Valerie Bloom
Valerie Bloom is the prize-winning author of poetry for adults and children, plus picture books, pre-teen and teenage novels and stories for children. She has presented poetry programmes for the BBC, among others. Her poetry has been featured by Poems on the Underground; included on school courses in the UK (GCSE), the Caribbean and Malaysia; and published in over 500 anthologies worldwide.
Valerie lives in Kent and performs her work and runs writing workshops in primary and secondary schools, libraries and universities around the world.
She is the winner of The Voice Community Award for Literature, has been awarded an Honorary Masters Degree from the University of Kent, and received an MBE in 2008.
Books
Fruits: a Caribbean Counting Poem
Author: Valerie Bloom Illustrator: David Axtell
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Interest age: 4-7
Reading age: 5+
From half a pawpaw to five jew-plums through to ten bananas, this girl’s love of Caribbean fruits is so infectious that you can almost taste the juice dribbling down your chin.
Hot Like Fire and Other Poems
Author: Valerie Bloom Illustrator: Debbie Lush
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 7-11
Reading age: 7-8
A book of poetry filled with humour and covering so many childhood themes that children of any culture and background will find something to enjoy.