Wild Things - Lowry announces its new free exhibition for the summer
Lowry, Salford, today announces Wild Things, a new free summer exhibition celebrating animals in children’s books, taking young children and their families on a fun‑filled animal adventure through some of the most loved stories of all time. Wild Things opens in the Andrew Law Galleries at Lowry on Saturday 18 July and runs until Sunday 1 November 2026.
From beloved classics including Elmer, Dear Zoo, Owl Babies, and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, to new favourites, including Time for Bed, Fred!, The Steves, and The Great Unicorn Rescue, the exhibition brings together stories that generations of families love.
Almost 100 original illustrations by Axel Scheffler, Nick Sharratt, Helen Oxenbury, Rod Campbell and many others will feature throughout the exhibition, alongside stories by Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Yasmeen Ismail, Lizzy Stewart and many more.
Designed to support reading, play and imagination, the Wild Things exhibition will also include lots of fun, screen‑free interactives and games designed especially for under‑7s including the Bee Calm Spa, Vera’s Veggie Delights Stall, and The Furry Wardrobe - that will be packed with animal dress‑up costumes.
The exhibition will focus on creating opportunities for young children and their families to enjoy shared reading and be creative together. Every young visitor will also receive a free specially designed notebook, so they can write and draw their own animal stories inspired by the exhibition.
Michael Simpson, Director of Visual Arts at Lowry, says: “In Wild Things we will bring together beloved stories, and beautiful illustrations, and the exhibition will be a space where families can read, play and create memories together. Full of ants, bears, cats, dogs, elephants, right through to zebras - the animals in these stories are sometimes cute, sometimes scary, sometimes naughty, but always fun.” Michael Simpson continues: “We’ve set a high bar at Lowry with our recent free summer exhibitions celebrating the works of legendary authors and illustrators including Quentin Blake and Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler – and we will be pulling out all the stops with Wild Things.”
Children visiting during the school holidays can also look forward to free, interactive activities across the building, plus Lowry will also present Dear Zoo on its Quays Theatre stage from Tuesday 11 to Sunday 16 August 2026.
Wild Things opens at Lowry, Salford this summer. Admission is free! thelowry.com