11 photos of Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney enjoying visit to two Blackpool primary schools

The series follows American schoolboy Greg Heffley, who illustrates his daily life in a rather amusing diary, which includes cartoon drawings.

Jeff himself grew up wanting to be a newspaper cartoonist but instead became a highly successful children’s author.

Jeff visited two schools - Our Lady of the Assumption and Hawes Side Academy – and hosted assemblies there.

Both schools are part of the World of Stories programme, a nationwide initiative from Penguin Random House and the National Literacy Trust.

It aims to address some of the key challenges facing reading for pleasure in schools, where budget constraints often mean investing in school libraries and librarians and buying new books is not an option.

While he was in Blackpool, Jeff opened Wimpy Kid themed libraries at both schools, where until recently neither establishment had stocked and dedicated library spaces.

During the visits, the guest writer connected with pupil librarians, donating Wimpy Kid books and goodies to all of the children at the school.

Jeff’s visits to Our Lady of the Assumption and Hawes Side Academy, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, ties into a major new campaign launching this November by Penguin Random House and the NLT, calling for the government to provide funding to transform libraries in every UK primary school.

Emile Thomas, of the Natio0nal Literacy Trust, said: “Jeff spoke about his passion for literacy, and his inspiration for Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

“Everyone really enjoy his visit, including Jeff!”