done – unless, just unless the children can find a means to save it. The task seems impossible, or is it? I think this book is really funny because it says ‘I will put ants in your pants that will make you want to dance’ and it says ‘poopy doopy’. I liked singing the songs out loud. My favourite part is where Blanksy finds some paint and paint brushes. Big DoG will also feature an amazing chocolatey strand marking 21 years of Scots language publisher Itchy Coo by celebrating Chairlie and the Chocolate Works by Roald Dahl, translated by Matthew Fitt.

We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Among Big DoG’s top attractions will be the chance to make your own Gromit, Shaun the Sheep – and other much-loved TV and movie animated characters – at a special workshop run by top Aardman model-maker Jim Parkyn. This is a gorgeous, fun-filled story that is perfect for younger readers. It has a dyslexia-friendly font and use of bold text and capitalisation which will encourage reading with expression. I loved the use of internal rhyme which makes it a joy to read aloud and is one younger children will want to read again and again. There will definitely be giggles at the warm humour and a real delight in the friendship between Pete and Blanksy. Allen Fatimaharan was born in Sri Lanka, but grew up in Southern India and France. Now living in the UK, he works as an illustrator and animator. In 2018 he won second place in the FAB Prize for illustration. My Hair was his first picture book. Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival is returning after a two-year break, with a range of presentations from some of the UK’s best-loved children’s authors.

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When Blanksy the cat discovers a talent for painting murals he uses it to draw bigger and bigger crowds to help his friend Pete the busker become rich. But will money really make Pete happy?' Find out with Gavin and Blanksy the Street Cat. This book is about a cat called Blanksy and a busker called Pete. Pete loved busking and came across a handsome cat who was a stray. It made me happy that they became friends. I felt kind of angry and sad at the same time when people were not listening to Pete’s music and were always on their phones. I was happy when I read that Blanksy wanted to do something to help, this is what I would do if my friend needed help. He wanted to do something about it. One day he came across some paints and paint brushes and had a plan to doodle on the dull, grey walls. Then lots of people came to see the art work and listen to the music. They had lots of money and could afford a hotel and eat pizza. Jim said: “I am thrilled to be coming to the Big DoG festival. I have a big dog and will be bringing him along as well. Looking forward to playing with clay with everyone in Dumfries.”