Every year since 1967, around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday on 2nd April, International Children’s Book Day has been celebrated.
An opportunity to take a nostalgic moment and remember those important first books read in childhood.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one such book, and although my memories of it have somewhat been clouded by images from the Chronicles of Narnia movies, the thought of another world just beyond the back of the wardrobe was and still is not only delightful, but also pretty terrifying.
It was much to my delight and not terror that the N2O powers that be, put their experiential magic to work to recreate an inspirational version of Narnia for the Christmas party last year.
Complete with lion, streetlights, fir trees and throne, the snowy scene took us all back to the fantasy world of Narnia, through a wardrobe of fur coats, where fawns roam and ice queens reign.
Although no one was turned to stone nor lions sacrificed, the Narnia experience showcased how the creative expertise and clever production of the N2O teams come together to create an impactful and surprising experience, to put a modern twist on a familiar and memorable children’s book.
So, whether it was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The BFG, The Railway Children, Heidi, The Secret Garden or another children’s book that captured your imagination as a child, undoubtedly, a love of reading will have been ignited by one of those first books you ever picked up and memories of that book will still resonate with you to this day.
