Poems from the Second World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced WWII from different standpoints.
This verse novel is an incredible read and sang to me the way the tree sang to Kai, the main character, in the story.
Written in verse, this style of writing is accessible to reluctant and struggling readers, enabling them to feel all the emotions of a wonderful story normally found in longer, chapter book form. It tells the story of a boy, growing up without privilege, where family and friendships are the most important thing in his life. The subtle plot is revealed gradually as the story develops, jumping forwards and backwards in time in an effective way. The vocabulary has been carefully chosen to be powerful and moving, whilst retaining simplicity. The layout of the text and words draws the eyes to the page and the stunning illustrations, also simple but beautiful, make this book a feast for the eyes.
Considering opposing themes of friendship and bullying, and family struggles and love, this book ultimately conveys the importance of acceptance, empathy and kindness. Suitable for reader aged 10-13, with a wide range of reading abilities, this book is a ‘must’ for pre-teen libraries and book corners.
Poems from the Second World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced WWII from different standpoints.
12-year-old Josh and his twin Jordan have basketball in their blood. They’re kings of the court, star players for their school team. Their father used to be a champion player and they each want nothing more than to follow in his footsteps. Both on and off the court, there is conflict and hardship which will test Josh’s bond with his brother. In this heartfelt novel in verse, the boys find that life doesn’t come with a play-book and it’s not all about winning.
The First Year by Matt Goodfellow is the highly anticipated sequel to the emotionally powerful The Final Year. The previous book has made a profound impact on readers and significantly boosted the popularity of verse novels for Key Stage 2. The First Year follows into KS3, on as Nate navigates the ups and downs of his first year of secondary.
Matt Goodfellow explores the themes of family bonds, resilience, finding one’s voice, the power of language and the influence of supportive (and unsupportive) adults in school. This sequel is just as emotive – perhaps even more – as Nate is torn away from the familiar comfort and safety of primary school and finds himself thrown into the stark environment of secondary. The story also celebrates the joy of new friendships and the strong sense of belonging Nate shares with his brothers and friends.
This is a verse novel where the story unfolds through poetry. Some of the shortest and most sparse poems are the ones that evoke the greatest depth of emotion, with the white space on the page providing the reader with a moment to reflect and process – but only a moment, as this is really a page-turner that makes you greedy to read on.
This delightful rhyming picture book follows a family as they explore London, one of the world’s most famous capital cities!
Come! Board the London Bus
and see the London sights with us.
At any time, hop off, explore!
Then climb back on, and ride some more…
As a family of four spend a day exploring London, fun, child-friendly poems introduce readers to our wonderful capital city, and all its secrets. Well-known landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye, plus inescapable features like rain and taking tea, all get Patty Toht’s witty treatment.
Non-fiction facts provide more information about the poetry subjects, while rising star Sam Usher brings them to life with his signature style and humour.
This gorgeous celebration of London will be loved by both tourists and those who call the city home.
A collection of children’s poetry selected by Julia Donaldson, best known for The Gruffalo and her role as former Children’s Laureate. The colour-illustrated anthology makes an attractive hard back gift, filled with amusing poems and rhymes that are perfect for reading aloud and sharing.
Poems are organised into sections with similar themes – such as wildlife or family life. The entertaining and child-friendly poems about all sorts of topics are brimming with word-play and rhyme, making this collection an excellent choice for helping children to engage with poetry entertainingly.
Another gem of a book by Matt Goodfellow. This poetry collection will convince even the most reluctant about poetry that it might just be their thing.
This collection of poems is aimed at readers 11+ and tackles every day subjects: teachers, school days and making friends. The 66 poems will make you laugh, smile, cry, feel and think… there’s a perfect poem for everyone.
Fia lives in what feels like permanent winter. Her people haven’t seen or felt the warmth and light of the sun for several years, since the snow deer left.
Only one snow deer, Solas, remains. Born at the same time as Fia, Fia has sworn to protect her. Now Fia’s people are starving and their eyes are turning to the remaining snow deer. There is only one hope – for Fia to go on a treacherous journey across the frozen wastes to find the Deer Mother and fulfil the prophecy written about her long before she was born. Accompanied only by her beloved snow deer and her (sometimes irritating) cousin, Mish, the adventuresome trio strives to make it to the Deer Mother before it’s too late, knowing that sacrifices will need to be made along the way.
Beautifully told in the form of verse, with enchanting illustrations, this is a tale like no other I have read. It would make a fantastic wintry class read-aloud story as well as being used as a base for inspiring writing.
This new collection of poems by Michael Rosen is designed to make you ‘laugh, smile and think’.
The book includes a poem on the life of a red blood cell and its journey round your body, a monster who slowly eats the entire alphabet (how do you speak if you’ve run out of letters?) and a day in the life of a cat – sleeping, eating and manipulating your pet human.
All told with Rosen’s usual sense of humour and ear for rhythm, these poems would be great for reading aloud in class as well as being easy enough to be read independently by a child. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout by the brilliant Ed Vere, who manages to bring Rosen’s imaginings creatively to life.
Perfect for children (and adults) of any age.
Choose your favourite sound, bob like a robin, soak up the stillness of the forest, jump like a startled kangaroo or go to a monster jamboree. But keep an eye out for a dinosaur at the bus stop!
Funny, gentle, thoughtful, magical – this is an outstanding collection for younger readers, from an award-winning poet whose beautifully crafted, musical poetry will be loved by younger children.
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Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
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Curriculum links (if relevant)
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