Mae tri phlentyn sy'n byw mewn tŵr llwyd uchel yn clywed cân coeden yn galw arnyn nhw. Maen nhw'n cropian allan o'r tŵr, heibio i'r ceir a'r polion lampau, i'r goedwig sy'n ffinio â'r stad. Yno, mewn coeden, maen nhw'n cyfarfod â dyn wedi tyfu mewn coeden sy'n rhoi carreg hud iddyn nhw. Trwy'r twll yn y garreg maen nhw'n gweld eu tŵr mewn gwedd newydd. Yn lle ffenestri, mae llygaid cariadus, ceg ydy'r lifft ac eiliau ydy'r balconïau. Gorgeously illustrated by Richard Johnson, this picture book is a love letter to high-rise living and its connection to the ancient, natural world. * The Sunday Post * From award-winning children’s poet Joseph Coelho comes this enchanting story of three kids looking for adventure in their building. Our Tower is about togetherness and kindness within the community. Why not get the kids to write a story about when someone has been kind to you or your family?

Whilst we have achieved our fundraising target, ongoing donations will increase the amount of work we can do, support a programme of activity beyond the project and ensure the resilience of our organisation. This month, we are adding something AWESOME to the club for every single person we can within the club (based in the UK). Inspired by memories, folklore and a lifetime of reading and imagining, Coelho’s lyrical text draws us in and evokes a personal response. Rhythms and sounds are explored, but it’s the story that drives this book. Take-away messages are clearly stated (which may be reassuring for readers who are less familiar with poetry) but plenty of room is left throughout for curiosity and dreaming. We are thrilled to be working in partnership with the team at Discoverin Stratford London, who are the perfect venue for the launch of this book. They are hosting an amazing interactive event with Richard and Joseph as well as showcasing of some of his incredible illustrations from the book in the Discover Café. You can find out more about this special event HERE .Stenning & Co – who are located in Bath – are led by Quantity Surveyor Adrian Stenning. Experts and specialists in building conservation work, Adrian has worked extensively with organisations including the Landmark Trust and the National Trust. After speaking with Joseph about the adventures he had growing up in Roehampton, near Richmond Park, I did some visual research into the area and Joseph sent me some photographs. I really wanted to try and create a visual adventure that would complement Joseph’s poem, blending the mundane, the dark and dangerous with the fantastic and celebratory. Visual research is really important to undertake in any project, especially for ‘Our Tower’, and the methods change from project to project. I think a lot of Joseph’s work is autobiographical, so it was important to me that I got a sense of Joseph’s personal story in the imagery. Whilst some of the details had to become lost in the finished artwork—for commercial purposes—I hope the essence of some of that initial research influenced the entire project. I also recorded myself reading the story and went for a long walk into the countryside. As I listened to the words on repeat, I used the countryside to inspire visual stories for the semi-imaginary underground world where the children play. I only started to draw when I got home." Illustrated in an atmospheric monochrome that gives way to a jewel-bright palette later in the book, Our Tower tells the story of three children who discover a secret world inside a tree, where they meet an ancient entity wielding a power capable of changing everything. Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time. Richard Johnson has created moments of real magic and wonder with his atmospheric illustrations in blue, green, brown, and grey hues highlighting the transitions between the urban, fantastic and natural environments. The imagery has been cleverly displayed as full spreads alongside vignettes with scenes intertwined with the text giving this book a unique contemporary feel. Note must also be paid to the incredible behind the scenes research work carried out to make the illustrations as authentic as possible, Richard ensured that architectural details were as accurate as possible as were references to specific architectural details, and public statues mentioned in Joseph’s story making this an unforgettable cinematic reading experience. Working closely at all stages of the book, when he saw Richard's roughs Joseph said...

This is a three-week Writing Root for Our Towerby Joseph Coelho and Richard Johnson. The sequence of learning begins with a walk to the local park. Children will be sound collectors and record all the interesting sounds they hear on their way to and in the park. They will go on to analyse the language and word choices used in the text as well as discussing the illustrations. To create their own descriptions and poems, children will use Joseph Coelho’s word choices and phrases to inspire their own writing. They will go on to practise key narrative skills such as creating dialogue, using conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs to build cohesion in their writing. Finally, children use the narrative structure of this poem to create their own fantasy narrative, using a circular planning format. Synopsis of Text:Securing the Design team is just the start of this project, with urgent fundraising now needed to ensure vital conservation work to the building and landscape takes place, to ensure today’s visitors and future generations can continue to explore and enjoy this iconic Bath landmark. This magical story, written by influential and award-winning children’s author and poet Joseph Coelho, will show children how to appreciate the things they have. The poetic narrative accompanied by enchanting illustrations will draw children into a fantastical world and provide a springboard for their own lyrical writing. Touching on themes of conservation and nature, links can also be drawn with geography and science and the book will act as a portal into the poetical world of this significant author. Links and themes: What colour are the kids going to choose for the Tree-Grown man? How many colours are they going to use? A deeply personal story written by the award-winning poet Joseph Coelho, drawn from his own experience growing up in a high-rise and looking for adventure.

A truly beautiful and special text that is a perfect example of words and pictures working together to create a deep and lasting impression on readers young and old.Beautiful illustrations complement the poetic narrative, creating an enchanting story which children and adults alike will fall in love with. London based conservation architects Thomas Ford & Partners are led by Clive England, who brings over 30 years’ experience to the project. Clive is Surveyor of the Fabric to Ely Cathedral, and Cathedral Architect to Sheffield Cathedral. Wedi'i ysgrifennu mewn sigl odledig telynegol, mae hwn yn ddathliad o bawb sy'n byw mewn blociau o fflatiau ac ar stadau. It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania. Adults have forgotten the wonder in the everyday, but these children see that there is power in the smiles of their neighbours and magic in the kindness of others. There is a beauty to the community of their Tower.