Spooky Poems Aloud

One grain of gritty midnight,

One iota of dust.

The figure spoke inside my head,

‘It’s time to join us.’

Just in time for the spooky season comes this suitably scary collection of poems from Joseph Coelho. ‘Spooky Poems Aloud’ is the fourth book in the ‘Poetry to Perform’ series and offers a perfectly pitched selection of poems to add some shivers to Hallowe’en!

Each of these twenty-five poems just cries out to be performed, encouraging children to explore the use of dynamics, tone and gesture to support their presentation, having great fun in the process. ‘On a Cold Whispering Night’ (which the quote above comes from) is perfect for whispering in spooky tones whilst the onomatopoeic refrain of ‘The Skeleton in the Basement’ might need a louder, sharper voice!

An introduction is added for each poem, giving suggestions not only for performance, but also tips for creating poems along the lines of those given. ‘It Woke Me From a Dream’ uses a repeating line to create a creepy atmosphere and the note suggest creating a poem in the same style. ‘The Grey Lady’ is a poem which uses the senses to describe something scary- another fun thing to try!

The book introduces children to a wonderful range of poetic styles and techniques- pantoum, villanelle, regna, tanka- enriching the reader’s experience and understanding of the wonders of poetry, making this an invaluable resource for teachers and interested adults as well as children. Full of appealing illustrations, ‘Spooky Poems Aloud’ is sure to encourage a love of poetry in everyone!

Spooky Poems Aloud

Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett

Wide Eyed ISBN: 978-0711287396

You can read my review of ‘Courage Out Loud’ 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: Yapping Away: Poems to Fill the World with Laughter

Joshua Seigal is well known for his humorous and inspiring poems and his most recent collection is every bit as wonderful as the others. Full of excellent poems, it is perfect for sharing at home, school or for curling up with on your own. With the start of the new school year rapidly approaching, it is well worth having to hand for those odd moments which need a poem or two!

The poems are playful, drawing on the everyday and inviting the reader to look at things differently. Like many, ‘Fill the World’ would be great fun to perform, adding actions – and/or creating new verses and performing these. The use of word play and pattern mean that children will pick many of the poems up without any effort, joining in with repetition- Icky Sticky Choccy Biccy, Happy or Sleepy Dust, for example, and thoroughly enjoying deciding how to present them. ‘Magic!’ is another which is calling out to be shared and which children would really enjoy using the structure to create their own versions.

These really are poems which will fill the world with laughter, but Joshua Seigal also offers places to pause and think. Drawing my Grandma is full of lovely images, but ends with a poignant thought.  Sad perfectly encapsulates that inexplicable feeling of sorrow which hit us all from time to time- great for initiating discussions and exploring feelings.

Many of the poems here would be perfect for inspiring children to create their own and Joshua Seigal has included ideas at the end of the book for the reader to try. Some of these would make great getting-to-know-you activities for the first days back to school.

Although aimed at a younger audience, these poems would work well with children of any age, helping them to explore poetic techniques and offering enjoyable examples. Even the subjunctive seems less hideous when in a poem! Other poems like ‘Lots’ are just perfect for PSHE for exploring ideas and encouraging discussion in these lessons or as the basis for an assembly.

With illustrations by Sarah Horne adding to the humour of the poems, Yapping Away’ is a wonderful collection- a must have addition to any teacher’s collection!

Yapping Away: Poems to Fill the World with Laugher

Joshua Seigal, illustrated by Sarah Horne

Bloomsbury ISBN: 978-1472972743