This Rock That Rock by Dom Conlon Reviewed by Chitra Soundar

As a child and as an adult I'm fascinated by the moon. I grew up in a culture whose traditions revolve around the moon and other planetary bodies. Stories of gods, spirits and epic battles revolve around the cosmic elements of our universe.

So for me, this book This Rock That Rock was a special one to read.

Written by Dom Conlon, Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz, Published by Troika Books

Especially after touching the moon rock at Johnson Space Centre in NASA, the word rock resonated with everything lunar. The illustrations by Viviane Schwarz bring the words to life from dark skies to bouncy kids.

In this book, Dom Conlon goes beyond the moon as a planetary body. His poems are both whimsical and emotional.  These poems stretch your imagination, your knowledge and curiosity and yet deeply personal.

Often even as an adult reader, I felt as if the poet is directly talking to me. I'm sure young readers will feel that intimacy too - of the poet's voice echoing from the pages into their minds and hearts.

There are so many poems that I enjoyed in this collection. Every time I read a poem, it made me think of someone who'd love to read this poem too. I thought about sharing these poems with my nephews or friends who are space nerds like me.

There's something for everyone too. From perfectly circular shape poems to haikus and kennings,  funny poems to heartfelt poems, this is a treat to read any time of the day or night. Even better, under the blankets, pretending that the beam of the torchlight is actually the luminous moon.

You can find the the poet Dom Conlon read from his book here on this playlist. But here is a sample.

If you and your family love the moon and love watching it, enjoy using the cosmic elements to figure out life on earth, then this book is definitely for you.

Find out more about Dom Conlon at https://domconlon.com/ and Viviane Schwarz.

---

Chitra Soundar is an internationally published, award-winning author of over 40 books for children. She is also an oral storyteller and writer of theatre and TV for children. Her stories are inspired by folktales from India, Hindu mythology and her travels around the world. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com. Follow her on Twitter @csoundar. 

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Bright Bursts of Colour - poems by Matt Goodfellow (illus Aleksei Bitskoff), reviewed by Dawn Finch

First the blurb...
What if cats had flavoured fur or if you swallowed the sun? What if you were a special kind of badger or if you found a map to the stars? And what if your home was split during the week: one half at Mum's, the other half at Dad's?

Packed with brilliant poems that explore a whole range of themes from the downright silly to the sensitive, this collection will delight, enthuse and resonate with children and adults alike!

You might not be familiar with Matt Goodfellow yet, but I'd make a very careful note of that name because I feel that he is definitely a poet to remember. Matt is a relatively new voice on the poetry scene but his work is so deliciously accomplished that it feels like he's already solidly established. This poetry collection is absolutely superb and so well observed. I feel that this must be due in no small part to his time as a primary school teacher. This is a poet who really knows and understands children.

This slim collection of poems for children feels like it also speaks to us as adults. There are poems here that made me laugh ("Dogs With Human Names" and "I Fell in Love with a Crumpet" stand out) but there is work here that is achingly beautiful, and sad. Goodfellow pulls no punches and at no time do you feel that anything here has been dashed off to fill pages. 

Aleksei Bitskoff's brilliantly jolly illustrations place this book firmly in the hands of children, and that is a very good thing as there is a lot for them to love here, but poems like "Empty" (which opens with "we took her clothes to the charity shop") just broke my heart and I think adult readers will get a great deal out of this book too.

I loved this book for children, but I must confess that I am very much looking forward to Goodfellow's poetry for adults because this is a poet with an artist's deft hand. The imagery in the poems is glittering like the sharpest blade, and many cut deep. Poems like "Mist" and "The Sometimes Song" will live with me for a very long time. The kind of poems that make you need a moment to gather yourself after reading. The kind of poems that make that melancholy ache in your heart. The kind of poems that make you say, "Oh.." out loud. Wonderful work.

Thanks, Matt, if we ever meet I can't promise not to hug you.

Bright Bursts of Colour - Poems by Matt Goodfellow (illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff) is published in the UK by Bloomsbury Education.


Dawn Finch is an author and librarian. She is the current chair of the Society of Authors' Children's Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG) and a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)

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Midnight Feasts - poems chosen by AF Harrold, Illustrated by Katy Riddell, reviewed by Dawn Finch

First the blurb...
One thing that unites us all – across time, nations and peoples – is food. From chocolate, rice pudding and sandwiches to breakfast in bed, banana phones and the fruit of a mythical jelabi tree, A.F. Harrold has brought together a wonderful and diverse collection of poems on the topic of food.

Illustrated in full colour by rising star Katy Riddell, this anthology brings together work from a broad range of poets, including William Carlos Williams, award-winning Joseph Coelho and Sabrina Mahfouz. 

I love a good poetry book, and this one is particularly delicious. A.F Harrold has expertly gathered together works by some of the finest poets for children and baked them into a collection that is deeply satisfying. The poems span continents, and cultures, and time all linked together with the one thing that binds us all - food.

There are so many feasts to be had here, and food from around the world is stuffed into the pages. I particularly enjoy the fact that this book contains so many different forms of poetry too. Here the reader can find poems from the hilariously funny (I laughed out loud at Harrold's own poem, "The Perils of Breakfast" and Cat Weatherill's "The Unknown Jelly Baby") to the deeply moving (Imtiaz Dharker's tiny gem-like poem of homesickness, "Crab Apples", is one of the most beautiful things I've read in a long time).

Katy Riddell provides the illustrations and she has a deft and charming touch that gives a sense of great familiarity to the pages. These seem to be people and places we know and recognise, and the food all looks as if we could pluck and eat from the pages. Her work makes this a very complete book, and a lavish-feeling physical object that will make a wonderful addition to any bookshelves and one that should be dipped into regularly. Snacked on, feasted on.

Stuff yourself with these poems, they're so delicious they should be fattening!

Dawn Finch is a children's author and librarian.
Chair of CWIG committee and trustee of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)

www.dawnfinch.com
@dawnafinch




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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Chris Priestley - review by Dawn Finch

First the blurb...

AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS
Everybody
ran,
ducked, 
hid, tucked
themselves tight.

Pressed our lips to the
pavement and prayed
the boom, followed by 
the buzz of a bullet,
didn't meet us.

After Will's brother is shot in a gang crime, he knows the next steps. Don't cry. Don't snitch. Get revenge. So he gets in the lift with Shawn's gun, determined to follow The Rules. Only when the lift door opens, Buck walks in, Will's friend who died years ago. And Dani, who was shot years before that. As more people from his past arrive, Will has to ask himself if he really knows what he's doing.

I read a lot of books - hundreds of them every year, but it's not often that a book leaves me speechless. I read Long Way Down shortly after it was published in January, and it has taken me this long to review it because it was hard to find the words. In that time I've been sharing it with everyone I meet and telling them that if they only buy one book this year, it should be this one.

There have been a few verse books hit the shelves over the last few years, and some of them have been excellent, some have not. It is not only a difficult format to master, but it is also incredibly difficult to sell and to get young readers to take a chance on. So many readers feel that poetry is not for them, and feel excluded by the format. Long Way Down is the book to challenge that.

Reynolds' free and fluid verse is engaging and captures the reader from the opening lines. He writes with a living ease that feels real, and honest. This is the voice of youth, and anger, and it speaks directly to the reader. This is not the sound of pretentiousness or of fusty academia, this is the voice of fear, and hate, and sadness and grief. Will is real and in this verse we know him, and we understand him, and through this we understand the plight and situation of the young people who walk in his shoes.

Detail - art by Chris Priestley

The book is a powerful package with the verse supported by Chris Priestley's characteristically superb illustrations. Darkness oozes from scratchy images of Will's life. Frozen moments of memories, wisps of the past and the horrors of the present. Inky flashes of bullets, guns, body bags and fragments of the life of a boy who has been swept away into this terrible world.

This is not only a great book and a great read, it is also one of those very rare things - it is an important book.

Long Way Down is written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Chris Priestley
Published by Faber and Faber
ISBN - 978 0571335121

Reviewed by Dawn Finch, author and librarian.
www.dawnfinch.com
@dawnafinch

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Overheard in a Tower Block by Joseph Coehlo & Kate Milner - reviewed by Emma Perry

Readers of my last post for Awfully Big Reviews, will know that I'm stepping back into poetry with both feet. (Thanks so much, by the way, for the recommendations I received on Twitter - am working my way through them at the moment!) No surprise that Overheard in a Tower Block, full of poetry from Joseph Coelho and illustrations from Kate Milner, was on the top of my birthday wish list earlier this year.

There's nothing like great poetry to highlight the power of just a few words, carefully placed in just the right order to elicit a range of emotions. Deceptively simple, and oh so intriguing for being just that.

Coelho's collection is centered around growing up in a city, family, relationships... and family, accompanied by Kate Milner's great black and white pencil work capturing the mood. The result is a cohesive selection, aimed at a slighter older age group than his previous collection, (Werewolf Club Rules!). Coelho takes us on a journey - living in a tower apartment block, mean kids at school, arguing parents which escalates until Dad leaves home... and then disappears.

A trio of consecutive poems, beginning with 'The Argument' highlight the fractious relationship between Mum and Dad culminating with 'The Duelling Duo' -

'The same thought in each head
that neither could still.
Both were right,
could not be wrong.'

Whilst 'Tables Red, Green and Blue' highlights the petty yet hurtful actions of children, the prized red trainers flash through a number of the poems and in to the comfort of Richmond Park.

Some poems are short and sharp, packing an emotional punch like the powerful 'This is Your Um...', There is a lovely splattering of poems celebrating the power of reading, and the role books have had in the life of the poet...

'When I thumb through a book
their pages whisper to me
that I'll be alright.'

As the collection reaches its conclusion the tone continues to feel more uplifting,  culminating with 'There Are Things That Lurk In Your Library' (see the video clip below to enjoy Joseph Coelho reading it).

Like any great poetry collection, Coelho's Overheard in a Tower Block takes the reader on multiple journeys through multiple emotions. Some are playful, whilst many others are thoughtful, powerful and demand that you pause. Stop. And think. I like that very much.




There are things that lurk in the library - poem by Joseph Coelho from Joseph Coelho on Vimeo.

Emma Perry is a picture book writer represented by Bell Lomax Moreton. 
She is the founder of the childrens book review site MyBookCorner and organiser of International Book Giving Day. 

Twitter: @_EmmaPerry

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Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge, reviewed by Sarah Hammond

“Picture books by Lita Judge” was the theme chosen by my friend for one of our book club meetings. This was a great idea as Judge is an accomplished picture book author and illustrator. As I perused my local library catalogue, I stumbled upon another book for older children (aged 13-17) that immediately caught my eye: Mary’s Monster, Love Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was a runaway pregnant teenager and rejected by society, the Introduction informed me. My interest was immediately piqued. And rightly so. I had only to read the initial few pages to know this was something special. 

As the first modern science fiction book, birthing the ‘mad scientist’ archetype and also the legendary Creature that still haunts us 200 years later, Frankenstein was a novel that defied convention. Judge’s book is also deliberately hard to categorise. It is part biography, written in first person free verse, and also veers into fantasy as the narrative delves into Mary Shelley’s inner world. Judge has made over three hundred full-bleed black-and-white watercolour illustrations which create, in her words, ‘a dance between words and art’. The overall effect is an all-consuming immersion into the life of Mary Shelley, her work, her imaginings. 

The beginnings of Frankenstein are often ascribed to a famous ghost-story challenge set by Lord Byron, the Romantic poet, to Shelley and her circle one rainy evening. However the seeds of this story lie much deeper. Judge uses concise, evocative poems to communicate the threads leading to the creation of Mary's story, embedded in well-researched historical and societal context.  

Mary was born into a world of extremes on the night Herschel’s Comet lit up the London sky. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was an advocate of women's rights, later considered the founder of the feminist movement. She died ten days after giving birth. Her father, an anarchist who fought for the poor and the oppressed, encouraged Mary to be independent and imaginative. Yet her practical application of these teachings was too much for both her father and society.  Mary fell in love with a married man, Percy Byshhe Shelley, and ran away with him together with her sister. Soon she fell pregnant and was publicly shunned. Modern readers might be interested in considering some of these themes in light of the recent #MeToo campaign.

Judge does not shy away from the harsh life Mary faced, including the loss of her baby and her lover sharing her sister, Claire. 

Although scandalous, Mary’s social circle gave her access to cutting edge scientific thinking of the time. For instance galvanism, a process by which a corpse could be ‘animated’ using electric shocks, was a popular topic of conversation. How far could these scientists go? How far should they go? 

As dark events circle ever closer around Mary, she takes refuge in the story that is growing within her. The illustrations show that the Creature is often near her now. Significantly, Mary’s Monster is divided into nine parts, and Mary took nine months to write and give birth to the first full draft of her own creation: Frankenstein. 

Tellingly, it is her Creature — Frankenstein’s monster — who opens and closes her story in the Prologue and Epilogue.  

“Most people didn't believe Mary Shelley,
a teenage girl, unleashed me,
a creature powerful and murdrous
enough to haunt their dreams.”

For those interested in delving deeper, there is a useful Teacher's Guide and also a short video about The Making of Mary's Monster. The back matter is also rich with detail, including thumbnail explanations about what happened to the rest of the characters. 

www.sarahhammond.org 

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Poetry or prose? reviewed by Emma Perry

The beauty of novels written in verse first fell in front of my eyes not long after I had set up My Book Corner, and was still enjoying the beautiful sunshine in Melbourne, Australia.

I distinctly remember trying to cook the kids' tea, and read the book at the same time because, whilst I hate to use a cliche, I really - really - didn't want to put it down. Plus. Cooking has never been my strong point anyway!

I was struck by the beautiful illustrated chapter book from Sally Murphy and Heather Potter - Pearl Versus The World, and it was the first time I could remember reading a children's novel written in verse. Sally Murphy is a talented writer, and her ability to convey the emotions of the character in so few words, and pull me into the story of Pearl as she copes with the passing of her Grandmother blew me away. Cleverly, Murphy also had her character battling her teacher at school regarding their stoic definition of poetry. It doesn't have to rhyme. 

The next verse novel to pull me up to attention was The Weight of Water from Sarah Crossan back in 2012. A neat, small book with blue ink and a wonderful cover from Oliver Jeffers. Kasienka and her mother head arrive in England with just one suitcase and a bag, Crossan uses the verse medium brilliantly to convey Kasienka and her mother's emotions as they negotiate their new life, as Kasienka navigates a new school and friendships.

Cover Illustration: Oliver Jeffers

After that I was hooked.

I've managed to devour many (but not all... yet) of Sarah Crossan's novel ever since. The heartbreaking One, Apple and Rain and most recently Moonrise - which sees Joe trying to re-establish a relationship with his brother Ed, after being apart for ten years. Because Ed is on Death Row, and his execution date has been set. It's gripping, intelligent and the power of verse to pull you into a wonderfully flowing narrative is more than evident.

Cover Illustration: Peter Strain

My recent love... the verse writing of Kwame Alexander. I think I might be late to the party here in this discovery. Booked had this (me!) very un-sporty reader, hooked on a story featuring football. It has energy and pace - the verse flowed effortlessly from page to page. It's the follow-up to The Crossover, so I may or may not have read them out of sync (oops!), but it didn't impact on the journey it took me on.

Cover Design: Lisa Vega
Cover Photo: Steve Gardner

So have I convinced you? At the hands of these skilled writers poetry has such immense power to hook and absorb the reader, and pull them in to the narrative. The medium of verse seems to help the narrative really flow, seemingly effortlessly (I know!) pulling us into the hearts, minds and dramas surround the protagonist.

So, I now leave this in the words of Kwame Alexander's character, Nick Hall, from Booked...

"The best ones were
like bombs,
and when all the right words
came together
it was like an explosion.
So good, I
didn't want it to end."

I need more - where do I go next? Would love to hear your recommendations of novels written in verse.

Emma Perry is a picture book writer represented by Bell Lomax Moreton. 
She is the founder of the childrens book review site MyBookCorner and organiser of International Book Giving Day. 

Twitter: @_EmmaPerry @MyBookCorner

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RISING STARS - NEW YOUNG VOICES IN POETRY - reviewed by Chitra Soundar

Rising StarsNew Young Voices in PoetryVictoria Adukwei Bulley : Ruth Awolola : Abigail Cook : Jay Hulme : Amina JamaIllustrated by final-year students on the Illustration course at Birmingham City University

Published by Otter-Barry Books (2017)

I attended a book launch recently – a book of poetry by young poets from varied backgrounds – the anthology Rising Stars – New Young Voices in Poetry is an amazing collection of wonderful poems from young and upcoming performance poets.

I heard these words spoken on stage by their creators, with passion and full of emotion. The words came from unique experiences yet it brought tears to the eyes of many present including me.

The B&W illustrations were created by alumni of Birmingham City University and complement the verse beautifully.

Here is a little sample:

We weaved stories into the silences.

He made me brave.

From Brother by Abigail Cook

***

And bread rising?

the sun on hills

the smell as it rises?

            the last dream before dawn

From How to Build a Kitchen by Victoria Adukwei Bulley

***

May your words stop

Letting you down.

May you laugh without thinking.

May you eat spaghetti with sugar

And fly to the moon.

May you let me in.

From Pray by Amina Jama

The Rising Stars – New Young Voices in Poetry is published by Otter-Barry Books in collaboration with Pop-up Projects. Read and find out how wonderful these young poets are.

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PUSS JEKYLL, CAT HYDE by Joyce Dunbar and Jill Barton. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

Title:  Puss Jekyll, Cat Hyde
Written by Joyce Dunbar
Illustrated by Jill Barton
Published by Frances Lincoln
Publication date: 3rd October 2013
ISBN-10: 1847804926
ISBN-13: 978-1847804921

When asked why he'd settled on T.S. Elliot's 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' as the source material for his new musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber famously answered something akin to, 'I read somewhere that 90% of people love cats, which gives the musical a big chance of becoming a hit.'

He was right, of course.  Cats have always figured prominently in art, from the funerary moggies carved by the Ancient Egyptians to the arrogant, wise-cracking Siamese twins in Disney's The Lady and the Tramp, Dr Seuss's Cat in the Hat and Lewis Carroll's grinning Cheshire feline.

No wonder, then, that cats feature largely in picture books too.   They are instantly recognisable, even to very young children.  We are all familiar with the cat's character, mores and foibles, which makes it the perfect protagonist for stories that can be understood and appreciated by readers all over the world.

Joyce Dunbar's Puss Jeykll and Cat Hyde is an exciting addition to the feline canon. Here is a book that explores the dual nature of the cat - the playful ball of fur we love to cuddle up to on the sofa and the amoral hunter that stalks vulnerable creatures by the light of the moon.

The rhythmic text, a beautifully written free-flow poem, takes us through a day and night in a cat's life.  We see the cat enjoying the housebound pursuits of a loving pet, interspersed with the exploits of a jungle wild-beast.   Dunbar uses quite challenging language, always a plus-point in my opinion.

Jill Barton's luminous coloured pencil and water colour drawings stick to a restricted palette, of mostly blues, beiges and blacks.  They compliment the text perfectly, making this a must-have book that will be enjoyed time and time again.

Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

http://www.spirotta.com

https://www.facebook.com/spirotta

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I've Got A Poem For You: Poems To Perform, collected by John Foster. Reviewed by Penny Dolan

 

As I've been head down in research reading or travelling for school visits, I haven’t any children’s fiction or picture books to share.

So, happily, I can mention one of my favourite poetry collections for schools: “I’ve Got A Poem For You”. 

John Foster, who chose these poems, has been writing and performing poetry for both children and adults for ages. As the blurb says, he is “the master of performance.”

I’d like every child to hear and feel the power of words in real life, not the invisible words from the screen.  Hearing stories and poems read aloud at school certainly influenced my love of reading and fascination with writing, so I am always thinking How does this word, line, paragraph or voice sound? Do the words do what I wanted them to do? John Foster’s book, used and shared, offers children that love of,  and care about, words.

 

The anthology has energy. The poems have life in them. Looking through the pages, I’m sure that John loves, knows and shares the words of every poem selected. 

Just as satisfyingly, the poems vary in style, subject and mood.  They range from Zephaniah’s “Talking Turkeys” to Auden’s “Oh What is that Sound” and even Shelley’s “The Cloud”, as well as one of my favourite poems by Michael Rosen: a poignant retelling of “Icarus”. 

There are quiet poems such as “I, said the Donkey” (Anon) as well as Ousbey’s glorious “Gran, Can you Rap?”, one of John’s own much requested performances.

The list of names suggests the range and quality of the poems too. Foster includes Tony Mitton, John Agard, Allan Ahlberg and Russell Hoban, as well as Kipling, Tennyson and Farjeon and many more. Not many women, but then that’s not so unusual in an anthology. The anthology uses poems over a time scale that might even please a certain Mr Gove - and indeed was published long before he arose to fame - but the poems still manage to shout enjoyment and “Speak me!”

The charm of this collection is that I can imagine these being performed. I can imagine teachers reading these poems aloud, children speaking these poems –  with single or several voices - and sharing the poem with others. These poems are enjoyable to recite, encouraging gesture. Good poems to have in the mouth.

 

Mine is the original edition, shown above, with Belle Mellor’s cover and wonderfully haunting illustrations inside.

 I’m very pleased that the collection has now been re-published, though I deplore the new and, to my mind, quite ugly cover. I so hope that Mellors illustrations are still there on the pages.

Please try to ignore that new cover and think of the words within.

 

For once I'm glad of the advice on the amazon image. Do look inside. 

Ready? Altogether now, along with Gareth Owen and John Foster:

Late Again, Blenkinsop?

What’s the excuse this time?

Not my fault, sir.

Whose fault is it then?

Grandma’s. . . . .

Penny Dolan

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R is for Reading & Rosen. Penny Dolan introduces an inspiring Poetry Resource.

It's the first of February and although cuts are biting, a few World Book Day Week bookings have appeared in the diary.

Unfortunately, months crouched over a desk creates a certain trepidation. Can I re-capture my "Visiting Author" voice and friendly manner? Will I remember the way to talk to children so that they listen and so that they enjoy meeting me? If only I could see another writer working, but there's no time . . Or is there?

Visiting writers may need time to recall how to do what they "do"  and how to talk the talk - and to make sure their sessions still reflect both their personality and their writing.

So today there's not the usual Awfully Big Review of a book. Instead here's a link to the work of a master Performer.  Cleverly and sensibly, he's used Youtube to record the poems from one of his best loved collections.

So I've chosen his blog as an excellent reminder of the pleasure that comes from sharing your work with children, whoever you are.

Who can it be? Michael Rosen, of course, and the book? The Hypnotiser.

Penny Dolan

Here's Michael Rosen's website link.

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'Animal Magic' by Liz Brownlee reviewed by Elen Caldecott

I am not a regular contributor to the reviews section, but when I read this book I wanted to shove it in the hands of complete strangers; so I could hardly let the chance to shove it in front of ABBA readers slip by!
I have known about Liz's work for a while as she studied alongside me on our MA, and her work has appeared in many anthologies and magazines (and on the walls of Bristol Zoo!). This is her first book of collected poems.

And what a thing of beauty it is.

The cover illustration by Rose Sanderson is of two red-crowned cranes dancing. It is elegant and graceful, as this collection is. To give it its full title Animal Magic: Poems on a disappearing world, it is both a collection of poetry and a work of non-fiction.

The structure of the collection is brilliant: each animal is given a double spread; on the left spread there is the animal's scientific name and an illuminating non-fiction entry which includes lifestyle facts, range and threats to its survival; on the right hand side are Liz's precise, delightful poems. Many animals are also illustrated (again by Rose Sanderson). Incidentally, Liz acknowledges the help of a huge array of species experts in her references - no wikipedia research here!

The best way for me to convey how wonderfully this structure works, is to show you.

The first spread (above) introduces Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii, Bornean and Sumatran orangutans. We're told that many young orangutans suffer bone fractures as they learn to climb. They can grow to between 50-90kg and spend most of their life up in trees. They are critically endangered as 80% of their habitat has been destroyed in the last 20 years. Then, we have an illustration and a poem:

'A heavy bulk and tum like mine,

in shades of hairy clementine,

means when I'm up my forest tree,

I live my whole life - gingerly!'

The facts and poem dovetail pleasingly; but more than this there is the painful, factual set-up and then the glorious celebration. Throughout this collection, it is the celebration that matters: these animals are endangered, but they are still here, they still exist and they should be marvelled over. And protected.
Rose Sanderson's accompanying illustrations are charming, without being sickly sweet.

The poems themselves have a clean simplicity and conversational tone, while still being able to surprise. Many of them are funny, but others are very moving. Snow leopard, for example, catches a frozen moment in time that may not be with us much longer.

The design of this book may put off younger readers. As noted, it is very elegant and not the usual bold primary colours used for children's poetry. This design makes it more likely that the collection will find crossover appeal (which it deserves), but you might have to start a younger reader off by reading some of it aloud with them.

Have I shoved it into your hand enough? I do hope so. It's a wonderful collection and it deserves to find a keen audience.

Animal Magic by Liz Brownlee is published by Iron Press. ISBN: 9780956572530, RRP £10

Elen Caldecott's latest book isThe Mystery of Wickworth Manor published by Bloomsbury 5th July 2012

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Label Set

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