North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award for Poetry – We Won!
In September, The Same Inside (written with Roger Stevens and Matt Goodfellow) and Apes to Zebras (written with Sue Hardy-Dawson and Roger Stevens) were shorlisted with two other books for the poetry section of the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Awards – here is Mungo the dog modelling Apes to Zebras!
On Saturday, Sue Hardy Dawson, Roger Stevens and my self joined many other authors at the award ceremony – this is an annual award voted on by teachers all over North Somerset of course, but also from all over the UK.
Apes to Zebras, an A-Z of Shape Poems won, and Sue, Roger and I are absolutely thrilled.
Thanks you teachers who voted for this book – we value regard from you most highly.
Here we are just after receiving the award, and still feeling quite pole-axed!
The North Somerset Teachers put on a WONDERFUL spread of cakes. Really quite extraordinary. Children read out the winners – the whole ceremony is delightful, and we can’t thank them enough for the effort they put in to these awards, and for their enthusiasm for children’s books in general. Not to mention the best book raffle EVER.
And here is the lovely award itself:
I also won this award last year with Jan Dean and Michaela Morgan for Reaching the Stars – better write another excellent book for next year!
lizbrownlee - poet 
Fully deserved! What an amazing set of adventures you have been on as a writer over the years, and the passion, hard graft, and fun, has been rewarded!
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Oh – Alan, thank you!
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I can’t remember how many years ago that I met you, but this is all so immensely deserved. You do so much, and work so well with other writers, and children, families, and really everyone, benefit so much!
warm regards,
Alan
co-founder, Call of the Page
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I’m blushing now, Alan, thank you! It’s fun. And I believe in the power of poetry to help children in a number of ways (Well, everyone, but I do children!) and I do remember where we met first – it was at a book launch at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights – this was the first time I had talked to you!
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Children are the future adults of this world, and no adult should entirely lose the childlike spirit they once held. Both as a writer who had gone into schools, and worked with families, and as a sometime professional Mall Santa, that childlike spark is alive and evident in those children of all ages, including right up to the age of being grandparents!
I think it’s vastly underestimated how much good visiting poets can do in a school, especially when the head teacher and others, from teachers to TAs and other support staff, and canteen staff too, enter into the spirit!
Alan
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Huge congratulations: well deserved! xxx
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Thank you, Celia! I don’t know why, this comment did not mention it had arrived! x
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