The Shape of Rainbows

‘The Shape of Rainbows’ is packed with wealth of poems which are prefect for sharing and performing, savouring and contemplating. There really is something for everyone to be found in these pages, all accompanied by Will Hughes’ witty illustrations.

Classes would have great fun performing poems like ‘Brother versus Sister’ and could easily be inspired to create addition ‘verses’, exploring comical opposites as the siblings bicker or creating their own versions using other opposing voices- perhaps cat and dog! ‘Fright’ is another poem which would work really well as a performance piece, encouraging children to consider the pitch, volume and pace of their performance as well as possible actions and effects they might choose to use! ‘Echo’ is another which would work well like this!

There are so many poems here which would make excellent models to inspire children to create their own poems and plenty which offer food for thought. There are those which help them to explore poetic techniques like ‘Metaphor Man’ and ‘Adam’s Apples’ which uses a mixture of alliteration and tongue twister, but above all the collection shares a love of language and word play which excites the imagination and engages the reader/ listener with the musical possibilities of poetry and the joy of expression through this medium. A must-have for every class and home bookcase!

The Shape of Rainbows

Neal Zetter, illustrated by Will HUghes

Otter-Barry Books ISBN: 978-1915659163

You can read my review of ‘When the Bell Goes’ here and ‘Scared?’ here.

Pause for Poetry: Scared?

Neal Zetter and Joshua Seigal combine forces in this collaboration of poems which explores the ‘darker side’ of life. Not afraid of tackling uncomfortable subjects, each of these poets offers words which could lead to important discussions, will challenge and perhaps, comfort those who read them.

‘Max is Not in School’ explores the relief felt by a child as they realise that this will be a day when they do not have to endure Max’s constant attacks whilst ‘Bully!’ exposes the lurking insecurity of the bully, offering reasons- not justifications- for their actions. There are poems about family relationships-’Circle Time’, ‘the d I vorce’, ‘When Dad Turns into an Incredible Hulk’ whilst ‘Gifted’ and ‘The Orange Table’ offer insights into life at school. There are so many poems here which open doors to potentially difficult discussions, developing empathy and building understanding as they encourage children to consider things from the point of view of others whilst giving a voice to those who might need it.

Although this sounds deep and dark, there are lighter moments to be found here too. Despite its name, ‘The Seriously Scary Poem’ really isn’t and ‘Skeleton in the Cupboard’ plays with words, not fears. ‘Tyrannosaurus Came to Tea’ is inspired by Judith Kerr’s classic and anyone who has had a cat is sure to recognise their feline friend in ‘Catastrophic’ whilst ‘Exclamation Mark!’ is a light-hearted look at punctuation.

With poems which can be used across the curriculum, this is a great collection for teachers of UKS2 upwards, but is also perfect for exploring at home. Are you brave enough?

Scared Neal Zetter and Joshua Seigal,

illustrated by Zoe Williams

Troika ISBN: 978-1912745142

You can read my review of ‘Yapping Away’ here and ‘When the Bell Goes’ here.

Pause for Poetry: When the Bell Goes

In this ‘rapping, rhyming trip through childhood’, Neal Zetter turns the clock back to his school days…which seem to have a lot in common with those of today! From mornings to teachers to lessons to home time, Neal brings his performance poetry skills to exploring school life in all its glory (or perhaps gory detail!)

Each poem is accompanied by a joke (What time is it when somebody eats your watch?) or fun fact which may or may not be true (Fire brigades and hospitals across the UK deal with an average of 19 people a week who, during a yoga session, tie themselves in knots from which they cannot escape) which relates to the poem.

The contents page is set out like a school time table with sections on subjects like clothes, playtime and afternoons as well as the less pleasant ‘sick’! Here, there is a poem about that well known ‘tummy ache’ which any teacher (or parent!) will tell you is still a major feature of the school day, one about the class nosepicker and that constant ssssssniffing!

There’s a playtime poem which acknowledges those of us who don’t love football (yay!). ‘Lists’ is a poem about creating- well, lists- and would make an excellent model to inspire children to create their own. A class could have great fun rewriting ‘Good Morning’ to suit its own members whereas ‘Fake News’ offers the opportunity to rewrite history!

The collection is illustrated throughout by Emily Ford whose black and white drawings add to the fun of the poems. A great addition to class shelves!

When the Bell Goes: A Rapping, Rhyming Trip Through Childhood

Neal Zetter, illustrated by Emily Ford

Troika ISBN: 978-19099991576