Somewhat belatedly (it’s taken a while for the full, momentous nature of the news to sink in), we were extraordinarily excited by the news that Philip Ardagh, The Grunts author and beard-wearer, has been named as Booktrust’s new Writer in Residence!
Philip will be writing for the Booktrust website on subjects including his passion for libraries, his determination to promote inclusion and diversity in children’s literature, and, in all likelihood, his exceedingly bushy beard. And you can read his very first post for Booktrust here.
Here’s what Philip had to say about the appointment:
“I was delighted to be asked because I’m a huge admirer of the work Booktrust do to promote reading. I’m also delighted to have the opportunity to inflict my thoughts on anything and everything – including books and beards – on an unsuspecting public.”
The residency will last six months and Philip will write a new blog every Monday – at the end of his residency, he’ll share an exclusive work on the Booktrust website. You can read The Guardian’s reporting of the news here.
If you’ve not yet been introduced to Philip’s work, here’s a look inside The Grunts in Trouble, the very first book in the hilarious series, illustrated by Axel Scheffler:
There’ll be some VERY exciting Grunts news here on the blog tomorrow – come back then to find out more.
We can’t wait to see what Philip has to say for Booktrust – keep an eye on their website!
Have you heard about our upcoming children’s publishing conference? Find out more and buy tickets here.
