John Agard
Born and brought up in Guyana, John belongs to a generation of Anglo Caribbean writers whose work (both for children and adults) has had a huge impact on the poetry scene in the UK.
John's first collection of poems for children, I Din Do Nuttin' (1983) was soon followed by Say It Again, Granny (1986), Laughter is an Egg (1988), We Animals Would Like a Word with You (1996) and Get Back Pimple (1997). The 1990s and 2000s saw a succession of creative collaborations with illustrator Satoshi Kitamura, including The Young Inferno (2008) and Goldilocks on CCTV (2011). John has won numerous awards including The Queen's Medal for Poetry in 2012 and the Eleanor Farjeon Award for Services to Children's Literature in 2016. Witty, warm and generous, he is a flamboyant performer. John writes for children of all ages, from toddlers to young adults, and is well-known to GCSE students for poems such as 'Half Caste'.
Selected bibliography
- John Agard's Windrush Child (2022), Walker
- Shona, Word Detective (2018), Barrington Stoke
- Come All You Little Persons (2017), Faber & Faber
- The Rainmaker Danced (2017), Hodder Children's Books
- Going Batty (2016), Barrington Stoke
- My Name is Book (2016), Walker Books
- Goldilocks on CCTV (2012), Frances Lincoln Children's Books
- Pumpkin Grumpkin (2011), Walker Books
- The Young Inferno (2009), Frances Lincoln Children's Books
- Hello H2O (2004), Hodder Children's Books
- Einstein, The Girl Who Hated Maths (2002), Hodder Children's Books
- Letters for Lettie, and Other Stories (1978), Bodley Head
From the archive
Draft from Letters for Lettie (1978)
Call Number: JA-2-1-1
Draft for the poem 'Don't Call Alligator Long-Mouth Till you Cross the River'
Call Number: JA-2-4-1
Notebook
Call Number: JA-10