Poet Joseph Coelho pens a picture book

Award-winning performance poet Joseph Coelho has written his first picture book in support of libraries. Luna Loves Library Day, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers, will be published by Andersen Press in October.

Luna Loves Library Day is described as 'a love letter to the magic of libraries'. Joseph Coelho said, "Libraries are more than the buildings or the people or the books within them, they are gateways into reading, into writing, into discovering a world beyond that in which we find ourselves. Luna Loves Library Day was inspired by this magic, this vital ability to inspire children, shore up families and heal communities." In Luna Loves Library Day, we follow Luna, whose favourite day of the week is the day she spends with her dad reading stories and choosing books in the library. Exploring the shelves they find magic, mystery and history, but best of all is a book that seems like it's written just for them. Contained within Luna Loves Library Day there is a book-within-a-book, 'The Troll King and The Mermaid Queen', a fairytale for children of divorced parents, reminding them that while the family has changed, their love for their daughter hasn't. Joseph Coelho won the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) Poetry Award in 2015 and is a mainstay in schools and libraries around the country, bringing poetry to life through visits and his popular YouTube videos.