‘Hairy’ from The Girl Who Became A Tree by Joseph Coelho

The Girl Who Became a Tree
is a powerful and mesmerising exploration of grief and renewal.
Daphne is unbearably sad and adrift. She feels the painful loss of her
father acutely and seeks solace both in the security of her local library and
the escape her phone screen provides by blocking out the world around
her.

As Daphne tries to make sense of what has happened she recalls
memories of shared times and stories past, and in facing the darkness she
finds a way back from the tangle of fear and confusion, to feel connected
once more with her friends and family.

The Girl Who Became a Tree sees Joseph Coelho deploy a wide variety of poetic forms with
consummate skill in its narration of events. He seamlessly but searingly weaves together the ancient
legend of Daphne, who was turned into a tree to avoid the attentions of the god Apollo, and a totally modern tale, mixing real-life and fantasy, in which a latter-day Daphne seeks her own freedom. This is a
heart-stoppingly imaginative story told in poems, at times bleak and even tragic, which is layered, rich and ultimately a tour de force
of poetic skill and energy.

Edgy, evocative, thought-provoking black and
white illustrations throughout by Kate Milner. Kate Milner is illustrator and author of the
critically acclaimed My Name Is Not Refugee
and It’s a No-Money Day.

“Sharp, disconcerting, intelligent.” ~ Books
for Keeps on Joseph Coelho’s poetry in
Overheard in a Tower block