They Sent a Cat to Saturn

Every page of this effervescent collection of poems from Valerie Bloom bubbles with imagination. The first section is infused with an infectious enjoyment of words, revelling in the richness of English vocabulary.

There is a little gentle teasing of school English lessons in Substitutions but this and many of the other poems would be very helpful to the English teacher seeking to encourage students to use more ambitious vocabulary. The final two poems give very helpful advice on performance in a warm and entertaining way – perfect for preparing children for a recital.

In between, Valerie Bloom addresses food, pets, people, families and the natural world. At times the writing is comic and playful, creating ridiculous images by interpreting idioms literally and having fun with puns. At others it is poignant, touching on the sadness of cultural separation that comes with emigration, the heartbreak of family breakdown, the loneliness of a childhood with more presents than cuddles. The most serious of issues are sketched with the lightest of touch and then lightened with moments of silliness. The juxtaposition of standard English with occasional interludes of Jamaican dialect is equally deftly done.

Having loved ‘Stars with Flaming Tails’, I opened this with high expectations. I was not disappointed: it was a joy to read from start to finish. It will be an enormously useful collection for the classroom to support with writing, speaking and managing feelings as well as developing an empathetic approach to others. I thoroughly recommend it.