THE GREAT BIG BUG SHOW Will Premiere at Libraries, Museums, and Festivals This Autumn

Join National Poetry Day Ambassador and acclaimed children’s author Simon Mole and musician and TikTok sensation Gecko for their brand new family show The Great Big Bug Show when it heads out on tour this Autumn, including performances at the Natural History Museum on 15 and 16 November.

The Great Big Bug Show is packed full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite bugs (and some you haven’t heard of yet!).

Which beetle has a blaster on its bottom? Which minibeast is barely the size of a full stop? Which eight-legged hunter has fangs as big as a cheetah's claws?

Simon Mole and Gecko invite children and their families to join them for a fun and interactive exploration of the secret world beneath our feet. As well as being packed full of delightfully disgusting and wonderfully weird facts, the show is an inspirational call to action to appreciate the smaller creatures in our world. Expect Minibeasts and Massive Beats. In this show, every tune is an earworm - even the ones about woodlice!

The Great Big Bug Show is inspired by the recently released A First Book of Bugs, written by Simon Mole, illustrated by Adam Ming and published by Walker Books. This title is the eagerly anticipated follow up to The Sunday Times pick,  A First Book of Dinosaurs.  

The Great Big Bug Show will tour this Autumn to Oxford University Museum of Natural History on 27 October and to libraries across Hertfordshire and Brent, and it will culminate in two performances at the Natural History Museum in London, in the Attenborough Studio, on 15 and 16 November. There will also be performances at Cheltenham Literary Festival and Hay Festival Winter Weekend. Spring/Summer 2026 tour dates are to be announced.  

Simon Mole is an acclaimed children’s writer and performer, who has shared stages with Michael Rosen, Hollie McNish and Simon Armitage. He has published three picture books, and two themed poetry giftbooks for younger children. His next book, Poetry Pizza, is a poetry collection for 7-11 years olds which will be published in February 2026.

Simon is a National Poetry Day Ambassador, with over ten years’ experience using poetry with children and families, Simon works in schools and libraries across the country and overseas. The videos on his YouTube channel are used by hundreds of thousands of children and teachers across the world each year and have been featured on the BBC. 

Simon Mole said: “As well as learning about bugs, this show is all about having fun with poems and songs! We want kids to discover the power of their own imagination and creativity - the aim is that they walk out feeling like they could be an author, or an entomologist, or both!  As part of my research for A First Book of Bugs, I visited the Natural History Museum so it’s incredibly exciting to be bringing the show there!”

Gecko is a singer-storyteller who has performed across the world including at Glastonbury, Latitude, the Southbank Centre, 6 Music & the BAFTA winning Sky Arts show Life & Rhymes. In 2025 he released his third album The Big Picture. His songs have received millions of views on TikTok and Instagram and hardly any mean comments.

Gecko said: “I have so many fond memories of coming to the Natural History Museum as a kid. It’s such an awe inspiring building, even more so when you’re a few feet tall. To be bringing a show there is an absolute dream come true, I love the idea that we could be a part of a family’s first visit to those hallowed halls! That’s some core memory building right there. I’ve loved the challenge of writing music about the alien world of bugs and learning about how essential they are to life on earth. Plus writing a rock song about ladybirds was one of my favourite afternoons ever!”

The Great Big Bug Show is created by Simon Mole, Gecko and Peader Kirk. It is co-produced by Rua Arts and funded by Arts Council England. 

For more information on The Great Big Bug Show, visit: simonmole.com/events. Show running time: 50mins approx, no interval. Suitable for children aged 4-11 years and their family.