Synopsis: Beginning with ‘The Writer of this Poem’ through to ‘Lullaby’ the poems in this anthology flow effortlessly from one subject to another; funny to serious; ridiculous to thought provoking.

Review: Beginning with ‘The Writer of this Poem’ through to ‘Lullaby’ the poems in this anthology flow effortlessly from one subject to another; funny to serious; ridiculous to thought provoking. Review This collection really does bear out the promise in the title. There are poems about poetry; poems about food  -‘Sky in the Pie’ and ‘No Peas for the Wicked’; poems about school from the well known ‘Streemin’ to ‘A Cautionary Tale’ that ends with the moral: Stay on at school, get your GCSEs Let others sail the seven seas.

Roger McGough is the master of word play and here you will find gems at every turn of the page. ‘Simple Questions’ has seven pages of questions that could lead children to develop their word play techniques:

Is a bad speller one who casts a wicked spell? Is a light bulb a bulb that is a s light as a feather?

There are numerous poems to use as models for developing children’s thinking and writing skills such as the lists of rewards and punishments, in the poem of that name, If you are very good I will give you: A mirror of imagination A pocket full of yes’s

The real joy of the book is the way subjects lead into each other in a way that made me want to read from beginning to end rather than dipping in and out. This could lead to an interesting discussion on how poetry anthologies are put together. This collection has so much potential to inspire that I am sure it will become a favourite in every classroom.

2006-11-03