LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
One day a big, scary, hairy monster appears in playground, splitting up two best friends and ruining everybody’s fun. Bad words are said, others are shouted, and the monsters grows and grows. The monster is called Argument. As the monster’s presence infects everyone else, the bad atmosphere increases and the monster continues to grow to gigantic proportions. There’s only one thing that will stop, just one little word. But who will say it first?
Told with a gentle, lyrical verse, this is a charming picture book about friendship, resilience and saying sorry. The message of knowing when to apologise is strong, but handled in a fun and non-didactic way.
The colours and style of the illustrations perfectly suit the gentle text, whilst hilariously bringing the children’s grumpiness and anger to life. I particularly enjoyed the little girl’s furiously angled eyebrows!
This is a lovely book to share and use to start conversations about navigating early friendships.
Amy McKay
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About
One Little Word Synopsis
Waterstones Children's Laureate, Joseph Coelho, tells the story of a hairy monster that rips two best friends apart. And there’s only one little word that can make it go away!
This big hairy monster slowly balloons in size, ruining everyone’s fun. But this isn’t any old monster. This is a hairy argument that just won’t go away. They try calling it names, yelling at it, and even ignoring it. Nothing works.
"The argument came from nowhere. It sat huge and bloated in the middle of the playground between me and my best friend."
Until… the best friends say that one little word that makes everything better. They learn how to shrink the monster until it vanishes completely. And soon, they can't even remember what it looks like! We all know how an argument can balloon into something we never expected. What starts as a simple tiff has the power to really hurt our feelings.
This book describes those intense feelings perfectly and provides a comforting solution in the form of an apology, which serves to cool down and reunite the friends. The perfect metaphor for difficult discussions that can get in the way of daily life, and a gentle way to introduce your child to the concept of compromise. Coelho's gentle and lyrical verse pairs perfectly with Allison Colpoys' classic illustrations to create a book which will be treasured by young readers.
This is an ode to the power of an apology, and to treasuring a special bond that runs deeper than even the friends realized.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780711279124 |
| Publication date: |
8th February 2024 |
| Author: |
Joseph Coelho |
| Illustrator: |
Allison Colpoys |
| Publisher: |
Frances Lincoln Children's Books an imprint of Quarto Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
32 pages |
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Press Reviews
Joseph Coelho Press Reviews
“The children’s laureate’s engaging contribution to the picture book trend for blobby creatures that represent feelings. “Sorry” makes anger vanish. With lively illustrations of the playground.” - The Sunday Times - One To Watch
“This relatable tale explains the importance of apologising – and then forgetting.” - The Sun
“A big hairy monster comes between two friends in this rhyming story about friendship and the power of saying sorry by the current UK Children’s Laureate.” - The Bookseller
A touching story about the importance of friendship and the power of saying sorry.” - The Bookseller - Black Issue
“The perfect platform for discussing conflicts in friendships.” - WRD Magazine
Author
About Joseph Coelho
Joseph Coelho is the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022-2024, and an award-winning poet, playwright and writer. His first poetry collection, Werewolf Club Rules!, won the CLPE Children's Poetry Award in 2015, and he has been writing and performing ever since. His picture books include If All the World Were... illustrated by Allison Colpoys and Luna Loves Library Day illustrated by Fiona Lumbers. His poetry books for children include Overheard in a Tower Block illustrated by Kate Milner and A Year of Nature Poems illustrated by Kelly Louise Judd.
His ‘Story told in poems’, for age 12+, The Girl Who Became A Tree, was shortlisted for The 2021 Carnegie Medal and received a special mention from the Bologna Ragazzi Award 2021. His YA verse novel, The Boy Lost in the Maze, is longlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Award for Writing 2024, has been chosen as an outstanding international book for The White Ravens collection 2023 and has also been nominated as an IBBY Honour Book for 2024.
He has written plays for the Polka Theatre, the Lyric, Hammersmith, and the Unicorn Theatre. He creates dynamic poetry theatre pieces for young people that he tours nationally. He also performs with the UK's top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes, visiting venues across the UK. Joseph has been a guest poet in Cbeebies' Rhyme Rocket.
Originally from London, he now lives by the sea in Kent.
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