Ten-Word Tiny Tales
Illustrated by
25 September 2025Synopsis
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION
SHORLISTED FOR THE ENGLISH 4-11 BOOK AWARDS LEICESTER
SELECTED AS A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
"It’s never too early to jump-start your literary career, and Ten-Word Tiny Tales offers a crash course in the art of creative writing to children as young as seven." Emily Bearn, The Daily Telegraph
"In this playful, unsettling collection for 7+, Coelho’s ultra-concise tales, featuring broken hamster cages, underwater carnivals and bears in outer space, are amplified by images from Shaun Tan, Dapo Adeola and many others, inviting kids to dive through strange portals of imagination." Guardian
From former Waterstones Children's Laureate and winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing Joseph Coelho, comes a compendium featuring twenty brilliantly illustrated tiny tales, each only ten words long!
“Invite me in,” she says, outside my tenth storey window...
Is it possible to spin a tale using just ten words? It most certainly is! In this unique and magnificent compendium designed to spark the imagination, Joseph Coelho brings us stories of underwater worlds, demon hamsters, bears in outer space, and portals to places unknown ... all in just ten words! Each tale has been paired with one of the finest illustrators working today – and, together, the words and pictures will create a space for creativity as young readers imagine how the story might unravel. They might even be inspired to pen a ten word tiny tale of their own!
Prefaced by a note from Joseph Coelho, and with two creative writing challenges at the back, this is the perfect gift for all those ready to unleash their imaginations.
"If you have a child at home who loves using her or his imagination, this is the perfect book." Irish Independent
"An unmissable compendium of tales that are small but mighty. Each story is only ten words long but will certainly stop readers in their tracks. A clever and creative book not to be missed." Irish Examiner
"Young readers who enjoy creative writing will find plenty of inspiration in Ten-Word Tiny Tales ... will have children pulling out their notebooks to write their own tales." The Irish Times
LOOK OUT FOR: Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love
Details
25 September 2025
9781529524109Reviews
It’s never too early to jump-start your literary career, and Ten-Word Tiny Tales, the latest book by Joseph Coelho, offers a crash course in the art of creative writing to children as young as seven.
In this playful, unsettling collection for 7+, Coelho’s ultra-concise tales, featuring broken hamster cages, underwater carnivals and bears in outer space, are amplified by images from Shaun Tan, Dapo Adeola and many others, inviting kids to dive through strange portals of imagination.
If you have a child at home who loves using her or his imagination, this is the perfect book. […] Great fun.
UK Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho creates an unmissable compendium of tales that are small but mighty. Each story is only ten words long but will certainly stop readers in their tracks. […] A clever and creative book not to be missed.
