Laureate Farewell

I signed off being the Laureate on June 9. This is what I said:

Today is about the new laureate so my main refrain is to record some serious thanks. Please think of them as I wizz through this litany of names.  Nicky Marsh at Booktrust, Sasha Hoare who administered the job and Nicky Potter who handled the press were enablers, minders, harriers, sorters, encouragers, planners and soothers with a never-ending timetable of visits, meetings, performances, interviews, deadlines to fix. Please could you give them a huge clap and a cheer. Please also think of Jasmine Fassl at Scottish Book Trust who arranged a city-a-day-tour in Scotland that was full of fun and kindness. On the specific projects, I want to mention Morag Styles from Homerton College and Alison Bailey and Roger Walshe from the British Library who brought the Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat exhibition and conference into being. For the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, please think of Helen Hayes from Booktrust and Amanda Conquy from the Roald Dahl Foundation, and the A-Z of Poetry – from Agard to Zephaniah, a book based on the tour that Sasha arranged,  is on its way thanks to Linsey Heaven at Puffin. The Children’s Poetry YouTube project is also on its way thanks to my son Joe – whose idea it was – and again to Sasha’s persistence and the London Grid For Learning for agreeing to be the platform. And thanks too to John Donne from the Laureate committee who has quietly supported and encouraged throughout the two years.

As you know, the job is funded by the Department of Culture Media and Sport and sponsored by Waterstones. I would like to acknowledge that everything I did and said as Children’s Laureate was a consequence of your support for the job. No support, no job. Thanks.

For this job to work, we also need the media to be interested and enthusiastic – so please let me mention in particular the Guardian, and Guardian Unlimited who’ve carried interviews and features galore – even one today. Thanks to the magazine Books for Keeps for running my Laureate log throughout the period. You have all been true friends.…and the Beeb as well, bunging me on more times than is decent on Radios 3,4, and 5, local radio, BBC Breakfast on TV and of course BBC 4 TV with the ‘Just Read’ documentary. And hats off to Channel Five’s ‘The Wright Stuff’ show who have given a slot for me to do a phone-in about children’s books every couple of months or so.

In the middle of the term, it was sad and awful that my father didn’t last. Along with my mother, he nurtured every single bit of  this wordy stuff I do and he went on doing it, thanks to his wife Betty, right to the end, talking, joking, singing, arguing and questioning. Always questioning. Always ‘what’ and ‘how’ but especially ‘why’.

Finally, Emma my wife went the extra mile on this one, believe me, not just once – many times. Hundreds of extra miles actually…and Elsie and Emile too. Elsie has even given up going to school to be here today.

We are now at a vital moment in the history of the book. In the past, it has been the main way and the most pleasurable way in which people have got hold of complex ideas. In our field, in literature, it’s been the coupling of ideas with feeling through the drama of story, leisurely unfolding through words and still images,  that’s let us reflect on who we are, where we come from and where we might go.

What we have to decide is whether this is for everyone, or for a self-selecting minority. I repeat, I think we have had an education policy over the last ten years that has gone with the self-selecting minority. The rest have been fed worksheets. I think this is discriminatory, and denies hundreds and thousands – possibly millions – their basic rights. This means that we have to do more than produce great books, we have to do more than be enthusiastic about these great books. We have to fight to put in place policies that encourage and enable teachers, the one group of people who stand at the bridging point between the world of books and the non-reading public, to get everyone reading for pleasure.

There are some important projects coming along to help us win this, the Campaign for the Book, and Just Read are two to watch and support.

I’ve been honoured to have been asked to be the Laureate, and to have followed such great makers of children’s books as Quentin, Anne, Michael and Jacqueline.

I wish the next laureate the very best. May your passion for your work delight, enthuse and inspire millions.