Children’s author visits city for one-off performance

Jun 25 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

ACCLAIMED children’s author Valerie Bloom comes to the Bluecoat for a one-off performance on Thursday at 4pm.

Come, Me Pickney! is a new short story interspersed with poems and Jamaican folk songs. Regarded as one of the best contemporary writers for children, Valerie Bloom is also a brilliant performer on stage who really brings literature to life.

She grew up in Jamaica and came to England in 1979.

She was awarded an MBE for her services to poetry, and her nine collections include Whoop n’ Shout, Hot Like Fire and Let Me Touch the Sky.

Her most recent novel is 2007’s The Tribe.

The performance is suitable for children aged seven and over, and there will be a chance to meet Ms Bloom and have books signed afterwards.

Come, Me Pickney! tells the story of 10-year-old Joe, whose gran comes to visit from Jamaica. He is expecting a sweet old lady and not the feisty woman who insists on walking him to school and kissing him in public – but she has a wealth of stories, songs and poems to share.

To book, ring the box office on 0151 702 5324.