Doughnuts, Thieves and Chimpanzees

This second poetry collection from Alex Wharton, Children’s Laureate Wales 2023-2025, is full of humour and playful poems.

There are poems about feelings, poems about mice and school and monsters, and even a poem about a horse sitting on the loo! Many rhyme, lots have a strong rhythm, and there are also some raps and songs included. All of these poems are perfect for reading aloud and enjoying the sounds of the words.  

Alex Wharton has been a spoken word children’s poet for many years, and the aim of this collection is to encourage a new generation of poets. He includes explanations of some poetic forms, like haiku and limericks, and then gives many examples.

In the case of Ekphrastic poetry – poems inspired by visual art – there are even two drawings to inspire the reader to write their own poem. At the back there are tips on performing poetry, too.  

This slim volume is full of gems that would work well in a classroom, both to inspire poem writing and to simply enjoy reading the poems aloud.