You Look Like A Rainbow – The Poetry of Joseph Coelho

You Look Like A Rainbow

Joseph Coelho reading his poem ‘You Look Like A Rainbow’ from his CLPE CLiPPA 2015 Award winning book Werewolf Club Rules.

josephcoelhoauthor

I always have a fab time when running poetry CPD s

I always have a fab time when running poetry CPD sessions with teachers but yesterday was particularly fun because I got to do it with the fabulously talented @charlie_hacking. We discussed the power of rhythm and rhyme, explored different poetic devices from sonnets to mesostics and even discovered the acrostic’s long lost sister the telestich!

The teachers were amazingly good sports despite my call to have them read aloud in silly voices, partake in circle exercises and even perform poems in groups.

They rose to every challenge and gave me great hope for the future of poetry in the classroom.

A huge thanks to the brilliant @clpe.org.uk for their continuing essential and brilliant work connecting creatives with teachers and squeezing every last drop of value out of every book that crosses their desks.

Missing this tour already thank you @scottishbookt

Missing this tour already thank you @scottishbooktrust…

Wow wee what a week, it’s gone so quickly but be

Wow wee what a week, it’s gone so quickly but been so full i’ve spotted seals and sheep opened a school library, joined 2 libraries, performed at ten different schools, eaten far too many delicious scones and have had the assistance of many a-brilliant young mind in the creation of some super poems.

I have managed to get a little writing done though it seems the admin is a constant baying wolf at the door chomping into much needed writing time but where there’s a will…. A huge thanks to Maggie and Fraser at Scottish Booktrust @scottishbooktrust for such a brilliant tour and being such fab company as we battled the elements, rocked on boats and resisted the temptations of many delicious looking cakes (mostly).

Monday was day one of the #Scotfriendbooktour with

Monday was day one of the #Scotfriendbooktour with @scottishbooktrust. My feet haven’t touched the ground since leaving Guernsey on Sunday making my way from far south to far north via three plane rides.

It was such a treat meeting the students and teachers of three schools, hearing their poems and encouraging them to join their local library. I also received my 163rd library card from @orkneylibrary and chatted with local press about the #LibraryMarathon one of my key projects during my tenure as @waterstones @booktrust #ChildrensLaureate.

I also had a lot of fun recording a poem for #BookBugWeek all about the fun children in Scotland can have with Bookbug at their local library. The poem is over on my stories and on the @scottishbooktrust channel too and it features my new favourite scottish word… shoogling!!! To have a little wiggle!

On monday evening we also headed back to Scotland on the ferry, now boats aren’t my favourite form of transport and as we got on board the captain mentioned there would be some “pitching” it felt a bit wobbly at the start but soon levelled out and i had a blast with Maggie and Fraser of @scottishbooktrust spotting gannets and guillemots from the sun deck, alas no whales or dolphins though, but we will have another boat ride on this journey so there is time yet!

Can’t wait for@you guys to see mine and @al_colp

Can’t wait for@you guys to see mine and @al_colps third Picture book One Little Word. It’s a story of friendship and the things (or the THING) that threatens to keep us apart…

#Repost @quartokids
・・・
We're so excited to show you the cover for ONE LITTLE WORD, the newest picture book by Waterstones Children's Laureate @josephcoelhoauthor and Allison Colpoys 😍

The newest book by this award-winning duo is a powerful ode to the love between two friends, navigating the chaos of a big hairy argument – and how they learn to overcome it. 🤔

The massive, hairy monster appears out of the blue one day, splitting up the best friends and growing bigger and BIGGER, until it starts to ruin the fun for all of the children in the playground. 😨

Together they have to learn how to shrink the monster until it completely disappears – to the point where they can’t even remember what it looks like!

Coelho’s gentle, lyrical verse pairs perfectly with Colpoys’ beautiful illustrations to create a book that will be treasured by readers of all ages 📚🥰

One Little Word is publishing in August & available to pre-order now 🤩

@flcbooks
#josephcoelho #allisoncolpoys #childrensbooks #onelittleword #picturebooks #kidsbooks #beautifulbooks #awardwinningbooks #bestbooks #kidsbook #argument #bookstagram #friendship

It’s bookbug week in Scotland… get your shoogl

It’s bookbug week in Scotland… get your shoogle on!

A magical whirlwind @guernseylitfest. Whisked fr

A magical whirlwind @guernseylitfest.

Whisked from a 7am arrival to a hotel by volunteer Kate on her trusty rocketship to dump my bag before meeting fabulous author and local @huwlewisjones who kindly took me on his polar bear steed to Amhurst school where I was interviewed by the local press whilst kids from multiple schools filled the school hall.

We created poems about buildings and the sun and sang the poetic devices. Questions came thick and fast and the time went too quickly. I was straight out and taken on dragon back by Margaret to Guilles-alle Library. Staff showed me their beautiful kids library designed from plywood and featuring a host of little cubby holes and stairways and even turrets all on a kid-sized scale. I was very pleased to be able to squeeze into one of the reading nooks.

I received my ginormous library card went through a tiny little door in a hidden bookcase and found myself at bbcguernsey where @stephontheradio interviewed me about being laureate and my time at the festival we even created a limerick together which I believe started… “There was a young lad from Guernsey” naturally.

A quick hot air balloon ride with volunteers Gabriel and Jenny dropped me off (via parachute) at my second school event where a lovely little girl raised her hand and said “I don’t mean to be rude but I think you should dress more smartly” 😝

During the evening I met some of the other wonderful writers and illustrators at the festival & we sat on fluffy clouds and ate sweet deliciousness from a story plucked menu.

The following day I discovered the local sea pools but they looked too cold so instead I went on a tour of Victor Hugo’s House every room was different and felt like stepping onto the set of a different play.

In the afternoon I joined fellow authors to read the winning entries of the Guernsey Writestuff competition. The stories were brilliant, you could see the children float as their stories were read, luckily volunteers were on hand with leashes and gaffer tape to keep them anchored!

That evening we were invited to a Victor Hugo themed art exhibit where I tussled with an octopus and ate too many canapes!

Next stop Orkney.

A whirl 24 hours (almost) in Jersey chatting with

A whirl 24 hours (almost) in Jersey chatting with kids, joining my 162nd Library and waxing lyrical about poetry and libraries…

Five days in Germany for the Cologne Book Festival

Five days in Germany for the Cologne Book Festival along with fellow author @lisaevanswriter. Managed to share my latest YA verse novel The Boy Lost In The Maze (illustrated by @abagforkatie) and the German version of my picture book If All The World Were… (Illustrated by @al_colps. The student all had brilliant questions and I was so grateful to be joined by brilliant translators who made the language barrier non-existent. It’s a really lovely and welcoming festival.

I am trying to allow myself at least a day of free time when visiting places for work, otherwise it can become very easy to not see more than the inside of a hotel and a conference room, so on this trip I made some time to get away to Bremen and to meet up with family and friends and to explore the local art and bookshops… where I spotted @lawrencepatrice Eight Pieces Of Silva which was lovely to see.

I took my camera and found it enabled me to be present whilst travelling around, it helped me to notice and celebrate details and create stronger memories, it was also nice to be engaged in a creative process that was just for me and not related to any book. I did find time to write daily both inside and out both on planes and trains and (almost) fulfilled my childhood romanticised idea of being a writer penning books on a chugging steam train, the train wasn’t quite chugging steam, but it did have plugs and wifi which are all a close second to steam!