My Words, My Book

In this podcast episode, MC Grammar discusses , his passion for reading and, of course, for all things grammar related. He generously shares stories of his background as a teacher and how teaching is at the heart and centre of MC Grammar. He talks about the link between rap and poetry and how The Adventures of Rap Kid books support children's enjoyment of reading for leisure. MC Grammar  is the cr...

Mama G shares her love of libraries and the influence her childhood library had on her decision to become a writer. She talks about how libraries are a hub within the community and the positive impact they can have on children. Mama G also discusses the history of pantomimes and how these well-loved shows are a British institution. Her pantomime-related book, Oh Yes I Am! , is a message for every...

Stacey reflects on her Caribbean heritage and how it influences her art and writing. She shares her creative journey and how her Grenadian culture should be embraced positively around the world. In Will and Krill , Stacey highlights the importance of children being able to share their feelings, and that it is okay for children to feel unique. Stacey Byer is a Caribbean author-illustrator whose chi...

Eric sh ares his career journey and provides a behind-the-scenes view of publishing thanks to the variety of job roles he has had. He encourages authors to ask questions about the publishing process. Eric discuss es the use of AI in publishing and how it should be used ethically and legally. In Guardians of the New Moon , Eric reflects on how his own experience has influenced characters in the boo...

Ramzee's writing career has been varied and includes creating comics and plays; he is keen to show refugee and asylum children in a positive light in his work. He explains how his ADHD impacts him as an author, and shares the process of being a writer and illustrator in The Cheat Book . Ramzee is a London-based author-illustrator, who debuted with the middle-grade novel The Cheat Book (Hachette Ch...

In this episode, Cressida shares her love of reading and why she is so passionate about libraries, especially libraries in schools. She also talks about how the globally loved How to Train your Dragon became a successful film franchise. Laura and Cressida discuss how their neurodiversity impacts them and how this translates in their writing. Cressida also shares an overview of the characters in he...

Rob shares his belief that everyone is able to draw: some may just need a little help to get started on their drawing journey. Rob talks about his career as an author and illustrator and explains the role of an agent and why they are important to creatives. Rob discusses his book Draw with Rob: Fantastic Food , and why food is a talking point for all.   And, most importantly, we find out why Rob a...

Onyinye talks about her debut book as an author/illustrator, The Best Jollof Rice Ever! and shares how although she has illustrated many books, this is her first published as an author. Onyinye also talks candidly about the racism she faced as a Nigerian child growing up in Italy and being ashamed of her culture and race. She explains why books like The Best Jollof Rice Ever! will help every child...

In this episode, Chitra generously shares her journey from her homeland in India and Tamil culture, to writing children's books in the UK. Chitra also talks about her career as an author and the importance of positive representation in children's books. It is wonderful to hear how her Nikhil and Jay series became a children's TV show on CBeebies and the process of taking a story from book to telev...

Cathy shares how her work as a journalist led her into writing children's books and reflects on how many authors do not come from a traditional creative writing background. She also talks about her friendship group, many of whom are neurodivergent, and how Disabled and Proud (or at least kinda sorta okay with it…) covers themes including starting secondary school and puberty. Cathy highlights the...

In this episode, A.M. Dassu shares how she started her journey into writing through observing children and talks about how reading and writing complement each other. Did you know that Spot the Dog was her favourite book as a child? She also talks passionately about how her book Kicked Out shows children how empathy and being there for each other plays out in friendship, and highlights the experien...

Stephanie Taylor   Stephanie shares her passion for working with children and talks about her journey to becoming a published author, which she acknowledges may be slightly different to others as she was fortunate to have a few agents to choose from. She also talks about how one of the characters in her book, Ms Copeland in I'm Going to Be a Princess , is based on a Black professional ballet teach...

Simon James Green Simon reflects on his journey from qualified lawyer to working in theatre, to becoming an author. He talks about self-doubt and how to keep going when starting out and trying to get published. He also shares his belief that non-fiction books are just as important as fiction books. In A Year of Pride and Joy , Simon curates 52 contributions from the LGBTQ+ community, sharing their...

In this episode, Jamel reflects on his background as an Early Years teacher and how this has been important to him as an author. He discusses the lack of representation of men in Early Years, especially Black men who work with children, and how Olu's Teacher mirrors an Early Years Black male teacher. Jamel reflects on the books that inspired him as a child, in particular those by Trish Cooke. Jame...

Rachel has ADHD, a fact she proudly shares on her travels, especially when engaging with children and young people. She also talks about how in Felix and the Future Agency it was important for Felix to be dyslexic and how the inspiration for her central character was based on a true story . Readers will love the magical places inspired by the London Underground in this book. Rachel's advice for em...

Nikki shares her deep love of reading, which has been with her since childhood. Becoming an author was a natural progression for Nikki: her son is autistic and Nikki was keen to write a book where he and other autistic children could see themselves. Ready Eddie GO! the book series was adapted for television and is now on Sky Kids. The book Ready Eddie Go! Painting celebrates how using paint can be...

Lydia talks passionately about the magic of sharing stories that every child can fall in love with, irrespective of their background. She explains that her mum (Mummy Debbie) was a foster carer when she was a child and how Lydia's family home was full of children and love. Mummy and Me is a story that celebrates the close bond between an elephant and their child, closely mirroring that of Lydia an...

Lanisha shares her story of how signing up to an incentive led her to becoming a children's author. She also talks about how entering competitions, such as the BBC's 500 Words, can open the door to children becoming authors themselves. Lanisha describes how her book Flower Block has always been in her heart and is a modern-day Jack and the Beanstalk. Flower Block looks positively at social housing...

In this episode, Louie talks about the career she had before she became an author, which included being an editor for a publishing company – she was Laura's editor for My Skin, Your Skin ! Louie reveals what inspires her to write, her favourite books as an adult and how these have influenced the Loki series. She also reflects on A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies and may even share a few spoiler...

In this podcast episode, Richard reminisces about his Romani heritage and how this is central to his storytelling; he fondly shares how he was one of the last in his family to live in a caravan and travel around the UK. Richard also talks about how his storytelling includes the past, present and future and indeed how storytelling is an art. We hear from Richard about how he was inspired to write T...

Patrice passionately shares the importance of diversity in families and communities and how this has influenced her work. She talks about the power of reading a wide range of books and how children learn and appreciate reading books that show characters that are outside their own experience, especially on the issue of creating empathy. Specifically, Patrice talks about how in People Like Stars the...

Dan Freedman and Daniel Geey   Dan and Daniel discuss how important it is for children to know and understand there are other careers outside of playing football. Dan also shares the background to the popular Jamie Johnson series. They discuss how their passion for football led them into their current careers - Daniel talks about how he became a football lawyer. We also discuss the importance of l...

Kelechi Okafor is a Nigerian-born Londoner – a writer, presenter, social commentator and tour de force in challenging how we think about race, oppression and femininity. Although Kelechi wears many hats, the head those hats are stylishly perched upon is one filled with incisive observations about society, culture and specifically Black womanhood. In this podcast, Kelechi discusses her Nigerian roo...

In this episode, Camilla shares the importance of early reading and how board books are a great example for older children as an inspiration for them to create their own books. Camilla also talks about how she engages with illustrators in the process of creating her books and discusses how her book Is Dot in the House? provokes awe and wonder in children. Camilla has written more than 200 books ,...

Joseph Coelho OBE is a multi-award-winning children's author, poet and playwright. He is two-time winner of the Indie Book Awards. His poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules! won the 2015 Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award. He won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Writing with The Boy Lost in The Maze , illustrated by Kate Milner, and was Waterstones Children's Laureate 2022 - 2024. In this podc...