Reviews

There are so many incredible books available at the moment that it is impossible to read them all, no matter how hard I try! Here are my thoughts about some of the books I have read and how I think they could be used in school as well as Q and A sessions with authors and illustrators.

FCBG Conference, Woldingham School Sue Wilsher FCBG Conference, Woldingham School Sue Wilsher

FCBG24

Another year, another conference! Henceforth known as ‘The Fun One’… the Eurovision/ SuperBowl of the KidLit calendar’ thanks to the very lovely October Jones, the FCBG Conference is always a fabulous occasion and this year’s was no exception! If anyone was wondering whether it’s worth ‘sacrificing’ one of their precious weekends for, the answer is absolutely and unequivocally YES!

This year, Woldingham School in Surrey was where it all happened. The school is set in 700 acres of lovely countryside, making it a very peaceful spot to stay and as the weather was mostly kind to us, a pleasant place to wander round.

Although the Conference Committee and their helpers has been busy for hours, delegates started to arrive at 3pm. It is always lovely to catch up with familiar faces, but a fantastic opportunity to connect with new people as well- discovering the face behind the social media name or simply meeting like minded book-lovers whilst having a cuppa and a cake.

The weekend began in earnest with afternoon tea celebrating the 10th anniversary of Supertato! Not only were there delicious cupcakes, but the tater himself made an appearance, delighting everyone with his willingness to pose for pictures! Following this were the Publishers’ Presentations, a fantastic opportunity to hear about some of the wonderful books which are currently available and coming soon. With such a wealth of books available, it is a great way of spotting books of interest to have a look at and discuss with the publishers at the exhibition!

The Publishers’ Exhibition which followed their presentations is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Conference for many delegates. The opportunity to have a closer look at some of the books mentioned in the presentations is a real joy, but actually being able to meet lovely publishing people is really special, offering an opportunity to chat about different titles, enter competitions and perhaps be offered a proof copy of something up-coming! And they really are lovely people..!

After dinner, everyone headed to the Mansion House for drinks. Sam Sedgman gave a brilliant talk about his work, including his latest book, ‘The Clockwork Conspiracy’ (review here). His knowledge, sense of humour and enthusiasm for discovering things and being interested in the world made him an absolute joy to listen to!

A hard act to follow you might think, but what came next was a fabulous session of music and poetry from three of the best! Treating us to a medley of well-known songs with altered lyrics such as ‘Feeding my Mind’ (Staying Alive) and ‘FCBG’ (Tragedy), the combined talents of Laura Mucha (review of ‘Celebrate!’ here and ‘Dear Ugly Sisters’ here), John Dougherty (The Hare-Shaped Hole here) and Roger Stevens (review of Razzmatazz here) were just what was needed to round off what had been an excellent start to the weekend!

Saturday was off to a bang with Cressida Cowell (The Wizards of Once) and David Almond (Bone Music), two real treasures of children’s books who I could have listened to all day! They were followed by a session called ‘Disadvantaged Boys Have Feelings Too’ with Brian Conaghan and Nathanael Lessore which I wasn’t able to enjoy as I was on the reception desk at this time, but which everyone was full of praise for!

After another round of cupcakes, Jenny Pearson took the stage for a fabulously funny and entertaining session. This was followed by the choice of four seminars: NSSM with Margaret Bateson-Hill, NNFN, graphic novels with Steve Webb and how to become an author with Julia Green (The Boy who Sailed the World). A tough decision to make!

After lunch, there was a session with Jennifer Killick (Dread Wood) and Peter Bentley (Octopus Shocktopus), past winners of the CBA which some children had been invited to attend. Next came the ‘Empathy in Picture Books’ panel with Mariajo Ilustrajo, Farrah Riaz and Kim Hillyard (Mabel and the Mountain), a wonderful session! More tea and cake followed to celebrate 30 years of ‘Dinosaur Roar!’ before the Group meetings.

And there was still more to come! We celebrated Michael Morpurgo’s 80th birthday with him before the Gala Dinner and then the incomparable David Fickling gave the after dinner speech! His enthusiasm and energy are completely infectious, making the perfect end to another perfect day!

Although some were a little bleary eyed from staying on at the bar the night before, everyone was up bright and early on Sunday to enjoy yet more book-ish joy! The first session was Lisa Williamson, an excellent YA author (First Day of My Life) , talking about her new MG series ‘Best Friends Forever’. This was followed by ‘Inclusion in Fiction’, a panel event with Sarah Hagger-Holt, Lisette Auton and Karen Owen. Lisette Auton wasn’t able to join us in person, but appeared on screen! Both of these session were thought-provoking as well as enjoyable.

Our final tea break -more cake!- was followed by ‘Fantasy with an Environmental Twist’, a fascinating session with Pari Thomson, Jess French and Rachel Delahaye (Day of the Whale). And last, but very much not least, Christopher Edge (Escape Room) closed conference in style with another excellent, fun session which no one will forget in a hurry!

Time for lunch and then we were all saying our goodbyes- and promising to meet again in Monmouth next year so we can do it all again! Many thanks to the Conference Committee for organising such a fabulous event and many apologies if I’ve left anyone out of the pictures! Can’t wait for FCBG25!

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Pause for Poetry, Poetry, Emotions Sue Wilsher Pause for Poetry, Poetry, Emotions Sue Wilsher

Pause for Poetry: Monday

This week, I will be pausing for poetry every day in celebration of National Poetry Day on Thursday 6th October. The theme this year is the Environment, offering plenty of poems to choose from and plenty of inspiration for writing.

However, because poetry is not just for National Poetry Day, I will be sharing a couple of favourite poetry books each day this week. It has been very hard to choose…

Poetry can be an incredibly powerful, personal form of expression which allows the exploration of thoughts and feelings or simply their release. Sometimes, we lack the words to encapsulate our emotions or the courage to commit them to paper. Finding that others have also experienced similar feelings can offer great comfort which is why poems like those in ‘Being Me’ are invaluable. Sharing and discussing emotions through the words of others helps us to make sense of our feelings, feel supported and encourage empathy for others.

This is a truly stunning collection of poignant, powerful poems by three outstanding poets, illustrated by Victoria Jane Wheeler. The anthology contains 45 poems exploring a wide range of emotions, worries and ideas. Invaluable for both home and school, this is a collection which should be on every shelf.

Each poem deserves to be savoured and could be discussed in detail, easily being used as the core of a session, for a discussion or read for pleasure, but I have selected just a few to look at here. There are notes at the end of the book written by Dr Karen Goodall, a developmental psychologist, which offer advice for discussions and links for support organisations.

Reading ‘My Head is Full of Hurry’ by Laura eases all the tension in your body as your mind slows with the calming images she creates. The use of alliteration and onomatopoeia help echo the sounds of nature and its healing beauty. Children could easily create their own poems using this as a model, drawing on images, sounds and experiences which help them to regain some peace and feel calm. My head is mostly ‘full of hurry’ - a wonderful description- and this poem is one which I will now mutter to myself at moments of need.

‘A Thought’ by Matt explores a mother’s depression from a child’s point of view. The imagery used is so poignant, yet easy to relate to and perfect for discussing the feelings of both adult and child.

Liz’s poem, ‘What to do with worries’ suggests many ways of sharing the things that are bothering you instead of bottling them up. This is another poem which children could use as a model for their own ideas as well as a starting point for discussing ways to tackle worries.

Other favourites include ‘The Land of Blue’, ‘Being Heard’, ‘In the Heart of a Book’ and ‘First Day’, but each and every poem is a real gem. Highly recommended.

Being Me: Poems about Thoughts, Worries and Feelings

Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Laura Mucha

illustrated by Victoria Jane Wheeler

Otter Barry ISBN: 978-1913074654

Whatever your feelings, there is a poem which can help! There are poems which can lighten your mood, poems to calm you down, those which entertain and those which inspire. ‘Everyone Sang’ is a fabulous collection which really has something for everyone and every emotion.

Gathered into four sections, the poems have been selected to help support different moods and capture how the reader is feeling. In his introduction, William Sieghart says, ‘There is a special magic in the perfect poem…’ and there is plenty of magic in these pages. There are plenty of classics- Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodils’, John Masefield’s ‘Sea Fever’ and ‘Silver’ by Walter de la Mare to name a few- alongside more recent treasures like ‘Granny Is…’ by Valerie Bloom

Each section has been carefully considered, offering a balance of older and more modern as well as from a wonderful range of poets from different countries and cultures. There are so many poems in this joyful collection which are perfect for sharing with a class or using for assemblies, encouraging children to reflect on their feelings and showing how poetry can help them to express themselves and understand others.

The illustrations are simply delightful, immersing the reader in the poems. They are full of colour, life and imagination. Each spread could be framed and displayed, but I particularly love the illustration for ‘The Sound Collector’ by Roger McGough and the one for ‘Don’t Go Into the Library’ by Alberto Rios.

A fabulous collection of poems for everyone to enjoy, ‘Everyone Sang’ would make a perfect gift.

Everyone Sang: A Poem for Every Feeling

William Sieghart, illustrated by Emily Sutton

Walker Books ISBN: 978-1406393613

'The Same Inside' is an amazing collection of poems by three very special poets. It is a collection to be shared, discussed and enjoyed again and again.

The opening poem entitled 'The Same Inside' by Liz Brownlee sets the tone of the book perfectly. Look inside any apple and what do you find- a star, and yet they all have different appearances. Cutting the apples, sharing the fruit and planting the seed of the idea could be used as the basis of an assembly or lesson to develop empathy and encourage thought and discussion. Having done this, it is amazing where it led!

There are poems here to help with many situations and each could be used as the basis for work in the classroom so I have selected a few of my favourites to discuss here- but it was very hard to choose!

'Each and Every One' is a poem by Matt Goodfellow which states 'I am human' in a range of languages, starting with Welsh and ending with English. Imagine the fun to be had discovering which language each sentence is written in, the joy of children identifying a language which they can speak. Families could add the same sentence in other languages they speak or are interested in and the poem extended, celebrated and displayed. Children could think of other sentences or phrases which they would like to translate and create a poem of their own along the same lines. This could lead to discussions about how the sentiment behind the phrase is the same, no matter what the language. 

Roger Stevens' poem, 'Boy or Girl?', offers a brilliant starting point for challenging ideas about gender stereotyping. Having listened to each 'riddle', they could be asked whether they think the subject is a boy or a girl and then discuss why. They could then gather ideas about themselves or their friends and write poems exploring the things they love to do, encouraging empathy and understanding and perhaps allowing children to share hobbies and talents that they have 'outside' school that others might know nothing about. 

'Differences of Opinion' by Liz Brownlee would make a great performance poem. Easy to learn, with plenty of humour, it also carries a poignant message about the beauty of friendship and celebrating difference. Children could create their own poems about the differences between themselves and others- but focus on how little this matters. Differences are to be respected and acknowledged, not ridiculed or loathed. 

Each and every poem in this collection is poignant and special- words to carry in your heart and remind us that we are all 'The Same Inside.'

The Same Inside: Poems about Empathy and Friendship

Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens

Macmillan     ISBN: 978-1509854509

 Enjoy these- more tomorrow!

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Poetry Sue Wilsher Poetry Sue Wilsher

Razzmatazz: The Poetry World of Roger Stevens

If you’re talking about poetry in school, Roger Stevens is a name which is sure to be mentioned! Ever-popular with children and adults alike, he has written poems which are often full of fun and laughter, but also those which capture poignant moments and make the reader reflect.

‘Razzmatazz!’ brings together a collection of his poems, most of which have been selected from the many books and anthologies he has written and contributed to. The result is a wide range of work which is sure to inspire and delight. If you have a child in your class who claims not to like poetry, there is sure to be something here to change their mind!

Many of the poems are perfect for performing. In fact, it’s almost impossible to read ‘Dad, Don’t Dance’ without feeling your foot tapping. The embarrassment of ‘dad dancing’ is universal and the repeated alliteration of ‘dad, don’t dance’ makes the poem easy to learn. Different groups of children could perform different verses, deciding how to bring the lines to life- and have great fun doing so! Another performance gem is ‘Get Your Poems Here’. Full of word play- and poetic terms- children could create their own additional verses about other types of poems, ‘selling’ their features to their audience. There are many other poems to be performed in this book and Roger’s notes at the end of some pieces share how he and others have used them, invaluable support for any who might need it!

There are many poems here which could be used as models to inspire children to write their own. ‘Half a Dozen Senyru’ offer a good starting point for investigating and playing with this Japanese form whilst the section entitled ‘Nursery Rhyme Fun’ shows how familiar verses can be reimagined with entertaining results! Mike Smith’s black and white illustrations add much to the collection- I particularly like his ‘Mosquito’ and know children enjoy creating pictures in this way too.

I could comment on each and every poem in the collection, but my advice is to get a copy and enjoy browsing the poetry world of one of our best poets!

Razzmatazz!: The Poetry World of Roger Stevens

Otter-Barry Books ISBN: 978-1913074418

Out on the 6th January 2022

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