Children given free books at literature festival

More than 1,000 children have been given a free book each to mark the start of Bath Children's Literature Festival.

The event began on Friday with a session hosted by well-known children's author Katherine Rundell.

"Events like this are extraordinary, for the children to be able to see a wide range of writers, it can be transformative," she said.

Organisers of the festival hope to give away 5,000 books before it ends on 7 October.

Bath Children's Literature Festival is Europe's largest dedicated event of its type.

Co-founder John McLay said: "The magic of the festival is bringing the kids into these big rooms with their favourite authors and hearing them speak.

"When I grew up we didn't do events like this.

"Bath is a city with one of the highest ranges of socio-economic indicators, and many families in our county might not have books at home," he added.

Ms Rundell told the BBC it was a "fantastic event."

"It's a real honour to be allowed to talk to so many children at once.

"Children's books offer them a sense of the world that is colossal, it is such a privilege and a duty not to talk down to them and offer them anything that's thin or bogus," she added.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.