Newest Children's Rhymes and Verse Reviews
What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis and Svein Nyhus
I know an 18 month old who is ace at animal noises. He knows what the cat who lives with him says, but also knows what dogs say and monkeys say and owls say and cows say. I’ve not asked him if he knows was foxes say, but I imagine he doesn’t. I mean, do you? Full review...
I am a Poetato by John Hegley
In this collection John Hegley says that poetry is like music in that to understand it 'sometimes…you need more than one go at it'. There is certainly more going on with John Hegley’s poems than a first read through reveals. So though 'I am a Poetato' has been published as a book for children, these are poems for everyone and contain a lot for readers of any age to enjoy. Full review...
Miss Dorothy-Jane Was Ever So Vain by Julie Fulton and Jona Jung
Miss Dorothy-Jane is very much obsessed with her appearance, so when she sees there’s a competition to find Hamilton Shady’s best lady she just has to enter! She spends ever such a long time perfecting her look but on the way to the contest, disaster strikes. Will she realise that there’s more to life than looks, and sacrifice her chance to win a meet and greet with the Queen (yes, her Majesty!)? Can she do the right thing, even if she gets all dirty and dishevelled in the process? I’m sure you can guess the outcome, but the final ending was a surprise, even for me. A nice surprise, I should add. Full review...
What can you Stack on the Back of a Yak? by Alison Green and Adam Stower
You might be wondering why anyone would want to stack anything on the back of a yak, but the answer is simple. In this adorable tale, Captain Quack and the Yak (you’ve guessed it, this is a rhyming one) deliver post to the top of a mountain. Along the way the Yak likes to play, and, well, deviate from the track, and no matter how hard he tries, Captain Quack cannot control him. Uh oh. One day, the Yak ends up with a rather more interesting load than his usual parcels and boxes and sacks. Full review...
Counting Sheep: A Bedtime Adventure! by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell
Tom is supposed to be asleep. He’s been tucked up in bed for ages, so long in fact that it’s now mum and dad’s time to go to sleep, but he’s still wide awake. Just count some sheep, his mum says finally. But what should be a calming, boring, wind down activity that would put any sane person to sleep does not work for Tom. Because when the sheep come, they steal him off for a bedtime adventure. Full review...
Where's Tim's Ted? It's Time for Bed! by Ian Whybrow and Russell Ayto
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. Full review...
The Pet Itch by Elli Woollard and Elina Ellis
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. Full review...
Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace by A A Milne and E H Shepard
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' Full review...
Trumpety Trump by Steve Smallman and Adria Meserve
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. Full review...
Robot Rumpus by Sean Taylor and Ross Collins
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. Full review...
The Toucan Brothers by Tor Freeman
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 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. Full review...
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton
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. Full review...
Beast Friends Forever! by Robert L Forbes and Ronald Searle
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. Full review...
What Rhymes With Sneeze? by Roger Stevens
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. Full review...
The Quest In A Vest (Gordon the Goblin) by Tariq Kurd and Laura Robertson
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? Full review...
Hats Off! by Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
'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:
Hats too big, too tight
and too small,
Hats that just shouldn't
be worn at all!
Full review...
Sticky Ends by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
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... Full review...
See You Later, Escalator by John Foster
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...
There's A Lion In My Bathroom by Giles Paley-Phillips
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...
There's An Alien In The Classroom by Gervase Phinn
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...
The Orchard Book Of Nursery Rhymes For Your Baby by Penny Dann
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...
Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things by Michael Rosen
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...
The World At Our Feet by Paul Cookson
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...
Whizz Bang Orang-Utan by John Foster
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...
In My Sky at Twilight by Gaby Morgan (editor)
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...
The Walrus and the Carpenter and Other Favourite Poems by Children's Trust
Celebrities, including 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 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. Full review...
A To Z - The Best Children's Poetry From Agard To Zephaniah by Michael Rosen
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. Full review...
Jim, Who Ran Away From His Nurse and Was Eaten By A Lion by Hilaire Belloc and Mini Grey
Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales For Children are rightly lauded as classics. Mini Grey (also 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. Full review...
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Nursery Favourites by Mandy Stanley
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 Lettice stories and other picture books. Full review...
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T S Eliot
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. Full review...
The Magical World of Milligan by Spike Milligan
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. Full review...
New and Collected Poems for Children by Carol Ann Duffy
Sometimes the title is all the introduction you need: Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy's 'New and Collected Poems for Children'. Full review...
Higglety Pigglety Pop! And Other First Poems by Harry Horse
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. Full review...
Noisy Poems by Debi Gliori
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. Full review...
Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar by John Foster
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. Full review...
