Waterstones Children’s Laureate Coelho announces ‘Bookmaker Like You’ project

Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho has unveiled a new project entitled “Bookmaker Like You”, with a mission to ensure that every child can see themselves as a storyteller.

Launching in autumn 2023 at Bath Children’s Literature Festival and Reading is Magic Festival, in September and October, the project will highlight the artistry of creatives from under-represented communities and backgrounds, with a particular focus on new and emerging talent, showcasing the skill that brings a story to life.

Through the showcase, the project aims to introduce children to a range of bookmakers that “truly reflect everyone in our diverse society – so that every child can see themselves as a ‘bookmaker’".

It will celebrate authors and illustrators from under-represented communities and backgrounds through a variety of festival events, interviews, social media takeovers, and a partnership with BookTrust Represents including a virtual schools visit in spring 2024. It will also offer insights from experts including editors, designers, publishers and agents, with the aim of demystifying publishing and inspiring more talent into the industry. The project will run across Coelho’s remaining tenure as Waterstones Children’s Laureate.

By diversifying bookshelves, Coelho hopes that every single child can see themselves as a storyteller.

Coelho said: “I have loved reading and writing for as long as I can remember, but it never occurred to me that this could be a job, or become my career, or shape my future. This all changed when the late, great Jean Binta Breeze visited my school in sixth form.

“At that moment I realised that I could be a writer too, that I could be a poet. At the heart of ‘Bookmaker Like You’ is a celebration of the staggering talent across the publishing industry, and it’s also an opportunity for me to tell other people what I’d go back in time to tell little Joe: that their voice is valid, that their words are waiting to be heard, that they can write their own story.”

Diana Gerald, c.e.o. of BookTrust, added: “At BookTrust, we believe that all children should be able to see themselves and wider society represented in the books they read and our own research shows that this has a critical impact on children’s motivations and desire to read. While there has been steady progress in representation in children’s books over recent years, the UK’s overall body of children’s literature remains far from representative.

“We are delighted to support Joseph’s new project and to have the Waterstones Children’s Laureate deliver a virtual author visit for BookTrust and the children we support. These events enable us to bring talented creators of colour directly into classrooms across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving thousands of children an opportunity to discover new books, authors and illustrators and inspiring them to tell their own stories.”