POETRY - do your children read it/like it ?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

This is triggered by UnquietDad's thread about writers in school ... I always wanted to try to get a poet into school to do a performance/workshop - children's poetry is fantastic,yet when I trawl bookshops I'm disappointed in the range of poetry books stocked. I speak from slightly biased perspective as a lot of my work as an illustrator has been poetry anthologies or collections and I have to say that it's by far the nicest thing to work on. Poetry can be funny,sad and thought provoking and I'm curious as to whether children get to read much of it in school.

oh thanks kinder - hope you like it - did you get the one with the cd ? - I haven't heard it. (I don't get royalties btw !)

ds quite likes reciting aloud - he loved Benjamin Zephaniah's Talking Turkey when he was younger and is very fond of Yeats's Lake Isle of Innisfree (in the Because a Fire book).
As a girl I loved Under Milk Wood..still do,in fact

Yes, I did order the one with the CD. DD likes to listen to Cds and it sounds like it will be better than Barbie Island Princess

oh, let me know what it's like - I suppose it'd be Gervase Phinn reading them ?

My girl loves a collection called spill the beanz. She has started to recite it in the car. It's performance poetry and we went to see the poets at the local library. DD loves it...though it's a bit cheeky in parts.

my two like AA Milne - wonderfully lyrical and rhythmical and some of it very thoughtful too. (I love it too - and end up acting some of it out. I grew up on it) - although is aimed at quite young kids.

also Carol Ann Duffy is lovely

yes, love AA Milne - the poem about King John used to make me terribly sad (King John was not a good man...)
Squilly - I like Paul Cookson - have illustrated several of his collections and met him once at a party - was really hoping to get him to come to ds's old school.

I was doing some research - I'm a children's poet and am being considered for some work with Cbeebies - when I came across the poetry thread. Both my children's poetry collections were shortlisted for the CLPE Poetry Award, and the second was a Poetry Book Society Choice for the Children's Poetry Bookshelf. Check out my website if you're interested - there are sample poems, illustrations and reviews www.chrissiegittins.co.uk

Best wishes.

yes, I will ! thanks... btw,I'm a children's book illustrator and have illustrated much poetry,if you're interested !

have looked - do you know,I might have even illustrated your work already - I did Red Lorry,Yellow Lorry for Gaby Morgan and I've done some Paul Cookson anthologies...haven't got them to hand to check !