Episode 32 - The Wrong Side of The Door (Alfie Gets In First and Coraline) + special guest Simon Mole

This month our chapter book is Coraline by Neil Gaiman and our picture book is Alfie Gets in First by Shirley Hughes, which both involve being stuck on the wrong side of a door.

We have a special guest this month too! Simon Mole is an award-winning poet, theatre maker and children’s author. Simon joins us to talk about Alfie Gets in First, as well as his new book, I Love My Cat, which we love (illustrated by Sam Usher). You can get it here from Quarto Books - https://www.quarto.com/books/9780711276512/i-love-my-cat

Or, for a limited time, get a discounted signed copy from Next Page Books, here - https://nextpagebooks.co.uk/product/9780711276512/

I Love My Cat is Simon’s excellent follow on to I Love My Bike, which we read and loved on this podcast in Episode 26, Winter Wheelies here – https://eventhetrunchbull.podbean.com/e/episode-26-winter-wheelies-i-love-my-bike-and-bicycling-to-the-moon/

You can find links to buy I Love My Cat, and Simon’s previous books I Love My Bike and Kites on his website, here - https://www.simonmole.com/books

You can also find details of Simon’s upcoming library reading tour on his website, here - https://www.simonmole.com/events

And check out Simon’s Youtube channel, which has loads of poetry writing and performing resources for young people and teachers! https://www.simonmole.com/youtube

Links and Articles:

You can read The Guardian’s obituary of Shirley Hughes, referenced in the episode, here - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/02/shirley-hughes-obituary

A 2016 Guardian interview with Shirley Hughes, referenced and quoted in the episode, can be found here - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/21/shirley-hughes-interview-alfie-very-best-friend-childrens-books

You can listen to Neil Gaiman and film director Henry Selick talk about Coraline on a 2008 podcast episode from ‘The Sound of Young America’ here - https://maximumfun.org/episodes/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/neil-gaiman-and-henry-selick-on/

The poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci can be read in full here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44475/la-belle-dame-sans-merci-a-ballad

Here's an interesting and accessible article on breeching: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/breeching-party-first-pants-regency-trousers-boys

Previous Even the Trunchbull episodes referenced in this episode can be found here:

Wilde in Episode 20, Not Quite Nuclear, here - https://eventhetrunchbull.podbean.com/e/episode-20-not-quite-nuclear-burglar-bill-and-wilde/

The Magicians of Caprona in Episode 19, Don’t Mess With the Pasta Magic, here - https://eventhetrunchbull.podbean.com/e/episode-19-dont-mess-with-the-pasta-magic-strega-nona-and-the-magicians-of-caprona/

Not Now Bernard in Episode 1, Monsters, here - https://eventhetrunchbull.podbean.com/e/episode-1-monsters-young-werewolf-and-not-now-bernard/

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