Format: Poetry

A Whale of a Time: A Funny Poem for Every Day of the Year

Poetry

Whale of a Time contains a funny poem for every day of the year. It’s a real stunner of a book – a gorgeously bound hardback compendium with full-page colour illustrations by Matt Hunt, who is well known for illustrating funny children’s books.

Readers can have fun dipping in and out of the pages and reading funny poems both familiar and new – flicking through to the entries for today, tomorrow, our birthdays, family and friends’ birthday and other special dates in the calendar, as well as pausing on random pages that catch our attention due to the illustrations or the titles of the poems.

It’s the kind of collection that is perfect for a teacher’s desk or family coffee table to open when there’s a spare few minutes in the day (and makes a fantastic gift for homes or classrooms). This is a book to treasure and one that sings of the joy of poetry and rhyme.

Welcome to Wild Town

AF Harrold & Dom Conlon & Korky Paul

Poetry

‘Welcome to Wild Town’ is a quirky and unusual poetry book. Each poem is linked by the idea of a ‘Wild Town’ where animals dominate. There are a variety of formats that support and add to the meanings the poet may have wanted to give and certainly, meanings the reader may choose to give. For example, ‘The Caughtoise’ – the poem about the snail who isn’t having much success at fishing, written in two word lines!

The use repetition and well-known proverbs are all useful starting points and provocations for any budding poet in the class. Some of the poems may catch you by surprise – poems that are steeped in emotion, sandwiched between funny and witty poems that fill the collection. The poem, ‘Wild Garlic’, particularly made me stop and contemplate the unique connection that can be made where there is a shared grief. In contrast, there are other poems that have a wicked sense of fun – the poem ‘To be King’, ending with the tiger becoming King by virtue of eating the other competitors for the job!

AF Harold and Dom Conlon are experts in the unusual with their clever and witty use of language which is sure to engage young readers. This is an interesting addition to any poetry anthology collection.

A Passing on of Shells

Simon Lamb

Poetry

Scallywag Press proudly present Simon Lamb’s dazzling debut collection of poetry, featuring fifty luminous poems, each written in exactly fifty words, fully-illustrated throughout by much-loved former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.

With subjects ranging from family, identity, and growing up, to the need for hope, the wonder of nature, and the very concept of poetry itself, Simon offers his poems as small nuggets of wisdom, warmth and wit to help readers of all ages navigate their lives.

Complementing the always-present three-dimensional sense of drama and interaction with the reader, every poem is gifted its own double page spread, each one exquisitely illustrated by Chris Riddell, with his distinctive insight and flair adding new layers of meaning and joy to these already magical poems.

A beautifully-produced hardback gift edition with textured cover, de-bossing and thick paper, this is a book to read, to keep, to love.

When Poems Fall From the Sky

Junli Song & Zaro Weil

Poetry

Nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

Original, inspiring and intimate, When Poems Fall From the Sky marries science and poetry to create a tender and thoughtful love-letter to Earth promising children a riot of imagination, humour and joy – the perfect book to celebrate National Poetry Day on 6th October.

The collection of poems, raps, rhymes, haiku and little plays is written by Zaro Weil, winner of the 2020 CLiPPA children’s poetry prize and is illustrated in full colour throughout by artist Junli Song.

When Poems Fall From the Sky is the first title to publish since the pair won the coveted CLiPPA prize with their stunning poetry anthology, Cherry Moon.

In exquisitely illustrated full-colour pages, trees, birds, animals, rivers, flowers, mountains and insects each share their own magical stories. And the stories they tell, the ‘poems’ that fall from the sky, subtly and powerfully illuminate our hope and collective role as guardians of our earth.

Blow A Kiss, Catch A Kiss

Joseph Coelho & Nicola Killen

Poetry

A beautifully illustrated anthology of short poems for little children. The poems cover a diverse range of topics relatable to preschoolers, including nature, family life, favourite foods and playing games. The poems are designed to engage and encourage children to participate through repeated phrases and counting sections or by prompting actions (‘Nose Boogie’ will become a quick favourite in the classroom!).

Many will prompt discussion or invite the fun of improvising further verses. For example, the poem ‘Weather’, which is a play on the well-known song The Sun Has Got His Hat On, will naturally lead on to children continuing the pattern of the stanzas starting The Wind Has Got His Scarf On, The Rain Has Got Her Boots on, The Snow Has Got Her Gloves on and so on.

This is a really lovely preschool poetry collection that encourages children and adults alike to relish the sheer fun of language and rhyme.

Smile Out Loud

Daniel Gray-Barnett & Joseph Coelho

Poetry

Smile Out Loud is a humorous poetry anthology that does exactly what it says in the title: it makes the reader smile and laugh! Offering a variety of poems on all sorts of themes, there is a poem that will appeal to every reader. It also provides examples of rhyming and non-rhyming poetry, something which is important for children to experience.

The first thing to note about this book is the brilliant introduction by Joesph Coelho. He talks about the importance of performing poetry, using actions in poems and most importantly, enjoying poetry that makes you smile, giggle or gives you big belly laughs. This really helps the reader understand the purpose behind the book and each poem.

Not only will the title of the poems hook the reader in but excitingly, each poem is bursting with positivity and also comes with its own small set of instructions which explain how best to read the poem, whether any actions are needed and also how to engage the audience. This will not only help any reader of poetry to think about their audience when performing aloud, but also provide support and inspiration to those looking to write their own poetry in a similar format. The layout and spacing of the poems vary well and showcase different ways to present poetry.

The illustrations by Daniel Gray-Barnett used on each page are playful and engaging in much the same manner as the poems. They are colourful, bold and will no doubt also have the reader chuckling along.

This would be a fantastic book to support any young poet in an English lesson and it would also be a great book to share with a whole class during reading time.

People Need People

Benjamin Zephaniah & Nila Aye

Picturebook, Poetry

From the creators of Nature Trail comes an uplifting picture book about the power of people, and the importance of connecting with others. This timely poem reminds us all to be kind to one another.

Written by legendary poet, Benjamin Zephaniah and beautifully illustrated by Nila Aye.

Courage Out Loud

Daniel Gray-Barnett & Joseph Coelho

Poetry

From the fantastic duo behind Poems Aloud and Smile Out Loud comes another compendium of 25 original confidence-building poems to read out loud which will show children that their voice has FANTASTIC power.

From multi-award winning poet and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho comes 25 more brilliant, sparkling and truly original poems for children, specially written to help build confidence, develop speaking skills and help foster self-belief.

The collection contains mantras to be true to yourself, to help you feel brave, project happiness, conjure a smile, make you laugh or cheer others up. Some are odes, some can be said as personal mantras or just poems that instil confidence and help children realise the power of their voices.

Reading these poems aloud will teach children the power of a poem, encouraging them to explore the magic of language and foster a love of verse.

It Starts with a Bee: Watch a tiny bee bring the world to bloom

Jennie Webber & QED

Poetry

With lyrical text and enchanting illustrations, It Starts with a Bee takes you on a journey through the seasons as you follow a busy bee pollinate a wild garden.

Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, the bee tends to the flowers and plants. As the seasons change and the garden blooms into a wildlife wonderland, the bee is joined by well-loved minibeasts and creatures – worms, beetles, spiders and mice – who make the wild garden their home.

A rhyming poem builds page on page, echoing the life the bee brings to the garden. Beautiful foldout illustrations will transport readers into the world of the bee as it navigates the flowers and plants of the garden.

Teach your children about the crucial role bees play in the beautiful cycle of life in this charming tale of the workings of the natural world.

This Is How the Change Begins

Nicola Davies

Poetry

This is How the Change Begins is a collection of six illuminating poems inspired by the growing threat of climate change. From a consideration of our carbon footprints by way of Islamic mathematician Alhazen, the impact shifting weather conditions are having and will continue to have on our events and celebrations and the choices we have to make to turn the tide, these remarkable poems brilliantly confront the recognisable realities of the climate crisis with bold and lyrical language. Including background notes on the themes behind them, each poem has been typographically designed and arranged to best communicate these essential messages.

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