Ten-Word Tiny Tales
An anthology of brilliantly illustrated tales only ten words long, from former Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and friends
Age 7+
Picture Storybooks
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
SHORLISTED FOR THE ENGLISH 4-11 BOOK AWARDS LEICESTER
SELECTED AS A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
"It’s never too early to jump-start your literary career, and Ten-Word Tiny Tales offers a crash course in the art of creative writing to children as young as seven." Emily Bearn, The Daily Telegraph
"In this playful, unsettling collection for 7+, Coelho’s ultra-concise tales, featuring broken hamster cages, underwater carnivals and bears in outer space, are amplified by images from Shaun Tan, Dapo Adeola and many others, inviting kids to dive through strange portals of imagination." Guardian
From former Waterstones Children's Laureate and winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing Joseph Coelho, comes a compendium featuring twenty brilliantly illustrated tiny tales, each only ten words long!
“Invite me in,” she says, outside my tenth storey window...
Is it possible to spin a tale using just ten words? It most certainly is! In this unique and magnificent compendium designed to spark the imagination, Joseph Coelho brings us stories of underwater worlds, demon hamsters, bears in outer space, and portals to places unknown ... all in just ten words! Each tale has been paired with one of the finest illustrators working today – and, together, the words and pictures will create a space for creativity as young readers imagine how the story might unravel. They might even be inspired to pen a ten word tiny tale of their own!
Prefaced by a note from Joseph Coelho, and with two creative writing challenges at the back, this is the perfect gift for all those ready to unleash their imaginations.
"If you have a child at home who loves using her or his imagination, this is the perfect book." Irish Independent
"An unmissable compendium of tales that are small but mighty. Each story is only ten words long but will certainly stop readers in their tracks. A clever and creative book not to be missed." Irish Examiner
"Young readers who enjoy creative writing will find plenty of inspiration in Ten-Word Tiny Tales ... will have children pulling out their notebooks to write their own tales." The Irish Times
LOOK OUT FOR: Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love
Creators
Joseph Coelho is an award-winning poet, playwright and children's book author. His first poetry collection, Werewolf Club Rules!, won the CLPE Children's Poetry Award, and he has been writing and performing ever since. His picture books include If All the World Were... illustrated by Allison Colpoys and Luna Loves Library Day, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers. He is also the author of the Fairy Tales Gone Bad trilogy, Zombierella, Frankenstiltskin and Creeping Beauty, all illustrated by Freya Hartas. Follow him on Twitter as @Poetryjoe and on Instagram as @josephcoelhoauthor.
With artwork from:
Alex T. Smith · Camilla Sucre · Chuck Groenink · Daishu Ma · Dapo Adeola · Dena Seiferling · Flavia Z. Drago · Freya Hartas · Helen Stephens · Julia Sarda · Katie May Green · Karl James Mountford · Maja Kastelic · Mariachiara Di Gorgio · Nahid Kazemi · Raissa Figueroa · Reggie Brown · Shaun Tan · Thea Lu · Yas Imamura · Yoko Tanaka
Reviews
A global roster of 21 distinguished illustrators contributes imagery for Coelho’s cryptic 10-word stories. Invoking multiple dimensions in his notes to readers and the tales themselves, Coelho invites illustrators to consider interplanetary space, undersea caverns, and realms between. . . . Twisty, playful fun.
Kirkus Reviews
Each tale is thought-provoking and guaranteed to elicit questions and debate. An afterword encourages readers to illustrate and expand a tiny tale, offering additional prompts and questions to help would-be writers tap into their creativity. . . this will engage sophisticated readers and be welcomed by creative writing classes.
Booklist
Laughter, puzzlement, shivers—10-word morsels from U.K. children’s laureate Coelho, each illustrated by contemporary artists including Raissa Figueroa, Júlia Sardà, and Shaun Tan, evoke a startling panoply of thoughts and feelings. . . . Various artist contributors take different tacks in visualizing the lines, many developing the concepts. . . . Front and back matter detail the book’s beginnings and suggest using the tales as writing prompts, inviting readers to expand, create, and let their pens and imaginations soar.
Publishers Weekly
In an exercise destined to end up in language arts classes, author Coelho teams up with twenty-one artists to create ten-word short stories. . . . There’s really not a dud in the bunch; from humorous to scary to melancholy, there’s something here for everyone, meaning readers of all sorts can follow Coelho’s writing tips in the front and backmatter to create and expand upon their own tiny tales.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Illustrated by twenty-one accomplished artists from around the globe, each of the twenty “tiny tales” gives the reader just enough in word and picture to generate curiosity and discussion. . . this is a book for older children to pore over and let their imaginations flower. With twenty-one different illustrators representing many styles, media, and settings, each of the spreads stands apart so viewers can concentrate on a single page or read the book through for a disquieting experience.
The Horn Book
