Oriol Vidal Books

The strapline under the title of Matt Goodfellow’s collection of poetry really sets the tone for this beautifully considered collection. It states ‘Poems to Lose Yourself In’ and it is clear that each poem is designed carefully to let the reader settle back and immerse themselves in the overwhelming power and comfort, ebbs and flows, calm and chaos of verse.

The collection would offer value to primary classrooms in a multitude of ways. There are poems which are just so pertinent and thought-provoking that it would be a shame not to have them linger with a class, possibly at the start or end of a challenging day (a personal favourite is ‘I am Here’). For KS2 classes, there is a range of genres to enable class teachers to inspire poetry of all types and so can be used as the stimulus for whole class writing. As a PSHE resource, Matt Goodfellow has considered some huge issues, such as the transition to high school (Transition), Domestic Violence (Jake) and the death of a beloved pet (Dig Sid, Dig) and some which may overwhelm the reader more than the listener- I dare you not to be moved by ‘Adequate Life’.

This is a wonderful anthology and, for a mature Upper KS2 group or lower KS3, a perfect addition to a class bookshelf or teacher resource collection.