We Are Family

The wonderfully talented Oliver Sykes invites us on a journey into the intricacies of his family upbringing in this collection of powerful poems.

Telling the real and often hard-hitting story of his childhood, he lays his emotions bare with poems that include real emotional lows and experiences of socio-economic disadvantage as well as uplifting highs that remind us of the love and resilience of family units. The admiration the author feels for his family, especially his “Super-Dad”, is palpable throughout.  

There are a variety of poetic techniques on show in this book which will maintain readers' engagement. Sykes plays with repetition, humour, rhyme, word placement, puns, syntax and sentence length to convey a myriad of emotions. It's all complemented by Ian Morris’s cosy black and white illustrations, which are full of scruffy, expressive charm.  

As the narrative follows the story of a single father raising a large family, this book is an excellent means of celebrating fathers and male role models. Similarly, it could help to spark reflection on different family makeups and dynamics – reminding us of the perfect imperfections that make our families uniquely special.