Penny Thomas, publisher at children’s and YA publisher Firefly Press, has acquired World rights in debut poetry collection Fresh by Rhiannon Oliver.
Folded-up socks not yet stretched out by feet,
Snow without footprints, beds with fresh sheets.
Ice-cream un-scooped, a freshly mowed lawn,
Curtains not open, paper undrawn
Keep finding beginnings and open your heart –
Each moment’s a chance to make a fresh start.
Taking inspiration from everything from cat fleas to cloud gazing, Fresh is a lively collection of poems written for children ages 8-12. And as well as the ‘fun stuff’ many of the poems touch on mental health and wellbeing, covering subjects such as shifting friendships, sadness, loss, coping with worry, and being left out. They explore starting over, the natural world, expressing your feelings, and kindness. The collection varies in tone and style with many of the poems serving as models for young people’s own creative writing.
‘I really admire the brilliant books that Firefly Press publishes and I am so excited to be joining the Firefly family to bring my first collection of poetry for children into the world!’ said Oliver. ‘Fresh is full of poems about feelings, family, friendship, and fun stuff. While there are lots of poems that explore wellbeing and mental health, there’s also a decent dose of silliness – look out for cheeky seagulls, disgusting soups, and super-speedy snails!’
Penny Thomas said, ‘Rhiannon’s poetry is perceptive, joyful, empathetic and deceptively simple, and will reach out to primary school audiences wherever she goes. Already published in Firefly’s And I Hear Dragons anthology and other poetry publications, we are really delighted to be bringing out her first collection!’
FRESH is slated for publication in spring 2026.