One Little Word

Waterstones Children's Laureate, Joseph Coelho, tells the story of a hairy monster that rips two best friends apart. And there's only one little word that can make it go away! This big hairy monster slowly balloons in size, ruining everyone's fun. But this isn't any old monster. This is a hairy argument that just won't go away. They try calling it names, yelling at it, and even ignoring it. Nothing works. "The argument came from nowhere. It sat huge and bloated in the middle of the playground between me and my best friend." Until... the best friends say that one little word that makes everything better. They learn how to shrink the monster until it vanishes completely. And soon, they can't even remember what it looks like! We all know how an argument can balloon into something we never expected. What starts as a simple tiff has the power to really hurt our feelings. This book describes those intense feelings perfectly and provides a comforting solution in the form of an apology, which serves to cool down and reunite the friends. The perfect metaphor for difficult discussions that can get in the way of daily life, and a gentle way to introduce your child to the concept of compromise. Coelho's gentle and lyrical verse pairs perfectly with Allison Colpoys' classic illustrations to create a book which will be treasured by young readers. This is an ode to the power of an apology, and to treasuring a special bond that runs deeper than even the friends realized. Review: "The children's laureate's engaging contribution to the picture book trend for blobby creatures that represent feelings. "Sorry" makes anger vanish. With lively illustrations of the playground." * The Sunday Times - One To Watch * "This relatable tale explains the importance of apologising - and then forgetting." * The Sun * "A big hairy monster comes between two friends in this rhyming story about friendship and the power of saying sorry by the current UK Children's Laureate." * The Bookseller * A touching story about the importance of friendship and the power of saying sorry." * The Bookseller - Black Issue * "The perfect platform for discussing conflicts in friendships." * WRD Magazine * "a perfect book to share with [children] so that they can understand that, regardless of who started the argument, anyone can finish it and become friends again." * Just Imagine * Author Biography: JOSEPH COELHO is the Waterstones Children's Laureate 2022-2024. In 2019 he won the Independent Bookshop Week Picture Book Award for If All the World Were which has been translated into over 10 languages. He has been long-listed for The Carnegie Children's Award with his poetry collection 'Overheard In A Tower Block', which was also shortlisted for the CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award and Longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards. He won the 2015 CLPE CLiPPA Poetry Award with his debut poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules. His debut Picture Book, Luna Loves Library Day was voted one of the nations favourite picture books by a survey led by World Book Day. His other poetry books include How To Write Poems and A Year Of Nature Poems . He has written plays for companies including: Soho Theatre, Polka Theatre, The Unicorn Theatre, Theatre Royal York, Oily Cart and The Spark Children's Festival to name a few. Joseph has been a guest poet on Cbeebies Rhyme Rocket, Radio 4's Poetry Playtime and Front Row. He is the presenter of BBC's Teach Poetry (Oct 2018) and features in DiscoveryEDUK's Poetry Curriculum Allison Colpoys grew up in the Northern Territory and now lives on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne. As an illustrator, Allison combines digital and traditional media to tell emotive stories with her expressive use of colour and pattern. Allison originally studied multimedia before succumbing to the pull of illustration and design for commercial publications and children's books. Her heartwarming illustrations appear in numerous books for young readers, including If All The World Were... by author Joseph Coelho, published by Frances Lincoln in London. Along with numerous Australian Book Design Association awards for illustration and cover design, Allison has won the CBCA Crichton Award for Best New Talent and two Australian Book Industry Awards.