CHILDREN’S laureate Chris Riddell certainly drew a crowd when he visited Bolton and spoke to hundreds of excited pupils.

Mr Riddell, an award-winning author and illustrator visited Ladybridge Primary School and Canon Slade School yesterday as part of his tour of schools across the North West to promote children’s literature and inspire children to unlock their own creativity.

Mr Riddell said: “It is fantastic that I get to meet the young readers.

“I write at the bottom of my garden and when I am writing, I met very few people.

“After I finish, I meet my readers and it becomes real and it becomes their book and the children ask questions and give their feedback. They inspire me, my own children inspire me.

“I was doing a book signing and there was one girl called Myrrh, and I asked her if I could use her name for a character in my next book. When children meet authors it becomes real for them and more than anything they see authors are real people. They may see I may be a little scruffy and think ‘I can be an author’. I want to inspire them to be creative and think that they could do this job.”