Trish Cooke facts for kids

Trish Cooke (born in 1962) is a talented British writer, actress, and TV presenter. She has written many plays and scripts for television shows. Trish is also a popular author of children's books. You might know her from the children's TV series Playdays, where she was a presenter. She also wrote under the name Roselia John Baptiste.

Trish Cooke's Early Life and Career

Trish Cooke was born in Bradford, England. Her parents came from Dominica, a beautiful island in the Caribbean. They were part of the "Windrush generation," which refers to people who moved from Caribbean countries to the UK after World War II.

Trish studied Performing Arts at Leeds Polytechnic, which is now called Leeds Beckett University. After finishing her studies, she moved to London in 1984 to become an actress. She worked behind the scenes for a theatre company called Black Theatre Co-operative. Later, she became an actress after getting her Equity card, which allowed her to work professionally.

In 1988, Trish received a special award called the Thames Television Writers Bursary. This helped her become a writer-in-residence at the Liverpool Playhouse. This meant she worked as a writer for the theatre for a period of time.

Television Work

From 1988 to 1996, Trish Cooke was a presenter and scriptwriter for Playdays on Children's BBC. This was a very popular children's show. She also wrote scripts for other well-known TV shows like EastEnders, Doctors, and The Real McCoy.

Plays and Theatre

Trish Cooke has written many plays for the theatre. In 1989, a play she wrote called Back Street Mammy was performed. Another play, Running Dream, was about a woman who visited Dominica and found strong connections with her family there. Both plays used a special group of performers called a chorus to help tell the story.

From 2019 to 2021, Trish was a writer-in-residence at the Bush Theatre. She is also a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund, which supports writers.

Award-Winning Children's Books

Trish Cooke is well-known for her children's books. Her book So Much (published in 1994) won several important awards. It won the 0–5 category of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize. It also won the She/WH Smith's Under-Fives Book Prize and the Kurt Maschler Award. The book was also highly praised for the Kate Greenaway Medal. It was even nominated for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and the Nottinghamshire Children’s Book Award.

Trish has also written many popular fairy tale adaptations for the Theatre Royal Stratford East. These plays often feature characters from different backgrounds. Her play Cinderella (from 2007) was the first pantomime to be nominated for an Olivier Award. This is a very important award for theatre in the UK.

Family Life

Trish Cooke has a brother named Joe Cooke, who used to be a professional football player. Her second cousin, Tyler Magloire, is also a professional football player.

Trish Cooke's Creative Works

Plays Written by Trish Cooke

• Shoppin' People. Liverpool Playhouse, 1989.
• Back Street Mammy. Lyric Hammersmith, 1989; West Yorkshire Playhouse, 1991.
• Running Dream. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 1993.
• Gulp Fiction. Civic Theatre, Peckham, 1995; Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 1996.
• Pinocchio. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2005.
• Cinderella. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2007.
• Anansi Trades Places. Shaw Theatre, 2007.
• Aladdin. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2009.
• Little Red Riding Hood. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2010.
• Cinderella. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2011.
• Dick Whittington. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2013.
• Robin Hood. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2015.
• Left Hangin', Bush Theatre, 2015.
• Rapunzel. Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2017.
• Pinocchio. Theatre Royal Stratford East, 2024.

Children's Books by Trish Cooke

• Mammy, Sugar Falling Down. Hutchinson, 1989.
• Mrs Molly's Shopping Trolley. Collins Education, 1990.
• Looking For Auntie Natal. Collins Education, 1992.
• Mr Pam Pam and the Hullabazoo. London: Walker Books, 1994.
• So Much. London: Walker Books, 1994.
• When I Grow Bigger. London: Walker Books, 1994.
• The Grandad Tree. London: Walker Books, 2000.
• Waiting for Baby. London: Walker Books, 2000.
• Zoom!. London: Collins, 2000.
• The Diary of A Young West Indian Immigrant. London: Watts, 2001.
• Full, Full, Full of Love. London: Walker Books, 2003.
• Catch!. London: Scholastic, 2003.
• Hey Crazy Riddle!. London: Frances Lincoln, 2006.
• Hoorah for Mary Seacole. London: Franklin Watts, 2008.
• No Dinner for Anansi. London: Franklin Watts, 2009.
• How Anansi Got His Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2011.
• Look Back!. London: Papillote Press, 2013.
• King Kafu and the Moon. Pearson, 2016.
• Tales from the Caribbean. London: Puffin, 2017.
• Zel, Let Out Your Hair.
• Jackson and The Hairstalk.
• The Puppet Who Had No Hair . Walters Nicholls Publishing, 2021.
• The Magic Callaloo. London: Walker Books 2024.