HUDDERSFIELD poet Gez Walsh will be popping champagne corks on National Poetry Day next Thursday, because he has just sold the 100,000th copy of his book of children's poems, The Spot on my Bum.

And on Saturday he will be launching his latest book, Don't Wee in the Bath Terry: Potty Poems with a capital P.

Gez, a former joiner who became a social worker, began writing poetry in 1997 when he discovered his son, Lee, was suffering from dyslexia and struggling academically.

He found the main barrier was the boring nature of ordinary books. So he set about writing a collection of strange, but interesting, poems.

He focused on topics which would instantly grab a child's attention - spots, goo, bums and all other things that weren't generally spoken about in polite company.

He sent the one handwritten copy of his book, Horrible Poems for Horrible Children, to publishers The King's England Press simply because he knew someone who worked there.

It impressed the firm and the collection of poems which eventually became The Spot on My Bum: Horrible Poems for Horrible Children was born.

It was an instant hit and was sold out before it even left the printers. It took two reprints just to catch up with demand and stock the bookshops.

Gez has now written 11 books, including Someone's Nicked My Knickers, Parents Zits and Hairy Bits.

And another four authors have joined the ranks of the Potty Poets.

Interest in them has spread across the world, as far as Australia, Germany and Portugal.

Poetry has made Gez somewhat of a star. He has appeared on local TV and radio and has been written about in many languages.

In the foreword to his books he writes: "Please buy this book! I'm being held prisoner in a small dank cell by my publishing company. I have no light, only a candle strapped my head, and no company, except for the rats that come to nibble my toes each night."

But Gez does not only write poetry.

This year he branched out and produced a number of pocket-sized guides - such as Fax4U Drugs - about major concerns of teenagers and younger children.

Gez has also worked with Radio Leeds on their Voices project, producing a book of poems sponsored by Kirklees Council and featuring the work of two schools involved in the project, Shelley High School and Turnshaws at Kirkburton.

A GEZ WALSH POEM - Don't wee in the bath, Terry

Don't wee in the bath, Terry,

There's a good fellow;

It makes you smell quite funny

And turns the water yellow.

Don't wee in the bath, Terry,

Whatever you do:

You might end up swallowing it,

So get out and use the loo!