Here is a new blog post about some fantastic summer reading. Dive in! bit.ly/45xfu6R @attielime.bsky.social @bardymum.bsky.social @robwaltonwriter.bsky.social

It was amazing to go to the Wales Book of the Year ceremony in Cardiff on Thursday - no win for ‘Why did my Brain make me say it?’ but I’m still delighted to have been on the shortlist of 3 in the children’s and young people category. Congratulations to all the winners 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Hello all -my lovely #kidlit friends please please can you help by sharing? 🙏🙏🙏 Minty has been in our friendship group since uni (over 20 years. In Jan he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. www.gofundme.com/f/stuart-minty Please please please share (and/or donate but only if you are able to)

Back from holidays to this lovely review of ‘Why did my brain make me say it?’ from @lizpoet.bsky.social at Poetry Roundabout. Thank you so much! poetryroundabout.com/2025/04/18/p... #kidlituk #ukkidlit #childrenspoetry

Just picked up a copy of this as I really enjoyed Sue’s debut

Best four words in the English language: ‘Out of office on’ 🥳

✨️NEW BOOK!!✨️ Book 6 of THE MATHS ADVENTURERS series is out on 5th June 2025! When Beep and Boots notice that their library needs more books, they arrange a school fair to buy some more. Can they raise enough money to fill the library? Illustrated by @susannarumiz.bsky.social

Children’s poetry has been a great ride, but I have less time for it these days, as my new venture is really taking off! If you’d like to join my course teaching the secrets of AI publishing and how to write, edit and publish your book in a week, sign up! bit.ly/4ji7Cdn

From my book ‘Why did my brain make me say it?’ published by @troikabooks.bsky.social. #kidlituk

From my book ‘Why did my brain make me say it?’ published by @troikabooks.bsky.social. #kidlituk

Happy book birthday to the brilliant @robwaltonwriter.bsky.social whose wonderfully eccentric collection of flash/short-short stories (with footnotes!) ‘Please don’t read the footnotes please’ is out today with @theemmapress.bsky.social. It’s so much fun! #kidlituk

The 2025 Jericho Prize for Children's Writing is now open 🖊️ The prize is dedicated to showcasing the next generation of Black-British children’s writers & is open to unpublished and self-published Black-British writers. #Writing #Writingforchildren Find out more tinyurl.com/yy3a5b9b

Amazon: Ever wonder if your reviews (of writer friends’ wonderful books) are being noticed? They are! Me: Great! It takes me a while and I know they’re helpful. Amazon: Now, why not write a review of the Morrisons’ own-brand baking powder you bought last week as part of a weekly shop? Me:

Happiest of book birthdays to @attielime.bsky.social, whose l baby bounces into bookshops for #worldbookday today. Do pick up your copy of these fantastic #poemsforchildrens - perfect for KS1 and sweet as strawberries 🍓 💙📚 #kidlituk

Happy St David’s Day/Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus! 🌼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 My poem and a translated version from @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social’s English and Welsh/English anthologies from @fireflypress.bsky.social ‘And I hear Dragons’, poems about dragons by a diverse range of modern Welsh poets. #kidlituk #wales

Summer always comes early at EMC. We'll be posting our summer course programme on our website in the next couple of weeks. Keep a look out, and in the meantime here's what's on offer this half-term! englishandmedia.co.uk/courses/

Last day for #Readitforward! Buy childrens’s and YA books without billionaires being involved!

The water bill has just arrived and is over a grand, so from now on we’ll be bathing in and drinking my tears 😭

💙📚

From my latest/12th book 'The Shape of Rainbows': @worldbookdayuk.bsky.social #poem #poems #LibrarySky #EduSky #BookSky #poetry #TeacherSky #poetrylovers #PoetrySky #PoetryCommunity #WritingCommunity #teachers #literacy @schoolreadinglist.bsky.social ky.social #kidlit @otterbarrybooks.bsky.social

Now my book has been out 4 months, it’s been odd to discover the people who have been really kind and supportive - not always who you’d expect - and vice-versa. Some family/friends couldn’t care less/ignored it completely. Their prerogative, but just interesting. Anyone else? #Booksky #kidlituk

Just creating a post for Black kids book week and taking a moment to basque in how many amazing books I own centring Black kids - of all kinds. This isn’t even half of it. If anyone has a time portal I urgently need to send all these back to 1989! If you want a recommendation let me know. #kidlit

I need to make amends for the laminating I've done today. Plant a penguin, or offset a tree or something 🫣 Hopefully they'll at least get plenty of use

This is very important, and the deadline for filling in the form for the government consultation is today (25th Feb). If you're an author, or if you feel that creators should not be robbed of control over their own copyright, please consider filling this form.

Just a bit over 24h to respond to the government's consultation on the proposed copyright exemption in favour of genAI companies. Have your say! Here's a handy guide open.substack.com/pub/againstt... #kidlitUK #HandsOffOurCopyright

Does any other author appear on the cover of their books as the main character in the way Jilly Cooper did in her 1970s romantic novels? #booksky

While February lasts, buy your children’s/YA books from @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social and they’ll donate 10% to @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social. Plus you’ll be supporting indie bookshops. It’s a great time to buy ‘Why did my brain make me say it’, from @troikabooks.bsky.social

It’s like putting the onus on house owners to find individual burglars and ‘opt out’ of their goods-removal scheme 🙄 #AI #BookSky

Spent a good ten minutes looking for two of the neon tetra in my tank and was convinced they’d died and been eaten by the catfish. They’ve reappeared. Henceforth all neons are renamed ‘Stevens’ after that Scottish lady’s horse. #iykyk

✨Ridiculously pleased to share the cover of my teen debut #LiviaInRome. 🎨I am obssessed with @aeadraws.bsky.social's gorgeous illustrations - just perfect for summer love in the Eternal city! 📚Coming July 3rd 2025 with @chickenhousebooks.bsky.social #cleanteen #romance #thirdculturekids

Have you read @coralrumble.bsky.social's gorgeous middle-grade novel (with poems!) Jakub's Otter yet? See my review on Goodreads/Amazon/Waterstones #kidlituk @troikabooks.bsky.social

Teachers always seem to like this poem for some reason :) #Ofsted #poem #poetry #kidlituk

We have 4 RIOTOUSLY FUNNY copies of #JuliusZebra #CommotionInAncientChina by @stupidmonster.bsky.social to #win! If you crave an action-packed adventure full of illustrated silliness with Julius & friends in Ancient China… Repost & Follow by Feb 21 to enter @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social #WRDMagComp

Finally got our hands on Why did My Brain Make Me Say It by @bardymum.bsky.social . We are sad to return this one to the library as it is full of so many new favourites. Such a variety of poems: some funny, some poignant, some clever and many that warrant multiple readings. #poetry #KidLitUK

🧵An important part of the primary experience is having a lovely time- adults ringfencing the unique state of childhood and ensuring that primary is a glorious place to be little. Playful and joyful are not the antonyms of high standards and aspiration.

My poem 'Not in the Manual' will be featured on Radio Notts, Derby, Lincs & Leics tonight as part of BBC Upload. There will also be chat about Swadlincote Festival of Words & Swadlincote's own spoken word night, Scribes Aloud. Swad's creative scene is thriving and it's a joy to be part of it ✨

Poetic Word of the Day: Mutability - changeability, inconstancy. Today is National Love Your Pet Day. Here's a poem about a changeable pet:

My suggested reading list for the current UK government in light of their proposed border security, immigration and asylum bill. #kidlituk

Teachers always seem to like this poem for some reason :) #Ofsted #poem #poetry #kidlituk

90th birthday cake safely delivered to the birthday boy, my father-in-law Jerry

Delighted to be a judge for the third year running for this brilliant competition. (Also a yearly chance to see @lawrencepatrice.bsky.social 🤩) #teachers Please direct any young people interested in self-expression, and who are in care, or care-experienced, to enter! www.coramvoice.org.uk/voices

Brain might only be available in ONE branch of @waterstones.bsky.social (thank you person who probably didn’t pick up their order!), but that still counts ‘stocked in a major booksellers’, right? 😁 Baby steps… Anyone in Loughborough want to go and photograph it for me? #kidlituk

Check out this step by step guide to drawing the little star of What the Crow Saw Below, created by Greg Stobbs! Download the activity sheet by going to www.roberttregoning.com/activity-she... where you’ll also find guides to drawing other characters from the story! @oxfordchildrens.bsky.social

Here's my Thursday reading from 'Squeak!' - 'Cow-Calm', inspired by the blissfully care-free cows in our village meadows. (Not the frisky bullocks or the edgily protective nursing mums in those other fields!)

This is (part of the many) bookshelves at my in-laws’ house when they had my father-in-law’s 90th party. All the books by family members proudly on display. @informededucation.com we need to catch Kathy Weston up 😁

I seem to have found some boxes of books. The books seem to have been written by me. #kidlit #childrensbooks

Pandora and the Story Forge by @gaynorandrews.bsky.social and Marie-Alice Harel is full of words that delight, describe and roll off the tongue, perfect to to inspire budding wordsmiths. A rhyming tale coupled with beautiful illustrations in fire forged hues. #KidLitUK @rocketbirdbooks.bsky.social

Delighted to get my mucky paws on this early copy of @robwaltonwriter.bsky.social’s first collection of short stories, ponderings and general slantwise looks at life from deep down where the footnotes dwell. Totally original and entertaining, & out in a month from @theemmapress.bsky.social #kidlituk

Delighted to get my mucky paws on this early copy of @robwaltonwriter.bsky.social’s first collection of short stories, ponderings and general slantwise looks at life from deep down where the footnotes dwell. Totally original and entertaining, & out in a month from @theemmapress.bsky.social #kidlituk