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Format: Poetry

Part of a Story That Started Before Me is an extraordinary new collection of poems chosen by acclaimed spoken-word performer and social commentator George the Poet.

Taking readers on a thought-provoking poetical journey through Black British history, the anthology brings together some of the most exciting wordsmiths from across the diaspora and fascinating era-by-era notes from historian Dr Christienna Fryar.

From Africans in Roman Britannia to the first Black actor to play Othello on stage, from Malcolm X’s visit to the West Midlands to highlighting an organizer of the UK’s first Gay Pride, this important collection reveals unsung people and events from our past to recognize the intrinsic impact they’ve had on Britain today.

Featuring: Abi Simms, Adesayo Talabi, AFLO. the poet, Amina Jama, Anu Balofin, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Becksy Becks, Benjamin Zephaniah, Bridget Minamore, Cara Thompson, Casey Bailey, Deanna Rodger, Derek Walcott, Dorothea Smartt, Dzifa Benson, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Eno Mfon, Evan the Poet, Fred D’Aguiar, FULAANI onda 3s, George The Poet, Grace Nichols, Henry Stone, Highwater Ell aka Elliott Henry, Ife Grillo, Inua Ellams, Irenosen Okojie, Isaiah Hull, Jade LB, Jeffrey Boakye, Jenny Mitchell, Jeremiah Brown, John Agard, Joseph Coelho, Jude Yawson, Kat Francois, Keith Jarrett, Kelechi Okafor, M. NourbeSe Philip, Malika Booker, Michael Groce, Miles Chambers, Muneera Pilgrim, Nick Makoha, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Nile Faure-Bryan, Olaudah Equiano, Olivette Otele, Patience Agbabi, Peter deGraft-Johnson aka The Repeat Beat Poet, Phillis Wheatley, Priss Nash, Rakaya Fetuga, Raymond Antrobus, Reece Williams, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasha, Samuel King, Sophia Thakur, Stretch the Top Boy, Thembe Mvula, Theresa Lola, Tré Ventour, Vanessa Kisuule, Wretch 32 and Zena Edwards.

Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has dreams of water, of its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. He has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, West Africa, where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. But when the unthinkable – a sudden death – occurs during a festival between rival villages, Kofi ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves. Yet Kofi’s dreams may be the key to his freedom…

PoetryVerse novel

Gripping from start to finish, this heart-wrenching verse novel plunges the reader into the terrifying jeopardy of life in a gang.

Erik and his mum are left financially and emotionally vulnerable after the unexpected and untimely death of his father. At school, Erik’s bad behaviour recommends him to members of the local drug-dealing gang. The promise of money and the apparent safety of belonging to a close-knit group make him easy prey. All too soon, he is sucked into their world of threats, violence and fear. Safety becomes a dream of the past.

Too late, he realises that he’s trapped and everything that he cares about is in danger, including his mum and his little sisters.

The language is simple and direct. The story is told in Erik’s voice, so anything else would be jarring. Key points in the story are highlighted expressively by typography: a calligram; a change in font; disruption of the text layout. The central theme – criminal exploitation of the vulnerable – means that strong language and violent scenes are inevitably part of the plot, but the violence does not feel gratuitous, and the subject is one we shouldn’t shy away from. It could provide a good way into discussions about grooming and coercion.

As a story, it is accessible, immersive, and impossible to put down. I enjoyed it in one greedy sitting. It is ideal for Key Stage 3. I thoroughly recommend it to teachers too, as a poignant reminder of the importance of vigilance in schools. Erik is creative in his deceptions and his teachers seem to miss every warning sign.

bilingual childrenʼs poetry anthology of ʻdragon-focusedʼ poems, conceived and edited by the National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa. A ground-breaking new anthology from diverse Welsh writers is aimed at children aged between eight and twelve. …And I Hear Dragons, explores the concept of identity, and Hanan has written a poem of the same name that ʻcelebrates the children of Wales as ferociously brave mythical beastsʼ, taking on discrimination, pollution etc, and upholding Walesʼ tradition of croesawgar (welcoming).

PoetryVerse novel

A powerful, authentic verse novel exploring a teen boy’s experience with disordered eating, charting the successes and setbacks of his journey toward recovery.
Jake feels alone at school and alone at home. Some days it feels like the only people who understand him is the poet Emily Dickinson – and Jake’s beloved grandma. But there is also the Voice inside him, louder than any other, who professes to know him best of all.

The one that says “You have me.”

The Voice is loud enough to drown out everything else, even the hunger Jake feels, until his mom intervenes and sends him to Whispering Pines.

Here Jake will learn how to confront the loneliness inside him, and find out who he is and what he has to live for. That is, if he can quiet the Voice…

Told in succinct and powerful verse, this novel is a stunning and wholly authentic expression of a young man finding the will – and the power – to wrest control from the intrusive thoughts that crowd his mind.

Cosmo is a young boy whose life has been changed forever, after falling out of the tree he loved to climb. Now, Cosmo is disabled and uses a wheelchair. Now, Cosmo wants to have a conversation with the tree.

In this outstanding debut collection for children, Stephen Lightbown draws on his own personal experiences as a wheelchair user, while creating a unique and utterly engaging character in Cosmo. Written in Cosmo’s voice and peppered with contributions from the boy’s family, these poems take the reader on a journey of challenges, questions, hurts, explorations and triumphs. Cosmo is endlessly open and curious, and his observations and reflections are at once perceptive, raw, hilarious, confronting and enchanting.

How can Cosmo come to terms with, and adapt to, this seismic change in his life? Is his life as he knew it gone? Could there be new possibilities ahead, and also new abilities that Cosmo doesn’t yet know he possesses? And will the tree ever reply to his number one question: why?

Talking Turkeys is an unconventional collection of straight-talking poems about heroes, revolutions, racism, love and animal rights, among other subjects, that will entice many new readers to poetry.

It was beloved poet Benjamin Zephaniah’s very first ground-breaking poetry collection for young people. Playful, clever and provocative – this is performance poetry on the page at its very best.

Boing! A Bouncy Book of Bugs is a colourful anthology of poems all about a variety of bugs and minibeasts, including butterflies, spiders and even dung beetles! The poems are catchy, memorable and often rhythmic, which are perfectly accommodated and supported by the colourful images on each page.

There is a variety of poems in this book in terms of length and type – shape poems, riddles and acrostic poetry are just some examples included, as well as other poems with longer or repetitive verses. This further helps to make the book accessible to all and would support it being used across Key Stage 1 into Lower Key Stage 2.

Children would certainly enjoy the opportunity to listen to and perform many of these poems aloud, as well as use them for inspiration to write their own poems. This book is a nice introduction to some poetic features, including rhyme, repetition and alliteration. Interestingly, as well as a poem on each page, some pages include interesting facts about specific bugs or minibeasts.

This is a fun and interesting addition to the poems and would certainly appeal to any budding nature enthusiast or scientist, as well as to those who enjoy poetry.

‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’ is a brilliant collection of animal poems about all types of animals from insects to pets, farm animals to wild animals and everything in between. The poems would be great to read aloud in the classroom to children of any age and older children will enjoy reading them independently as well. I love that there is a range of types of poems including rhyming and not rhyming, varying in length, and different layouts on the page. This provides lots of opportunity for children to have a go at imitating different types of poems themselves, choosing their own animal to write about. There are also some poems where children can guess which animal the poem is about. The illustrations throughout the book are also a lovely touch.

Watch them Grow! is a fun, rhyming text exploring some of nature’s unique life cycles, including frogs, starlings, moths, turtles and more.

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