National Theatre picture book to introduce children to theatre

The National Theatre has created a new picture book, Lola Saves the Show, in collaboration with award-winning publishers Walker Books. 

Written by Katherine Halligan and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten, this is the first picture book to come from the National Theatre, and is designed to introduce drama to children or to entertain those who already love the stage. 

Katherine Halligan, author of Lola Saves the Show, said: ‘After such a long time being unable to enjoy our theatres, the release of this book feels especially celebratory and special, as we all return to the joy and magic of live theatre.’

Sarah Corke, head of publishing at the National Theatre, said: ‘It's been really exciting to delve into the backstage world at the National Theatre to create our first children's book. The theatre is an amazing place to work and visit. We wanted to share some of this magic and show just how many people are involved in putting on a production with the next generation of theatre-makers. 

‘We hope young readers consider getting involved in performing at school, in their spare time or experience a play at their local theatre,’ she continues.  

To celebrate the launch of the book, readers can attend a special family tour of the National Theatre, featuring lots of the locations from Lola Saves the Show, such as the ‘Room of Weird and Wonderful Worlds'. The tour will feature interactive opportunities for attendees, and will launch on 24 July. 

The book is currently available from the National Theatre Bookshop.