Emma Press publishes children’s poetry book by Kate Wakeling and Elīna Brasliņa
The Emma Press is launching Moon Juice, Kate Wakeling’s first collection of children’s poems, on 18th September 2016.
Skig the Warrior
Moon Juice is aimed at children aged 8+ and includes poems about pirates, dinosaurs and bad moods. The book features illustrations from award-winning young Latvian illustrator Elīna Brasliņa, whose books have twice won the Zelta Ābele National Prize for Book Art. Moon Juice is Brasliņa’s international debut.
Publisher Emma Wright said: ‘When we started our children’s poetry list last year, we wanted to create books which challenged the reader and pushed against notions about what children’s poetry can and should be. We were thrilled that Kate decided to work with us on Moon Juice, as her style fits perfectly with what we’re trying to achieve. She has a tremendous instinct for balancing humour with pathos within her poems – she doesn’t shy away from difficult topics like sadness and fear, and nor does she shy away from really great jokes.‘
Wakeling’s first pamphlet of poems for adults, The Rainbow Faults, was published by The Rialto in early 2015 and she wrote her first poem for children, ‘The Serpent and the Turtle’, for Falling Out of the Sky: Poems about Myths and Monsters (Emma Press, 2015).
Elīna Brasliņa
Kate Wakeling
Wright added: ‘I’m a huge fan of Elīna’s work, especially the way she draws animals and eccentric characters. She’s always incredibly busy, and is currently working on her first animated feature film, but she loved Kate’s poems so much that she managed to find time to illustrate Moon Juice for us over the summer. She’s a dream to work with and I couldn’t be happier that the Emma Press is publishing her international debut.’
Moon Juice contains bonus materials at the back of the book, including poem-writing suggestions from editor Rachel Piercey. The publisher is throwing a family-friendly launch party in London on 18th September, and Wakeling is also appearing at the Poetry Book Fair on 17th September and Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival on 25th September. In addition, poems from Moon Juice have been set to music by composer Cheryl Frances Hoad and will be performed at the Oxford Lieder Festival on 27th October.
Moon Juice is the second children’s poetry book from the Emma Press, soon to be followed by Watcher of the Skies: Poems about Space and Aliens, publishing on 29th September.
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Moon Juice: Poems for Children
Poems by Kate Wakeling, illustrations by Elīna Brasliņa
Paperback ISBN 978-1-910139-49-3 / RRP £8.50
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