Description
This beautifully illustrated, powerful and ultimately uplifting text is the ideal way to introduce children to the concept of death and dying, particularly children who have lost a grandparent.
With Allison Colpoys' gorgeous artwork spilling from each page, accompany a girl and her grandad over spring, summer and autumn. See how he teaches her to imagine, to create, and to enjoy the small things in life, and how, when winter comes, he lives on in her heart.
The perfect way into talking about a difficult subject with children, showing that sadness is as necessary to happiness as winter is to spring. If All the World Were... is a soothing, reassuring approach to loss and how to live without someone you loved, and a beautiful story, beautifully told.
About the Author
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.
Reviews
'This beautiful, moving picture book tells the story of the treasured memories that a child has of her grandfather... The poetic language that Coelho uses is perfectly complemented by wonderful illustrations in the text by Alison Colpoys' * Reading Zone *
'illustrated with exuberant, floral richness ... (the) focus on memories as something visible, almost tangible, ready to be preserved and collated, may offer some consolation to the bereft child who feels powerless in the aftermath of loss.' * Times Literary Supplement *
Ten of the Best: books starring children from BAME backgrounds: 'Coelho masterfully manages to strike the delicate balance between mourning the passing of a loved one and celebrating the gift of the life they lived and its legacy with moving sensitivity and care. Colpoy's illustrations enrich and deepen our connection with the weight of sadness and height of celebration. An important title to support readers coming to terms with the loss of an elderly relative.' * Books for Keeps *
'This poignant and thought-provoking collaboration between acclaimed poet Joseph Coelho and award-winning artist Allison Colpoys is more than just a meditation on loss. It is a profound and deeply moving exploration of how we miss the people who are gone, and of how memories resonate within our lives.' * INIS *
Book Information
ISBN 9781786036513
Author Joseph Coelho
Format Paperback
Page Count 32
Imprint Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Publisher Quarto Publishing PLC
