Workshop - How To Write Funny Picture Book Texts with Sarah Tagholm

Add Humour to Your Writing!

Discover the secret to writing funny picture books texts in this workshop with award-winning author Sarah Tagholm.

Generate Funny Ideas

Award-winning picture book author Sarah Tagholm will lead this workshop, sharing how she generates ideas, writes and edits her texts. Sarah will discuss funny picture books, reviewing different styles and techniques for humour in writing.

Drawing on a love of writing in first person Sarah will run a workshop with prompts and the opportunity to write and share your work. The workshop consists of short writing exercises and the emphasis will be on generating ideas rather than polished or edited writing. Through these short blasts of humour-based writing, Sarah aims for participants to take away nuggets of ideas for their own funny picture book manuscripts.

During the workshop, we will:

• Analyse a range of funny picture books
• Discuss different styles of humorous writing and where to seek inspiration
• Take part in four creative writing exercises designed to inspire and expand ideas for your own funny manuscripts.
• Share work for comments and feedback (optional)
• Get answers to all of your burning writing questions

This workshop is for anyone interested in writing funny, lively children’s books. Although the workshop will focus on picture books, the techniques for generating and expanding ideas could also be applied to any storytelling medium.

You will need to bring whatever materials you usually write with for this workshop – pencils, pens, paper, notebooks, word processor etc. Please do bring along a favourite funny picture book if you wish.

In the Q&A, you’ll have the chance to ask Sarah any questions you have, and you will have the opportunity to share your writing and ideas if you’d like to. We can't wait to see you there!

About Sarah Tagholm: Sarah is an award-winning picture book writer, her books are published by Andersen Press, Bloomsbury and Rocket Bird Books in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, South Korea, China, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Turkiye and Russia.

Her books include Carnegie longlisted ‘Wolves In Helicopters’, ‘Sam Francisco King Of The Disco’, ‘We Are The Wibbly’, ‘When Will My Woodlouse Wake Up?' and ‘Brenda’s Revenge’.

2026 sees the publication of ‘A Crinkled Screaming Thing’, ‘Where Are My Massive Flying Wings?’, ‘Daddy Doesn’t Believe In Dragons’ and ‘Halloween, Full Of Fright!’.

The event will be held online via ZOOM - the link will be sent to you directly via email before the event.

All tickets are £60 INCLUSIVE of booking fee - and are non-refundable.

The event is LIVE - but buying a ticket will give you access to a recording of the workshop lecture - which will be available to view back for one month. You will be sent a link for this within 48 hours of the event.