As an outspoken advocate for children, acclaimed author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce brings a fierce energy to his new role as Waterstones Children’s Laureate, a position he declares he accepted because he was ‘cross’.
‘I go to a lot of schools and the lack of equality is very striking,’ he says. ‘It’s not just about money and geography but about leadership and people knowing what can be done. I thought that if the Laureate could be the person who collated best practice, shared it and showed it to the people in power then it might make a difference.’
Cottrell-Boyce’s appointment in July came at a critical time, just days before the general election where inequality and education were both key issues. He now plans to ‘knock on the door of Number 10’ and call for action from the new Labour Government to ensure that children are no longer forgotten.
During his two-year tenure, Cottrell-Boyce pledges to address ‘invisible privilege and inequality’ and ignite conversation about the role books and reading can play in transforming children’s lives. He has launched a campaign – ‘Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future’ – which includes plans for a national summit, bringing together expert voices in the political, education, early years and literacy sectors. He is vowing to tackle systemic inequality and give children a stronger voice.
THE POWER OF BOOKS
While Cottrell-Boyce acknowledges that books are not a magic solution, he firmly believes in their power. ‘Books are only one weapon in the armoury, but I think they’re a very powerful weapon,’ he says. ‘They’re very accessible and sharing stories is deep within our culture. Sharing stories is beneficial in so many ways and sharing a story with someone is an act of love.’ Research shows that children who have access to books from an early age have a significant head start academically but, rather than just being a tool for learning, he regards books as an essential part of emotional development, social bonding and an element that is critical for a child’s wellbeing. With children still living with the effects of the pandemic and being born into an increasingly digital age, he says a focus on wellbeing is particularly important.
Cottrell-Boyce recalls finding books to be ‘amazingly magical’ during his working-class childhood in Bootle, near Liverpool, but he highlights that around 50 per cent of children in the UK arrive at school lacking the fundamental experience of enjoying books. ‘Their first experience of a book is being handed one when at school and being told to decode it, as opposed to being cuddled-up on a couch with a parent or carer, sibling or grandparent. That’s a world of difference,’ he says.
Becoming Children’s Laureate is another honour in a prestigious writing career, which includes writing the film 24 Hour Party People and scripts for Doctor Who and Coronation Street. He will be forever linked to Queen Elizabeth II after being responsible for ‘parachuting’ her into the London 2012 Olympics and co-writing her enjoying tea with Paddington Bear during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. He has also written many books aimed at Key Stage 2-aged children, including the Carnegie Award-winning book Millions. Despite this, Cottrell-Boyce says the emphasis during his tenure is on the early years. He wants to spread good practice around sharing books so that young children grow up enjoying them. ‘It’s all about books and stories. You don’t have to have children reading before they go to school, that’s just a technical skill,’ he says. ‘It’s the pleasure of being around books that they need and understanding that books are for them.’
SHARING STORIES
His first official visit as Children’s Laureate was to Meadows Nursery in Sheffield, where he witnessed innovative storytelling techniques. Staff engage parents and children through core books, such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which become the focus for many activities and discussions over a number of weeks. Practitioners share the texts with parents – some of whom may feel hesitant or unsure about reading – to help build their confidence and give them ideas of how to enjoy the books together through reading but also discussing the pictures and playing linked games. For example, Cottrell-Boyce watched children sequencing laminated pictures from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Parents visit the nursery to chat and listen to stories with their children and, while doing so, build greater links with the staff and other families in their community.
Through this visit, Cottrell-Boyce witnessed the crucial role that early years workers can play in empowering parents to feel comfortable with books. Many parents, especially those who didn’t grow up around books, may feel awkward about reading aloud to their children. He believes that giving parents the confidence to share books with their children from a young age is essential. ‘You don’t have to be a great performer to do this,’ he says. ‘You just have to share the pleasure.’
To illustrate this, he recalls an experience with one of his four grandchildren, where they spent months before she started school acting out Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell in increasingly elaborate ways. ‘We read it over and over again but with more acting of the animals, and by the end Dear Zoo was like the length of The Lord of the Rings,’ he laughs. ‘But sometimes people don’t know what to do with their kids and how to use books in that way.’
For Cottrell-Boyce, it is these moments of shared joy that highlight the true power of books. They don’t need to be complicated or academic; they just need to connect with children on an emotional level.
THE ROLE OF PEOPLE
Cottrell-Boyce acknowledges that spending cuts have led to a decline in the number of public and school libraries, but he believes that a strong reading culture can be created without needing impressive facilities. He shares how he also visited a primary school in Tower Hamlets, an inner-London borough with high rates of child poverty.
Despite limited resources, there was a lot of enthusiasm around reading among the children. A teacher regularly gathers books that she thinks the children will like and creates excitement about them before loaning them out for them to take home. ‘She’s creating a reading culture with a cardboard box,’ Cottrell-Boyce says, underscoring that it is the people, not facilities, that truly foster a love of books.
BEST PRACTICE
This commitment to showing that literacy initiatives are achievable for all nursery and school settings, even those without extensive resources, is central to Cottrell-Boyce’s vision. ‘I’m not asking for buildings,’ he insists. ‘I’m asking to share good practice.’
Cottrell-Boyce is determined to make sure the important work being done by early years practitioners and teachers gets the recognition and support it deserves. He wants to be a voice for children and those who work with them, making sure best practice is shared widely, and that the benefits of storytelling and books are accessible to every child, regardless of their background. By fostering a culture of joy around reading, he believes we can give children the tools not just for academic success but for happiness and emotional resilience.
For all the accolades he has gained, it is writing children’s books that Cottrell-Boyce is most proud of. ‘With a good film, you end up on a red carpet. And that’s lovely,’ he explains. ‘But it’s not the same as a kid coming up and telling you all about themselves because they’ve just read your book and they felt it was written for them.’
About the Children’s Laureate
The Children’s Laureate is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The role was originally created in 1999 by Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children’s author Michael Morpurgo. It is awarded biennially to a renowned writer or illustrator in recognition of exceptional talent. Managed by the reading charity BookTrust and sponsored by Waterstones, the prestigious role celebrates creativity and storytelling, promotes the vital importance of reading and children’s literature and champions the right of every child to enjoy a lifetime enriched with books and stories.
The previous 12 Laureates are:
- Quentin Blake (1999-2001)
- Anne Fine (2001-2003)
- Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005)
- Jacqueline Wilson (2005-2007)
- Michael Rosen (2007-2009)
- Anthony Browne (2009-2011)
- Julia Donaldson (2011-2013)
- Malorie Blackman (2013-2015)
- Chris Riddell (2015-2017)
- Lauren Child (2017-2019)
- Cressida Cowell (2019-2022)
- Joseph Coelho (2022-2024)
Each Laureate uses their tenure to focus on an aspect of children’s books, which have included reading for fun, raising the profile of libraries and celebrating poetry and illustration.
