Our Tower

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We are thrilled to be working in partnership with the team at Discoverin Stratford London, who are the perfect venue for the launch of this book. They are hosting an amazing interactive event with Richard and Joseph as well as showcasing of some of his incredible illustrations from the book in the Discover Café. You can find out more about this special event HERE . Wedi'i ysgrifennu mewn sigl odledig telynegol, mae hwn yn ddathliad o bawb sy'n byw mewn blociau o fflatiau ac ar stadau. I’m really interested in developing stories for slightly older children. I like anything that is dark and atmospheric, so I’m always drawn to tales that are unconventional. I’m also really interested in wordless storytelling, film and gaming worlds— so I’m keen to see how new formats might influence the way illustration can be used in this way. In the future, it would be great to visually explore more complex themes, such as migration and displacement. I think illustration is a powerful tool, showing the world in new ways, and should be continued to be promoted for children in schools as a means of developing oracy and literacy. Poetry Joe: The world is getting smaller, art is more necessary than ever". Words & Pictures. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.

I’m currently working on a picture book written by Ross Montgomery, another awesome author. It’s a story about a very old monster who lives on his own and is probably a bit lonely. Again, I was drawn to it because the narrative is little bit sad—as well as being really fun and quirky! a b "English KS1 / KS2: Joseph Coelho - Understanding Poetry". BBC Class Clips Video. Archived from the original on 2022-07-05 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.It was really important that I tried to create an inclusive and diverse group of children in the story, but also that this didn’t define them as individuals. I wanted the children to tell their own story, that might not necessarily be in the text. So, the way they move, and their individual characteristics were essential to cultivate. The girl has binoculars, she is the leader and is always looking to the future. The small boy has a magnifying glass so is always a little bit behind, closely inspecting something. The middle boy, we called ‘Little Joe’—another wink to Joseph—he always carries a notebook, and is drawing and taking notes! The characters in Our Tower are completely believable, is character design something you are interested in? I initially studied fine art at University, so was heavily influenced by narrative painters. But I soon realised that what I really wanted to do was tell stories and communicate ideas, so my shift to visual communication was an easy one. I think my influences sort of blend these two worlds, between storytelling and sometimes darker, more theatrical, atmospheric imagery.

Do you use sketching as a form of relaxation? Do you have any sketch books which we could have a peek inside? Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho is an award-winning performance poet, playwright andchildren's author based in Kent. His debut poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules (Frances Lincoln, 2014) wasthe winner of the CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award 2015. His work has poetry and performance at its heart, drawingon over 20 years' experience running dynamic creative literacy sessions in schools. He aims to inspire youngpeople through stories and characters they can recognise and explores themes including fear, courage,diversity, gratitude, empathy and loss. I was also really influenced by Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman and John Burningham’s Granpa. Both stories are poignant, humorous and tragic in equal measure, but they taught me how drawing could work in sequence to deliver a narrative, with and without words. The books were turned into animated films. As a child, my sister would watch them endlessly on VHS, and I would be tasked with rewinding the tapes at the end of each viewing! As I began to study illustration more closely, I really loved the work of American illustrators like Lane Smith—I’d often try to figure out how he made his illustrations. If All the World Were". www.booktrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-07-05 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.

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Do you have any formative memories of books or illustrations which first inspired youto become an illustrator? Adults have forgotten the wonder in the everyday, but these children see that there is power in the smiles of their neighbours and magic in the kindness of others. There is a beauty to the community of their Tower.

Joseph Coelho FRSL is a British poet and children's book author who was elected Children's Laureate in 2022. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. [1] Personal life and education [ edit ] But their real discovery is the gift of the old man of the tree which enables them to see that magic exists in the real world too, when we do not forget our connections to nature and can see and appreciate the beauty of community. Richard Johnson has created moments of real magic and wonder with his atmospheric illustrations in blue, green, brown, and grey hues highlighting the transitions between the urban, fantastic and natural environments. The imagery has been cleverly displayed as full spreads alongside vignettes with scenes intertwined with the text giving this book a unique contemporary feel. Note must also be paid to the incredible behind the scenes research work carried out to make the illustrations as authentic as possible, Richard ensured that architectural details were as accurate as possible as were references to specific architectural details, and public statues mentioned in Joseph’s story making this an unforgettable cinematic reading experience. Working closely at all stages of the book, when he saw Richard's roughs Joseph said... Richard put a huge amount of effort into researching the imagery mentioned in the poem and recreating it in the illustrations, we asked him about his researchprocess and how it works differently on different projects.From award-winning children’s poet Joseph Coelho comes this enchanting story of three kids looking for adventure in their building. a b c d e "Joseph Coelho chosen as Britain's new children's laureate". the Guardian. 2022-07-04. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04 . Retrieved 2022-07-04. new books to read this week". The Independent. 2021-08-04. Archived from the original on 2022-07-05 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.