AN award-winning author has illustrated the fun side of books to youngsters as part of a school's drive to promote reading.

North Yorkshire-based humourist Andy Seed visited Cundall Manor School, near Thirsk, where fellow writer Stephen Fry taught English in the 1970s.

Mr Seed ran an assembly and worked with Key Stage Two year groups, giving poetry performances and sharing tongue twisters.

The former Yorkshire Dales school teacher also helped the pupils solve riddles from his books, which include the best-selling All Teachers trilogy, children's novel Prankenstein and The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff, which won the 2015 Blue Peter Book Award.

He has been shortlisted for the same award again, which is set to be announced next month, for The Silly Book of Weird and Wacky Words.

His visit also coincided with Woolly Hat Day, an fundraising initiative by homelessness charity St Mungo's, which provides beds and support to more than 2,500 people a night who are either homeless or at risk, and works to prevent homelessness, helping about 25,000 people a year.

Form One teacher Henry Crossley said: “It was great to see all of the children laughing and having fun in each of Andy’s reading workshops”.