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Paul Cookson’s collection does not claim to be the definitive hundred brilliant poems, but it comes close; providing a fun, inspiring and diverse introduction to poetry for children. Not only are the classics of Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Whitman out in force, but Cookson also introduces the delights of brand new poetry. His own poem ‘Let No One Steal Your Dreams’ is a beautiful and empowering opening, offering a message of encouragement that lingers in the mind as you read on. A collection to dip into before bed-time or to devour whole, which both children and adults will relish. A message from Gaby Morgan, Editorial Director at Pan Macmillan A gorgeous pick-and-mix packed with long-term favouries, song lyrics and brand-new delights. reading it out loud wull guarantee joy! It also includes some handy hints and starting points for reading, writing and performing at the back. A message from Paul Cookson Hello and welcome to 100 Brilliant Poems for Children. There will never be a definitive hundred brilliant poems . . . but I know that these are a hundred brilliant poems. I wanted to choose poems that have some sort of longevity: poems that are already classics, poems that are modern classics and poems that I feel will have a life beyond this book and become classics in their own right.The collection starts with my own ‘Let No One Steal Your Dreams’ – in fact, the idea for the collection started with that poem. It’s that feeling we are looking for – poems that inspire, and that are aspirational and entertaining in every way. I’ve chosen poems by my favourite poets, poems that I wish I’d written, poems that I’ll be forever jealous of and poems that have inspired me. I also wanted to include a few pieces that haven’t been seen before in a book for children. Words that have meant something to me, words that have touched me at particular times. I say words – as some of them began as songs I’ve played again and again, but with words that I feel work well as stand-alone poems. Not many songwriters are poets, but some are and I’ve included a few here – Billy Bragg, Michael McDermott, Nigel Stonier, Martin Stephenson, Henry Priestman (The Christians), Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff) and Stan Cullimore (The Housemartins). Check them out – I hope you like them. No, I’ll rephrase that – I hope you love them. Enjoy!
A wonderfully innovative collection bursting with energy, you can’t help but read with a smile. Chrissie Gittins is on a mission to save words from extinction, with forty exuberant and informative poems to celebrate amazing animals, birds and plants. The imagery is joyful; adders dance, beetroot paint your kitchen, and melons have an annual party, whilst Paul Bommer’s entertaining illustrations make the poems zing off the page. This is Gittins at her very best, playing with style and composition, and writing with zeal. Also check out BBC1 Countryfile on Sunday 22nd October for an interview with poet Chrissie Gittins. Chrissie is being filmed at the North Cornwall Book Festival talking about her latest children’s poetry collection ‘Adder, Bluebell, Lobster’. The book takes 40 of the 110 nature words deleted from the Oxford Junior Dictionary as titles for new poems.
Roald Dahl's wondercrump collection of animal rhymes featuring grisly beasts out for human blood, ranging from Gocky-Wock the crocodile to Sting-A-Ling the scorpion. With full colour illustrations by Quentin Blake this will make a wonderful addition to your 'forever keeps' pile.
Julia Eccleshare's Pick of the Month July 2016 A perfect celebration of Alice Day 2016, this beautiful, fully illustrated edition of Lewis Carroll’s great comic masterpiece which comes complete with gilt-edged pages and a ribbon for a marker, is the perfect gift book for all ages. The Hunting of the Snark, the riotous story of a motley crew’s journey to find the elusive Snark, has a cast of amazing characters including some from Carroll’s The Jabberwocky all of which Chris Riddell brings to life in glorious, brightly coloured caricatures. ~ Julia Eccleshare A message from Chris Riddell : This book is nonsense and, like all the best nonsense, it makes a special kind of sense. The hunting of a Snark is a very complicated business and I suspect that not even the Bellman himself really knows quite how to go about it. But that doesn’t stop him and his crew from pursuing the strange, elusive creature with all the tools at their disposal. Thimbles, forks, railway-shares and soap are all used, along with a lot of care, hope, threats and smiles, but not even the lace-making Beaver, ‘bounding along on the tip of its tail’, can get close. Then, after seven poetic convulsions, in a final ‘fit’ of energy, one of the crew spots a Snark and . . . But no, beamish readers, I won’t give away the ending at the beginning, that would be nonsense. Just let me say, beware of the Jubjub bird that sounds like ‘a pencil that squeaks on a slate’, the frume of the frumious Bandersnatch that can turn you black in the face and, most of all, hunt the Snark carefully, for it might be a Boojum, you see. Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month for July 2016 Melric and the Crown by David McKee The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Chris Riddell Up, Up and Away by Tom McLaughlin Strange Star by Emma Carroll Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell Such Stuff: A Story-Maker's Inspiration by Michael Morpurgo
In dining halls of long ago When dinosaurs sat down to dine, Did prehistoric dinner-ladies Keep them all in line? What's the REAL reason the dinosaurs died out? Can anyone rescue Class 2M from the wild dinner-ladies? And what will happen when Class 2M meet a lion? This is a funny and brilliant debut collection from the author of the bestselling Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face books.
Sport – winning, losing, taking part – is celebrated in this typically skilful collection from two of our most popular poets for young people. There are funny poems, story poems, contemplative ones to make you see things clearer or differently, and the poets even have a contest themselves, each one describing archery (too quiet for Moses, pure gold for Stevens). In a poem in four parts jointly written and placed strategically throughout the book they wittily compare the process of writing poetry itself to a marathon, from the early stages when confidence is high, to the last few miles when poems can ‘get puffed… sit down at the side of the page’. These are poems to be enjoyed and remembered long after the final medal has been awarded in Rio. ~ Andrea Reece
A lovely, lively and varied collection of verse that invites gleeful participation from its intended audience. 16 poems to read out loud - perfect for sharing at home or at school. Shortlisted for the CLPE Children’s Poetry Award (CLiPPA) 2017. Longlisted for the UKLA 2017 Book Award.
A fantastic collection of history poems that conjure up the sights, sounds and smells of the past - both the great events and battles, and ordinary day-to-day activities. Ties in with the history curriculum for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Six bouncy poems each of which is richly illustrated by award-winning illustrator Nick Sharratt. Burt, Cora, Charlie, Selwin, Ida and Quentin are the six Vikings let loose on a delightful shopping spree in a supermarket in the title poem. More reflective is The Mermaid and the Shoe. What would a mermaid do with a shoe? There are lots of watery ideas from using it as a little sailing boat to wearing it as a hat! The Tidy Pirate gives pirates an entertaining brush up while Fangsalot imagines what would happen if a vampire bat bit a cat, a cat bit a cow, a cow bit a horse – and so on! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Poetry is a fun way for children to enjoy learning to read, developing their vocabulary and understanding of ideas and themes. This collection offers a wide range of poems to appeal to all children, from poems about special days such as Christmas or Chinese New Year to poems that are great to read aloud, like 'The Wuzzy Wasps of Wasperton'.
Featuring a fantastic range of children's poets and four exciting themes with full-colour illustrations, this is the ideal approach to encourage a love of reading, whilst developing an understanding of poetry, meeting the new requirements of the National Curriculum. The collection has been carefully selected for children in Year 2 of school and includes helpful parent notes for every poem and a glossary of key terms from the series editor and children's poet, John Foster. It is the second of three poetry collections that will support your child from learning to read in Year 1 through to understanding themes and developing vocabulary in Year 3. This collection of poetry has the perfect balance of engaging rhyme, familiar themes and amusing illustrations to promote a lifelong love of reading.
Featuring a fantastic range of children's poets and five exciting themes with full-colour illustrations, this is the ideal approach to encourage a love of reading, whilst developing an understanding of poetry, meeting the new requirements of the National Curriculum. The collection has been carefully selected for children in Year 3 of school and includes helpful parent notes for every poem and a glossary of key terms from the series editor and children's poet, John Foster. It is the third of three poetry collections that will support your child from learning to read in Year 1 through to understanding themes and developing vocabulary in Year 3. This collection of poetry has the perfect balance of engaging rhyme, familiar themes and amusing illustrations to promote a lifelong love of reading.
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