This half term we took our mischievous, marvellous children along to Marvellous and Mischievous, the new child-focused exhibition at York Art Gallery. Featuring some of literature’s best-loved and most famous rebels, from Zog to Matilda, and it’s fabulous. Showcasing around 40 books, manuscripts and original artwork from the British Library’s collection, this family-friendly exhibition includes a diverse range of rebels, outsiders and spirited survivors from children’s literature spanning more than 300 years.

You don’t need to be able to read to get something from this exhibition: there’s dressing up, books to borrow, cosy corners and plenty of opportunities to draw and express yourself. There are plenty of activities to delight younger children, including colourful rugs and sofas to sit and snuggle on and tunnels to crawl through, but for our older girls (10 and 8), they were starstruck to see Roald Dahl’s real writing and how his drafts of Matilda changed in time. They even took photos of it to look at when they got home! This gorgeous exhibition runs until 4th June 2023 and it’s well worth a visit.

We couldn’t leave without having a quick look around the rest of the gallery, which they loved. The stand-outs were Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe, some Picasso pots and a picture of the Queen! Pretty marvellous indeed.

‘Marvellous and Mischievous’ at York Art Gallery will be open from 10 February – 4 June 2023. Adult tickets: £6, Child: £6, concessions available. Under 5s go free, as do York children under the age of 16. For more information and to book tickets please visit www.yorkartgallery.org.uk