Difference between revisions of "Newest Children's Rhymes and Verse Reviews"

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[[Category:Children's Rhymes and Verse|*]]
 
[[Category:Children's Rhymes and Verse|*]]
[[Category:New Reviews|Children's Rhymes and Verse]]
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[[Category:New Reviews|Children's Rhymes and Verse]] __NOTOC__ <!-- Remove -->
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0995647895
|title=Where's Tim's Ted? It's Time for Bed!
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|title=Sadie and the Sea Dogs
|author=Ian Whybrow and Russell Ayto
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|author=Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice
|rating=4.5
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|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Tim is visiting Grandad and Granny Red on the farm. It’s bed time, but Tim can’t find Ted. He makes them look for him, but they don’t really bother. Just a perfunctory peek behind the sofa and, when that doesn’t unearth the teddy, Tim is packed off to bed with the promise that they’ll look again in the morning. But it’s hard to sleep without your toy, isn’t it? So, deep in the middle of the night, Tim creeps out of bed to go searching once more. He’s not alone, though. Grandad and Granny Red might be fast asleep but others on the farm are awake, and like the Pied Piper, Tim soon finds himself with quite a following.
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|summary=Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007509561</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
  
{{newreview
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''Her class had gone one rainy afternoon''<br>
|title=The Pet Itch
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''When all the houses cowered in the gloom,''<br>
|author=Elli Woollard and Elina Ellis
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''To the Maritime Museum''.
|rating=5
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|genre=For Sharing
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Her imagination was fired. She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly.  One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shout. When she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure.
|summary=Most children want a pet at some point. Mossy Monster wants a pet itch more than anything else in the world. But his family (refreshingly consisting of a Granny, an Uncle and a sister) have all sorts of reasons why he shouldn't have one and his sister just seems to delight in tormenting him - as sisters do. But Sister comes though in the end with a crafty plan that will help Mossy get the Itch of his dreams, and make sure the grown ups do all the work as well. There is never a dull moment in this book with temper tantrums, rude rhymes and absolutely delightful illustrations. The best part of all though is the way the adults are so easily bamboozled.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848861079</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Esiri Poem
|title=Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace
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|title=A Poem for Every Day of the Year
|author=A A Milne and E H Shepard
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|author=Allie Esiri
|rating=5
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|rating=4
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
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|genre=Anthologies
|summary=Do you remember that time when they were changing guard at Buckingham Palace, and Christopher Robin went down with Alice? Or how about that Christmas when King John (not a good man) asked for lots of things but only really wanted a big, India-rubber ball? These were the poems of my childhood, so much so that when this new compilation arrived I remembered some of them by heart even though it must have been a good 20 years since I leafed through 'Now We Are Six' and 'When We Were Very Young'
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|summary=For those who do not read much poetry, for those who do not know where to start, this is a fun and easy commitment to take on. Reading a poem a day does not take long, mere minutes, and with over three-hundred poems in here there's bound to be a poem that speaks to each reader directly.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1405268638</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Stevenson_Garden
|title=Trumpety Trump
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|title=A Child's Garden of Verses
|author=Steve Smallman and Adria Meserve
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|author=Robert Louis Stevenson
|rating=5
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|rating=2
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Anthologies
|summary=Two subjects guaranteed to have any nursery age child in stitches are bums and farts. This book has plenty of both, along with some other very rude behaviour which will have children begging to hear this again and again. Although the book reads like a non stop riot of rude and raucous behaviour, it does teach children about friendship and manners as well. Adults will appreciate the moral to the story, but children will be so busy laughing, they'll hardly notice that they are learning at the same time.
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|summary=Robert Louis Stevenson was a very versatile writer; he delved deep into the human psyche when he wrote ''The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' but he did not restrict himself to representations of the gothic and the persecuted. He also wrote brilliant children's adventure stories such as ''Treasure Island'' and ''Kidnapped'', but, again, he did not restrict himself to prose writing because here he demonstrates his ability to write poetry.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1407121812</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
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{{Frontpage
|author=Sean Taylor and Ross Collins
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|isbn=Donaldson_Treasury
|title=Robot Rumpus
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|title=A Treasury of Songs
|rating=5
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|author=Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
|genre=For Sharing
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|rating=4
|summary=My sons tore open the parcel with ''Robot Rumpus'' and were already reading it themselves before I could even get the tape from the rest of the box, so they had one up on me when we settled down to read it later as a family. We began looking through the robot models on the inside of the front of cover, and as I mentioned which ones I wish we could have, the boys were already laughing with a ''just'' ''wait'' ''and'' ''see'' look on their faces.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849396280</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Tor Freeman
 
|title=The Toucan Brothers
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=I hate to mention illustrations before mentioning the story with a children's book, but the illustrations are clearly the first thing you will notice with the book. My children, drawn by the illustrations, had this pulled out of the box of books it came in and were sitting down reading it before I could even sort through the rest. As soon as I saw this, I thought of [[:Category:Richard Scarry|Richard Scarry]]. The illustrations are highly reminiscent of Scarry's work, but if anything these are bolder, brighter and busier. If you have a child who is a visual learner, or who needs plenty of visual cues when reading, this book is definitely one you want to take a closer look at. The expressions on the characters faces are perfect and each page literally seems to come to life with so many activities going on.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447218639</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton
 
|title=Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam
 
|rating=5
 
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam are two dogs with half baked idea for what thy think will be the perfect crime - despite their previous failures. The dogs prepare a wonderful feast to lure their intended victims out, making cupcakes, pies, buns and every sort of baked treat you can imagine. They have a wonderful time baking, but all the while they are planning to rob all of their guests when the party is in full swing. The feast is a huge success, but the robbery is another disaster. A small act of kindness and a heart felt apology results in forgiveness, and a wonderful idea for a new career.  
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|summary=Some people have all the skills, not only is Julia Donaldson one of the most successful children's authors, but she can also carry a tune. For the past few years, she has adapted many of her most popular stories into songs and plays them during open readings, or releases them as part of a songbook. For the first time, A Treasury of Songs brings together several of her books in one omnibus and it also has a CD too of Donaldson singing the songs.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857631462</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
 
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|isbn=Woollard_Kipling
{{newreview
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|title=Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
|author=Robert L Forbes and Ronald Searle
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|author=Elli Woollard and Marta Altes
|title=Beast Friends Forever!
+
|rating=4.5
|rating=3
 
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=We're never far away from spring, when the thoughts of the whole animal kingdom turn to love - or at least, one aspect of it we'd better not mention in a book for the very young such as this is.  Skunks need to smell nice, elephants and crickets need to make the right noises to attract a mate, while others can just celebrate their being together in different ways, whether they be real love birds or grizzly bears.  The whole wildlife love life is here, in a very chaste and harmless manner.
+
|summary=Now, whatever our age, there are probably a few books that we have all encountered at some point in our childhoods. They have stood the test of time to such an extent that they have become a piece of our culture common to so many of us, and are known throughout the world. One of them is by Rudyard Kipling, who brought a child's sense of wonder and his own Victorian absurdist set of explanations to play in a dozen examples of warm whimsy. In shrugging off evolution he got to convey how the rhino skin is so ill-fitting and rumpled, how the whale learnt he cannot eat humans, and how the elephant got such a thing as his trunk. In doing so he entertained his young daughter, not knowing she would die as a child long before he produced a book-length collection – and way before he saw something into print that has lasted ever since. Just in case these tales are not for your young audience yet (and it won't be long, trust me), you can start them in early with this lovely and bright adaptation.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1590208080</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Harris_Rhyming
|author=Roger Stevens
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|title=I'm Just No Good At Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups
|title=What Rhymes With Sneeze?
+
|author=Chris Harris and Lane Smith
|rating=4
+
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=Poems often seem to lose their appeal as we get older.  They become tricky things that must be interpreted and understood and written about in essays rather than the instantly enjoyable experiences they are when you're a child. This book contains a wide variety of poems, written by the author but also some written by other poets, and the author uses them to show children about the different sorts of poetry, various rhyme schemes and how to go about writing your own poems too.
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|summary=In the sniffy world of literary poetry, people seem to be able to knock together a dozen verses and get an audience of twenty people to buy a pamphlet, and they call themselves published authors. You get a similar thing at times with poetry for the young – most poetry books, after all, have a lot more blank space in them than routine volumes, and people compile their best arrays of very few words in between two covers and bingo, they have a book, and twenty minutes later bingo, you've read it. That's most certainly not the case here, for this is crammed with what has to be considered a major outpouring of wit and rhyme. And whatever age you are, and whatever experience with verse you may have, this will not seem to you like someone's first book of poetry.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408155761</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=Goss_600
|author=Tariq Kurd and Laura Robertson
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|title=Doctor Who: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse (Dr Who)
|title=The Quest In A Vest (Gordon the Goblin)
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|author=James Goss and Russell T Davies
|rating=4
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=Gordon the Goblin is more than a little fed up because he is so small and not big and tough like all of the other goblins. They are all fearless hunters and go off on exciting adventures whilst Gordon is left behind. He decides that there is nothing else for it but to set out on his very own quest even though he feels very nervous at the thought of it. He approaches the chief goblin who laughs at him, before deciding to send him off to capture a dragon – not for one moment thinking that Gordon will succeed. It does look like an impossible feat especially as Gordon does lack strength and muscles. Maybe though, he will be able to use his brains and charm rather than relying on brute force. Will Gordon be able to find a dragon and actually persuade him that he wants to be captured and what will happen if he does?
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1907762051</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
 
|title=Hats Off!
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
|genre=For Sharing
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|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary='Hats Off!' is a wonderfully entertaining book that is written entirely in rhyme. It starts by asking if the reader has ever thought about how many hats they might have been bought and whether a hat actually looks good on their head or not. The author, Neil Griffiths, then goes on to suggest that there are:
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|summary=Consider the Doctor. Just how many birthday and Christmas gifts must he have to hand out each year, were he to keep in touch with even half of his companions? He would certainly need a few novelty gifts for some of them, say, for example, whimsical books of verse that pithily encapsulate the life of a Time Lord and that of some of his friends and enemies. As luck would have it, he has space in his TARDIS to stock up in advance, so my advice to him – sorry, her – would be to pop along to his local Earth-based book emporium and get himself ready. And if you're working on a shorter timescale, with a shorter lifespan, and thinking perhaps just one gift season ahead, well my advice is pretty much the same.
 
 
''Hats too big, too tight''<br>
 
''and too small,''<br>
 
''Hats that just shouldn't''<br>
 
''be worn at all!''
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905434839</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0956503527
|author=Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
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|title=There's A Lion In My Bathroom
|title=Sticky Ends
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|author=Giles Paley-Phillips
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=This is a book of funny rhymes and verses in which rather disgusting and gruesome things happen to the characters involved, with each one getting their comeuppance. Tony Ross obviously had a wonderful time illustrating the book with everything from noses, dripping with blood as they're pinched off right through to Father Christmas using the toilet...
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|summary=This collection of nonsense poetry takes in all sorts of subjects, from wannabe magicians to armpits, and from failed cowboys to a girl with springs for feet. It's all very silly, all very nonsensical, and good fun. A proportion of profits are being donated to [http://www.beatbloodcancers.org/ Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research].
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392501</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0192731831
 +
|title=See You Later, Escalator
 
|author=John Foster
 
|author=John Foster
|title=See You Later, Escalator
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=Always a sucker for a good poetry anthology here at Bookbag, we've enjoyed two previous collections from John Foster. ''See You Later, Escalator'' continues in the same vein, with poems from the likes of Tony Mitton, Michael Rosen, Michelle Magorian and Brian Patten.
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|summary=Always a sucker for a good poetry anthology here at Bookbag, we've enjoyed two previous collections from John Foster. ''See You Later, Escalator'' continues in the same vein, with poems from the likes of Tony Mitton, Michael Rosen, Michelle Magorian and Brian Patten.  
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192731831</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1849392021
|author=Giles Paley-Phillips
+
|title=There's An Alien In The Classroom
|title=There's A Lion In My Bathroom
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=This collection of nonsense poetry takes in all sorts of subjects, from wannabe magicians to armpits, and from failed cowboys to a girl with springs for feet. It's all very silly, all very nonsensical, and good fun. A proportion of profits are being donated to [http://www.beatbloodcancers.org/ Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research].
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0956503527</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
 
|author=Gervase Phinn
 
|author=Gervase Phinn
|title=There's An Alien In The Classroom
 
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
|summary=''There's An Alien In The Classroom'' is a collection of school-based poems, and poems aimed at school-age children. Taking in all forms, from limericks and cautionary verse, to acrostics and haiku, it offers a broad overview of poetry. With themes including school, families, seasons, Bonfire Night, Nativity plays and going to the dentist, there's something to appeal to every child.
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|summary=''There's An Alien In The Classroom'' is a collection of school-based poems and poems aimed at school-age children. Taking in all forms, from limericks and cautionary verse to acrostics and haiku, it offers a broad overview of poetry. With themes including school, families, seasons, Bonfire Night, Nativity plays and going to the dentist, there's something to appeal to every child.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392021</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=1408304589
 +
|title=The Orchard Book Of Nursery Rhymes For Your Baby
 
|author=Penny Dann
 
|author=Penny Dann
|title=The Orchard Book Of Nursery Rhymes For Your Baby
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=All your favourite nursery rhymes are here, from Hickory Dickory Dock, through Little Bo Peep and Three Blind Mice, to Sing A Song Of Sixpence. With over sixty nursery rhymes to choose from, all the big names are presented in a beautiful compendium that you'll treasure for years.
 
|summary=All your favourite nursery rhymes are here, from Hickory Dickory Dock, through Little Bo Peep and Three Blind Mice, to Sing A Song Of Sixpence. With over sixty nursery rhymes to choose from, all the big names are presented in a beautiful compendium that you'll treasure for years.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408304589</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0141324511
 +
|title=Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things
 
|author=Michael Rosen
 
|author=Michael Rosen
|title=Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things
 
 
|rating=4.5
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=When he was little, Michael Rosen's dad remembered all the bad things he'd done and reminded him of them when appropriate, so Michael imagined he'd written them all down in a Big Book of Bad Things. Here he presents the eponymous poem, as well as many many other tales of childhood, from the horrors of being a second late to school, to making a raft, to going to a café. Some bad, some sad, some quirky, some funny, some touching, some light-hearted, all wonderful.
 
|summary=When he was little, Michael Rosen's dad remembered all the bad things he'd done and reminded him of them when appropriate, so Michael imagined he'd written them all down in a Big Book of Bad Things. Here he presents the eponymous poem, as well as many many other tales of childhood, from the horrors of being a second late to school, to making a raft, to going to a café. Some bad, some sad, some quirky, some funny, some touching, some light-hearted, all wonderful.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141324511</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=033051086X
 +
|title=The World At Our Feet
 
|author=Paul Cookson
 
|author=Paul Cookson
|title=The World At Our Feet
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=With the World Cup just around the corner, football is on everyone's lips. Paul Cookson, Poet in Residence at the [http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/ National Football Museum], has compiled the best football poems for young children.
 
|summary=With the World Cup just around the corner, football is on everyone's lips. Paul Cookson, Poet in Residence at the [http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/ National Football Museum], has compiled the best football poems for young children.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>033051086X</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0192729934
 +
|title=Whizz Bang Orang-Utan
 
|author=John Foster
 
|author=John Foster
|title=Whizz Bang Orang-Utan
 
 
|rating=3.5
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=Subtitled ''rhymes for the very young'', you know what you're getting with ''Whizz Bang Orang-Utan''. It's a poetry anthology, with sweet poems about kids, what they get up to, and of course whizzing and banging orang-utans.
 
|summary=Subtitled ''rhymes for the very young'', you know what you're getting with ''Whizz Bang Orang-Utan''. It's a poetry anthology, with sweet poems about kids, what they get up to, and of course whizzing and banging orang-utans.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192729934</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
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{{Frontpage
{{newreview
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|isbn=0230745865
 +
|title=In My Sky at Twilight
 
|author=Gaby Morgan (editor)
 
|author=Gaby Morgan (editor)
|title=In My Sky at Twilight
 
 
|rating=4
 
|rating=4
|genre=Teens
+
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=Off the back of the success of Stephenie Meyer's [[Twilight by Stephenie Meyer|Twilight]] series there has been a boom in vampire novels aimed at teenagers. In My Sky at Twilight is perhaps one of the most unusual books to come out of this craze as it is a collection of love poetry aimed at teenage fans of the series.
 
|summary=Off the back of the success of Stephenie Meyer's [[Twilight by Stephenie Meyer|Twilight]] series there has been a boom in vampire novels aimed at teenagers. In My Sky at Twilight is perhaps one of the most unusual books to come out of this craze as it is a collection of love poetry aimed at teenage fans of the series.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0230745865</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Children's Trust
 
|title=The Walrus and the Carpenter and Other Favourite Poems
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=Celebrities, including [[:Category:Richard Hammond|Richard Hammond]], Paul O'Grady, Sienna Miller, McFly and Lorraine Kelly, have chosen their favourite poems for this anthology. All proceeds from the book go to [http://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/ The Children's Trust]. It's a fantastic charity, who help disabled children, and I urge you all to buy a copy of ''The Walrus and the Carpenter'' to support them.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>140632650X</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Michael Rosen
 
|title=A To Z - The Best Children's Poetry From Agard To Zephaniah
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=Michael Rosen has picked the best modern children's poetry, from John Agard through to Benjamin Zephaniah. It stemmed from Rosen performing in schools and libraries with many of the poets, and as children's poetry anthologies go, it's amongst the very best.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141324503</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Hilaire Belloc and Mini Grey
 
|title=Jim, Who Ran Away From His Nurse and Was Eaten By A Lion
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Hilaire Belloc's ''Cautionary Tales For Children'' are rightly lauded as classics. Mini Grey (also [[Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog by Mini Grey|rightly lauded]]), has illustrated one of these fine tales, so that a new generation of children can discover just what happens when you run away from your nurse and a lion eats you. Pay attention kids.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0224083678</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Mandy Stanley
 
|title=Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Favourites
 
|rating=3.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Every small child should have book (or a few) containing traditional nursery rhymes, and every so often newly illustrated collections are published.
 
 
''Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'' is part of such a new series called ''Time for a Rhyme'', published by Harper Collins and illustrated by Mandy Stanley known for her [[The Fairy Ball (Lettice) by Mandy Stanley|Lettice]] stories and other picture books.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0007315635</amazonuk>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
{{newreview
+
Move on to [[Newest Confident Readers Reviews]]
|author=T S Eliot
 
|title=Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Children's Rhymes and Verse
 
|summary=In 1939, TS Eliot's cat poems for his godchildren were first published. Seventy years and an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical later, they're republished here, complete with illustrations by Axel Scheffler, best known for his work on [[The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson|The Gruffalo]].
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571240615</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Spike Milligan
 
|title=The Magical World of Milligan
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=Confident Readers
 
|summary=Some people you just have to love. It's the law. Spike Milligan was always fantastic, and he's much missed. He's got the perfect mix of nonsense, heart, and surreal humour. He speaks to people of all ages, and he's just plain lovely.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1905264844</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Carol Ann Duffy
 
|title=New and Collected Poems for Children
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=Anthologies
 
|summary=Sometimes the title is all the introduction you need: Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy's 'New and Collected Poems for Children'.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571219683</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Harry Horse
 
|title=Higglety Pigglety Pop! And Other First Poems
 
|rating=4
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=A poetry anthology that includes Edward Lear, Spike Milligan, AA Milne, Lewis Carroll and Michael Rosen is immediately worth a look. They're timeless classics that everyone has read and has had read to them.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406323144</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=Debi Gliori
 
|title=Noisy Poems
 
|rating=5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=Any book of poetry that starts with Spike Milligan and ends with Roger McGough will get the thumbs up from me. Noisy Poems is full of just that: poems about sounds, with trucks honking, ducks quacking, trains clickety-clacking and shoes squeaking. It's awash with alliteration and rhythm. It's crying out to be read aloud and joined in with.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1406323195</amazonuk>
 
}}
 
 
 
{{newreview
 
|author=John Foster
 
|title=Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar
 
|rating=4.5
 
|genre=For Sharing
 
|summary=I was recently subjected to a good 20 minutes of the rude version of Happy Birthday in Catalan, even though it was neither my birthday nor am I Catalan. I responded with the ol' squashed tomatoes and stew version that we all know and love, for a very restrained 15 minutes. Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar is packed full of such things. Kids love those sort of rhymes, and childish adults love 'em too. Whilst Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar isn't exactly rude, it does have a cheeky glint in its eye, a muddy splash on its new shoes, and gleeful laughter throughout.
 
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0192755811</amazonuk>
 
}}
 

Latest revision as of 09:00, 21 April 2021

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Review of

Sadie and the Sea Dogs by Maureen Duffy and Anita Joice

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Sadie's mother always said that she was a dreamer, her mind never on what she should be doing. She lives by the River Thames at Greenwich and she loves to spend hours at The Maritime Museum or gazing at Cutty Sark.

Her class had gone one rainy afternoon
When all the houses cowered in the gloom,
To the Maritime Museum.

Her imagination was fired. She'd love to sail the oceans on an ancient sailing ship and went back regularly. One day she fell asleep under a glass case (it's the one where Nelson's Trafalgar breeches are on show) and missed the closing bell and the attendant's warning shout. When she woke (hard floors don't make comfy beds) she was in the midst of an adventure that she could never have imagined in a world of dolphins, pirates, mermaids and treasure. Full Review

link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/Esiri Poem/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21

Review of

A Poem for Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri

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For those who do not read much poetry, for those who do not know where to start, this is a fun and easy commitment to take on. Reading a poem a day does not take long, mere minutes, and with over three-hundred poems in here there's bound to be a poem that speaks to each reader directly. Full Review

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Review of

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Robert Louis Stevenson was a very versatile writer; he delved deep into the human psyche when he wrote The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde but he did not restrict himself to representations of the gothic and the persecuted. He also wrote brilliant children's adventure stories such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, but, again, he did not restrict himself to prose writing because here he demonstrates his ability to write poetry. Full Review

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Review of

A Treasury of Songs by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

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Some people have all the skills, not only is Julia Donaldson one of the most successful children's authors, but she can also carry a tune. For the past few years, she has adapted many of her most popular stories into songs and plays them during open readings, or releases them as part of a songbook. For the first time, A Treasury of Songs brings together several of her books in one omnibus and it also has a CD too of Donaldson singing the songs. Full Review

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Review of

Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories by Elli Woollard and Marta Altes

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Now, whatever our age, there are probably a few books that we have all encountered at some point in our childhoods. They have stood the test of time to such an extent that they have become a piece of our culture common to so many of us, and are known throughout the world. One of them is by Rudyard Kipling, who brought a child's sense of wonder and his own Victorian absurdist set of explanations to play in a dozen examples of warm whimsy. In shrugging off evolution he got to convey how the rhino skin is so ill-fitting and rumpled, how the whale learnt he cannot eat humans, and how the elephant got such a thing as his trunk. In doing so he entertained his young daughter, not knowing she would die as a child long before he produced a book-length collection – and way before he saw something into print that has lasted ever since. Just in case these tales are not for your young audience yet (and it won't be long, trust me), you can start them in early with this lovely and bright adaptation. Full Review

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Review of

I'm Just No Good At Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups by Chris Harris and Lane Smith

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In the sniffy world of literary poetry, people seem to be able to knock together a dozen verses and get an audience of twenty people to buy a pamphlet, and they call themselves published authors. You get a similar thing at times with poetry for the young – most poetry books, after all, have a lot more blank space in them than routine volumes, and people compile their best arrays of very few words in between two covers and bingo, they have a book, and twenty minutes later bingo, you've read it. That's most certainly not the case here, for this is crammed with what has to be considered a major outpouring of wit and rhyme. And whatever age you are, and whatever experience with verse you may have, this will not seem to you like someone's first book of poetry. Full Review

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Review of

Doctor Who: Now We Are Six Hundred: A Collection of Time Lord Verse (Dr Who) by James Goss and Russell T Davies

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Consider the Doctor. Just how many birthday and Christmas gifts must he have to hand out each year, were he to keep in touch with even half of his companions? He would certainly need a few novelty gifts for some of them, say, for example, whimsical books of verse that pithily encapsulate the life of a Time Lord and that of some of his friends and enemies. As luck would have it, he has space in his TARDIS to stock up in advance, so my advice to him – sorry, her – would be to pop along to his local Earth-based book emporium and get himself ready. And if you're working on a shorter timescale, with a shorter lifespan, and thinking perhaps just one gift season ahead, well my advice is pretty much the same. Full Review

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Review of

There's A Lion In My Bathroom by Giles Paley-Phillips

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This collection of nonsense poetry takes in all sorts of subjects, from wannabe magicians to armpits, and from failed cowboys to a girl with springs for feet. It's all very silly, all very nonsensical, and good fun. A proportion of profits are being donated to Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. Full Review

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Review of

See You Later, Escalator by John Foster

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Always a sucker for a good poetry anthology here at Bookbag, we've enjoyed two previous collections from John Foster. See You Later, Escalator continues in the same vein, with poems from the likes of Tony Mitton, Michael Rosen, Michelle Magorian and Brian Patten. Full Review

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Review of

There's An Alien In The Classroom by Gervase Phinn

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There's An Alien In The Classroom is a collection of school-based poems and poems aimed at school-age children. Taking in all forms, from limericks and cautionary verse to acrostics and haiku, it offers a broad overview of poetry. With themes including school, families, seasons, Bonfire Night, Nativity plays and going to the dentist, there's something to appeal to every child. Full Review

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Review of

The Orchard Book Of Nursery Rhymes For Your Baby by Penny Dann

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All your favourite nursery rhymes are here, from Hickory Dickory Dock, through Little Bo Peep and Three Blind Mice, to Sing A Song Of Sixpence. With over sixty nursery rhymes to choose from, all the big names are presented in a beautiful compendium that you'll treasure for years. Full Review

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Review of

Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things by Michael Rosen

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When he was little, Michael Rosen's dad remembered all the bad things he'd done and reminded him of them when appropriate, so Michael imagined he'd written them all down in a Big Book of Bad Things. Here he presents the eponymous poem, as well as many many other tales of childhood, from the horrors of being a second late to school, to making a raft, to going to a café. Some bad, some sad, some quirky, some funny, some touching, some light-hearted, all wonderful. Full Review

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Review of

The World At Our Feet by Paul Cookson

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With the World Cup just around the corner, football is on everyone's lips. Paul Cookson, Poet in Residence at the National Football Museum, has compiled the best football poems for young children. Full Review

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Review of

Whizz Bang Orang-Utan by John Foster

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Subtitled rhymes for the very young, you know what you're getting with Whizz Bang Orang-Utan. It's a poetry anthology, with sweet poems about kids, what they get up to, and of course whizzing and banging orang-utans. Full Review

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Review of

In My Sky at Twilight by Gaby Morgan (editor)

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Off the back of the success of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series there has been a boom in vampire novels aimed at teenagers. In My Sky at Twilight is perhaps one of the most unusual books to come out of this craze as it is a collection of love poetry aimed at teenage fans of the series. Full Review

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