We support Malorie Blackman

We support Malorie Blackman's call for more diversity in children's books. We deplore the fact that some news outlets distorted what she said and went further and claimed that she said things which she did not say. At a time when children's books receive very little support from the main news outlets, we find it ironic that the only matter that makes the news is a distorted news report giving false information of what our Children's Laureate actually said. We offer full support to Malorie Blackman and wish to affirm our belief that she has been a magnificent Laureate and continues to be a great champion for children's literature.

Poem: Promised Land

PROMISED LAND




A family arrived and said they had papers

to prove that his house was theirs.


No, no, said the man, my people have always lived here,

my father, grandfather .... and look, the garden,

my great-grandfather planted that.


No, no, said the family, look at the documents.

There was a stack of them.


Where do I start? said the man.


No need to read the beginning, they said,

turn to the page marked ‘Promised Land’.


Are they legal? he said, who wrote them?


God, they said, God wrote them, look -

Here come His tanks.