‘The Moon’s Gorgonzola’: a new plateful of fun poems from Debra Bertulis

New out this month, The Moon’s Gorgonzola is Debra Bertulis’ second book of poems for children. It’s a vibrant and bouncy collection aimed at younger readers from 5-6 years, or around Key Stage 1. Helping to bring Debra’s poems to life are a series of playful illustrations by Zoe Williams.

While putting the finishing touches to the book, we caught up with Debra for a quick chat and a peek behind the scenes into ‘the making of’….

Can you sum up The Moon’s Gorgonzola in one sentence?

Oof, that’s a tough starter question! Okay, here goes: The Moon’s Gorgonzola is a cheese platter of hilarious, thoughtful and sometimes downright silly verses to perform at home or in school. I want children to have fun with it! (Whoops that was two sentences!).

Your first collection, Where Do Wishes Go, was aimed at slightly older children (KS2). How did you approach writing for a younger age group?

In the early stages, I tested out a series of poems with children in Years 1 & 2 at my local primary school. Encouragingly, they gobbled up the cheese like a class of hungry mice! So I figured I was on the right track.
The language had to be carefully considered. It couldn’t be too obscure. And of course, as an introduction to poetry, the book as a whole needed to be ‘accessible’ from the outset, to ‘speak to’ as many children in Key Stage 1 as possible. I really wanted the collection to appeal equally to children who are confident in literacy and those who are less confident, which I hope I’ve achieved here.

What sparked the idea for this collection?

Many years ago, the well-known poet Brian Moses suggested that I write a collection for younger children. I’ll admit that it’s taken me a while to get around to it, but it’s finally here – thanks Brian! Brian’s philosophy is that children deserve the very best poetry we can give them. It’s something I’ve never forgotten and always keep in mind.

There are a lot of ‘topic’ poems in the collection – was that a deliberate decision?

Yes. In a school context, teachers don’t always have time to search for ‘topic’ poetry, so by including poems on various KS1 curriculum topics - and also by listing them under subject headings in the table of contents – hopefully the book will provide a time-saving resource in schools, as well as being a much-loved poetry book at home.

On that note, you’ve included some tips for performing and writing…

Yes, as a guide. I’ll be honest, it was very tempting to add more tips, so I had to restrain myself! The book is my ‘baby’ and I could see in my mind’s eye how I’d love performances of the poems to look... but that would’ve been a mistake!
There are good reasons why we, as adults, are sometimes too prescriptive - mainly due to time constraints in schools. However, if possible, I think it’s best to put children in the middle of everything, put them in charge. Watch them collaborate with each other, see them listening to each other’s ideas, witness their imaginations take flight - and they’ll create something wonderful.
It’s the same with poetry writing. Simply put, poetry is just thoughts on paper. We all have thoughts. ‘Writing has to come from the heart’ is my mantra and a well-used phrase during my school visits.
Less confident writers will need a degree of guidance, of course, but as they gain confidence, their writing will blossom.

The illustrations and overall design are a real feature of the book – how did you find the process of working with others on this?

The Moon’s Gorgonzola has been a real collaboration. As with any children’s poetry book, the writing is just the beginning. Equally crucial are the illustration and design team. I’m so grateful to Roy Johnson for finding Illustrator Zoe Williams and designer Wendy Mach who have truly lifted the words off the page and created something really special. What was once just a type-written manuscript is now a book with a beating heart.
I couldn’t choose a favourite illustration, but I do have a particular soft spot for (amongst others) ‘Miss’s Magic Carpet’ and ‘Train Ride to the Sea’. All of the drawings complement the poems perfectly. And that cover! The colours, the moon, the cheese, the astronaut (we could all be an astronaut, couldn’t we?).
I hope that we’ve created an altogether very ‘pick-up-able’ book.

Discover more about the book, the author and illustrator, view some sample pages – and order your copy – at www.troikabooks.com/the-moons-gorgonzola

For school, library and trade orders, you’ll find distribution contacts at www.troikabooks.com/contact-us