Poetry for a Change

This is the first-ever official National Poetry Day anthology, and it's a truly brilliant book for children to get stuck into all year round.

Poetry for a Change features original poems by the likes of Brian Moses, Joseph Coelho and Liz Brownlee. Alongside their own poem, each poet chooses their favourite rhyme to share. The poet gives a bit of explanation behind the two poems, usually linked by theme, which provides a fascinating bridge between past and contemporary poetry. 

There's a real variety of poetry on offer here – from poems that delve into ethnicity and culture to those that look at the Big Questions such as time and memory, as well as, of course, advice to caterpillars and other delightfully silly things.

The older poetry ranges from Shakespeare to Lewis Carroll and, although the odd poem is probably a little challenging for children (Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold, for example), it's all presented in such a way that none of it seems too intimidating or daunting.

Full of simple but expressive pencil drawings by Chie Hosaka, plus loads of creative activity suggestions at the back, this inspirational book is perfect for classrooms but also fun for families.