Poetry World of John Agard
A towering figure in the children’s and YA poetry world, John Agard has chosen favourite poems from eight of his previously published collections: I Din Do Nuttin; Say it Again, Granny; No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock;
Laughter is an Egg; Grandfather's Old Bruk-a-Down Car; We Animals Would Like a Word With You; Come Back to Me My Boomerang, and Points of View With Professor Peekaboo.
Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the genius of Agard through a range of poetic forms and styles and most of all his extraordinary ability to connect with children of all ages through poetry.
John Agard is one of the most admired and loved poets of our time. Born in Guyana, he moved to Britain in 1977, where his exceptional poetic talents were soon recognised. He has published more than 50 poetry collections for both children and adults and has won many awards. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 2007. He was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2012 and received the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. His poetry is on the GCSE English syllabus and he has toured widely with the GCSE Poetry Live show. He is married to fellow-poet Grace Nicholls, and they live in Lewes, West Sussex.
Shirley Hottier was winner of the FAB illustration award in 2021. She is French and graduated in Paris with a degree in architecture. As an illustrator she has a passion for promoting diversity, drawing on her own family tradition of multiple cultures to create warm and lively scenes and characters. Shirley specialises in digital art, incorporating a rich palette of vivid colours and varied textures. She lives in Edinburgh.