The Bookseller’s 2023 conference regarding children’s literature, was an event I found to be both enriching and eyeopening to say the least. Many of the topics discussed were not only highly engaging, but provoked me to consider areas of discussion that otherwise would likely not have been on my radar. One particular talk from the day that I found to be insightful, was that of Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho.

Coelho provided a vibrant discussion surrounding the nature in which poetry is presented to the children of today, and how it is inherently discouraging them from finding it enjoyable or interesting. He expressed that children are encouraged from the outset of being introduced to poetry to see it as something to be analysed. They see it as an educational tool of sorts as opposed to something to be enjoyed and even more simply, read, and that children do not ‘“get the opportunity to see themselves as poets”’ (Coelho, 2023).

There is a myriad of material that suggests that Coelho has identified a persistent issue within the children’s market. In her book dedicated to research and discussion on how she aimed to get children to enjoy poetry, Glenna Davis Sloan displays significantly similar ideas to that which Coelho discussed at the conference. Sloan states that children she taught were firm in the belief that the suggestion that ‘poems and verse can be found everywhere’ was false and that ‘outside of school, this was certainly not true’ (2003, p. 71). Furthermore, this book was based on children within the American education system, highlighting that children’s correlation between poetry and schoolwork is an issue within the international market. In addition to this, an article from 2007 by Sharon Ruth Gill featured within The Reading Teacher, expresses that there is an ’emphasis on knowledge’ when it comes to consuming poetry for children (2007, p. 622). The fact that this article and Sloan’s book were both composed over a decade ago indicates the longevity of this issue within the children’s literature market.

In his presentation at the conference, Coelho strives to resolve this issue and convey the idea that children can in fact learn to love poetry and most certainly be poets themselves. He states that when given the chance to attempt poetry, children, ‘“come alive”’ (Coelho, 2023). Coelho’s goal to get children engaged with poetry has been in large part conducted through devised poetry prompts, to inspire children to enjoy poetry and to feel as though their creative voices are important and worthwhile. In turn, ‘“kids that write, read”’ (2023) This thus contributed to a theme that was consistent throughout the conference, that being trying to encourage children to read for pleasure. Another speaker at the conference mentioned that approximately 21% of children read either rarely or never (Poplack, 2023). From a marketing perspective, this means that a large potential book sale audience both now and in the future is being missed if change amongst children is not inspired.

Children can be poets too. The future generation of book consumers can be inspired to write and in turn, to love to read, benefiting not only themselves but the future of the literature market.

Reference List:

Cover Image: Screenshot taken by me directly from The Bookseller Children’s Conference 2023 lives.

Coelho, J. 2023. The Bookseller Children’s Conference. Bookmaker like you. [Powerpoint], October 2 2023. Waterloo, London: County Hall.

Gill, S R. 2007. The Forgotten Genre of Children’s Poetry. The Reading Teacher. 60 (7) November, pp. 622 – 625.

Poplack, C. 2023. The Bookseller Children’s Conference. Publishing with purpose. [Powerpoint], October 2 2023. Waterloo, London: County Hall.

Sloan, G D. 2023. Give Them Poetry! A Guide for Sharing Poetry with Children K-8. New York City: Teachers College Press.