The Children’s Bookshow Brings Prize-Winning Writer and Performance Poet Valerie Bloom to Newcastle

This autumn, children’s charity The Children’s Bookshow is offering Tyneside primary schools the chance to see exceptional children’s poet Valerie Bloom perform live at Newcastle Theatre Royal.

The hugely popular Jamaican-born poet is travelling to Newcastle from her home in Kent for the event, which forms part of The Children’s Bookshow’s 2024 Autumn tour of live literature events for children.

On Wednesday 9 October, Valerie will give an exuberant and interactive poetry performance to Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils. Children will find themselves at the market, bargaining Jamaican-style for groceries, or balancing an imaginary tray on their heads and swaying as they sing the cake seller’s song. Think ripe bananas and fresh callaloo, jerk chicken and rice an’ peas. Valerie is an outstanding performer who delights in being on stage and this performance is bursting with fun and flavour!

"She got the audience involved and it really pumped me up for the rest of my day. I also really enjoyed learning some Jamaican patois and she acted out the story to make it fun. She told us about her childhood. Adding on to that she was extremely funny." Year 6 Child, London

The event, which will take place during the school day, is open to primary schools. Bookings are open now.

Every child who attends with their school will receive a free copy of Stars with Flaming Tails (2021) by Valerie Bloom, to take home and keep. These are poems to make you laugh, get you thinking, fill you with wonder and introduce a wide variety of poetic forms from elfje to limericks.

This event will mark the seventh year that the Theatre Royal has welcomed The Children’s Bookshow on their annual Autumn tour. Previous events have featured performances from some of the most popular names in children’s publishing, including John Agard, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Kwame Alexander and Michael Rosen.

Every school that books tickets to the performance also has the chance to receive one of four free in-classroom workshops with Valerie Bloom, for 30 or more children. The Children’s Bookshow will allocate this fantastic opportunity to four schools who book tickets to the show.

Founded in 2003, The Children’s Bookshow is a charity that inspires children with a love of reading. The organisation introduces children to world-class authors and illustrators through a programme of theatre events and in-school workshops. The artists selected are chosen from a wide variety of countries and cultures to give young people access to the very best stories, poems and illustrations from all over the world.

The Children’s Bookshow Autumn tour is a live literature roadshow that brings the joy of reading to children across the U.K. In 2023, the tour delivered performances, workshops and free books to over 7,000 children.