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How to Write | David Almond | INTERVIEW | Kids' Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen
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David Almond's novels for children and teenagers have all been hugely popular with readers young and old, and highly acclaimed by critics and reviewers. They often feature on National Curriculum reading lists, as well as being the subject of academic study of children's literature.
Almond combines a variety of influences: most of his fiction is set in his home territory of north-east England, poignantly capturing its landscape, people and mythologies; other influences include magic realist literature, Arthurian legend and the work of William Blake.
The result is an infusion of thought-provoking, philosophical ideas and magical elements, all rooted in a realistic and detailed evocation of place. In March 2010, Almond received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious prize in children's literature. The jury citation praised both his imaginative approach and his ability to actively engage and stimulate his readers: "... the jury has recognised the unique voice of a creator of magic realism for children.
Almond captures his young readers' imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical. His use of language is sophisticated and reaches across the ages."
Almond experienced two bereavements during his (otherwise fairly happy) childhood: the death of his baby sister when he was seven and, during his teens, the early death of his father. He was, therefore, acutely aware at a young age of both the joy and darkness of life. His fiction embodies this understanding of life's seemingly contradictory and fluctuating nature and is, like the work of Blake, quite dialectic in tone, exploring the interaction of good and bad, pleasure and pain, and so on. His tone avoids bleakness - though he does explore the darker side of life, he depicts his characters learning to accept both darkness and lightness, as Almond himself comments: "Growing up [...] involves coming to terms with a world in which reality and myth, truth and lies, turn about each other in a creative dance, as they always have and always will."
Almond, therefore, enchants and captivates his young readers but also 'stretches' them, both emotionally and intellectually: life is not an easy ride, but an adventure, a path of learning and self-discovery that inspires and challenges you to find your own potential.
After many years of writing fiction for adults, Almond's first novel for children, Skellig (1998), was an instant success, both commercially and critically. The first print-run sold out within a few days, and the novel achieved the rare honour of two prestigious awards: the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. Skellig draws on Almond's own childhood experiences: the protagonist, Michael, has a baby sister who is seriously ill and the family is therefore in emotional chaos.
However, while Almond was helpless to save his own sister, Michael finds a mysterious source of help in the garage: Skellig, a surreal creature who is part-tramp and part-angel, neither wholly ordinary nor wholly supernatural. However, like most of Almond's child characters, Michael is by no means a passive beneficiary: on the contrary, it is Skellig who first needs help from Michael and his friend Mina, who nurture him with food, medicine and friendship. Skellig has been acclaimed, particularly for the way in which it intertwines the realist elements of the story - the crisis experienced by Michael and his family as the baby undergoes major surgery - with subtle threads of the spiritual and the supernatural. Almond also keeps some of the story's mysterious elements open-ended - by refusing to fill in all the gaps, he allows his readers space to think for themselves.
Almond's subsequent novels for children and teens continue in a similar vein, poignantly combining the everyday reality of growing up with suggestions of magic, mystery and spiritual elements. Kit's
Elizabeth O'Reilly, 2010
You can browse and buy Michael Rosen Books here:
Who is Michael Rosen?
My first book for children was called Mind Your Own Business and it came out in 1974. Quentin Blake did wonderful line drawings for it.
Ever since then, I’ve been doing these things:
Writing books
Writing articles for newspapers and magazines
Going to schools, libraries and theatres and performing the poems in my books
Helping children write poems and stories
Making radio programmes, mostly about words, language or books
Appearing on TV, either reading books, or talking about books
Teaching at universities about children’s literature
Running workshops for teachers about poetry
In any week, I might be doing all of these things! To tell the truth, I don’t really know what I’m doing tomorrow, unless I look in my diary to see.
David Almond's novels for children and teenagers have all been hugely popular with readers young and old, and highly acclaimed by critics and reviewers. They often feature on National Curriculum reading lists, as well as being the subject of academic study of children's literature.
Almond combines a variety of influences: most of his fiction is set in his home territory of north-east England, poignantly capturing its landscape, people and mythologies; other influences include magic realist literature, Arthurian legend and the work of William Blake.
The result is an infusion of thought-provoking, philosophical ideas and magical elements, all rooted in a realistic and detailed evocation of place. In March 2010, Almond received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious prize in children's literature. The jury citation praised both his imaginative approach and his ability to actively engage and stimulate his readers: "... the jury has recognised the unique voice of a creator of magic realism for children.
Almond captures his young readers' imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical. His use of language is sophisticated and reaches across the ages."
Almond experienced two bereavements during his (otherwise fairly happy) childhood: the death of his baby sister when he was seven and, during his teens, the early death of his father. He was, therefore, acutely aware at a young age of both the joy and darkness of life. His fiction embodies this understanding of life's seemingly contradictory and fluctuating nature and is, like the work of Blake, quite dialectic in tone, exploring the interaction of good and bad, pleasure and pain, and so on. His tone avoids bleakness - though he does explore the darker side of life, he depicts his characters learning to accept both darkness and lightness, as Almond himself comments: "Growing up [...] involves coming to terms with a world in which reality and myth, truth and lies, turn about each other in a creative dance, as they always have and always will."
Almond, therefore, enchants and captivates his young readers but also 'stretches' them, both emotionally and intellectually: life is not an easy ride, but an adventure, a path of learning and self-discovery that inspires and challenges you to find your own potential.
After many years of writing fiction for adults, Almond's first novel for children, Skellig (1998), was an instant success, both commercially and critically. The first print-run sold out within a few days, and the novel achieved the rare honour of two prestigious awards: the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. Skellig draws on Almond's own childhood experiences: the protagonist, Michael, has a baby sister who is seriously ill and the family is therefore in emotional chaos.
However, while Almond was helpless to save his own sister, Michael finds a mysterious source of help in the garage: Skellig, a surreal creature who is part-tramp and part-angel, neither wholly ordinary nor wholly supernatural. However, like most of Almond's child characters, Michael is by no means a passive beneficiary: on the contrary, it is Skellig who first needs help from Michael and his friend Mina, who nurture him with food, medicine and friendship. Skellig has been acclaimed, particularly for the way in which it intertwines the realist elements of the story - the crisis experienced by Michael and his family as the baby undergoes major surgery - with subtle threads of the spiritual and the supernatural. Almond also keeps some of the story's mysterious elements open-ended - by refusing to fill in all the gaps, he allows his readers space to think for themselves.
Almond's subsequent novels for children and teens continue in a similar vein, poignantly combining the everyday reality of growing up with suggestions of magic, mystery and spiritual elements. Kit's
Elizabeth O'Reilly, 2010
You can browse and buy Michael Rosen Books here:
Who is Michael Rosen?
My first book for children was called Mind Your Own Business and it came out in 1974. Quentin Blake did wonderful line drawings for it.
Ever since then, I’ve been doing these things:
Writing books
Writing articles for newspapers and magazines
Going to schools, libraries and theatres and performing the poems in my books
Helping children write poems and stories
Making radio programmes, mostly about words, language or books
Appearing on TV, either reading books, or talking about books
Teaching at universities about children’s literature
Running workshops for teachers about poetry
In any week, I might be doing all of these things! To tell the truth, I don’t really know what I’m doing tomorrow, unless I look in my diary to see.
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