Posted on: Friday 8 September 2023
Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, has today visited Cwmbran Library, as part of his nationwide ‘Library Marathon’ which aims to encourage people, young and old, to join their local library.
The award-winning performance poet, playwright, and children’s author is on an epic cross-country journey to join more than 200 libraries across the UK.
Today he met with year 4 pupils from Our Lady of the Angels Primary School and home schoolers, where he led a story and poetry reading session and checked out his first book as a new member of Torfaen Libraries.
Feedback from pupils and teachers who took part in the session, included:
“He was really funny. I liked the part where we all put a word in the middle and added spider legs to describe the word in the middle.” - Harry
“The author was really funny and we wrote a poem about pickles!” – Summer
“Lovely, interesting session. Lots of opportunities for questions and answers and for children to share their ideas. Very funny!” – Mrs Hodgson
Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022–2024, said: “I am thrilled to bring my Library Marathon tour to Wales. Libraries made me a writer and make communities thrive. They have been a vital part of my life: from living on estates where I had a library next door, to my first Saturday job, to working at the British Library whilst studying at UCL, to touring theatre shows designed to be performed in libraries.
“I’m immensely grateful to libraries and the services they provide, so I want to use my platform as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate to champion these essential launchpads of learning. I want to hug every library, these miraculous institutions where new horizons line the shelves, where minds go to grow.”
Coelho’s nine-day tour of Wales began on 6 September and has been organised by the Book Trust and Literature Wales.
This year’s Summer Reading Challenge, ‘Ready, Set. Read!’, has been a great success with well over 1000 children across Torfaen signing up to take part.
The challenge comes to an end on Monday 25 September so there’s still time to finish, pick up a medal and certificate and be entered into this year’s prize draw.
If you’re not already a library member, you can sign up here: https://orlo.uk/fSnwz