Poems Aloud by Joseph Coelho illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett

"There are poems here for you to perform alone, with friends and in large groups but however you perform them remember the biggest rule of all, poetry is fun and ultimately there are no rules! You can shout a poem intended to be whispered, read a group poem by yourself or add action to a tongue twister. ... So let's get started - 

jump in and start performing your poems aloud!"

If you are looking for a fairly inexpensive but beautifully produced large format poetry book filled with over twenty poems that will delight your Primary class and poems that can be performed, then add this one to your collection today. Teachers are always hunting for those dreaded assembly item ideas - this book is the answer!

There are some teaching ideas for Poems Aloud here. Explore more work by Joseph Coelho here. He is the UK Children's poetry laureate. 

Companion volumes:

No Words by Maryam Master

Aria is the new boy at school. Hero (named after the Shakespearean character) and her friend Jaz are curious about Aria. He does not speak. No he is not just a quiet kid - he is mute. At first their friendship is more about curiosity, this no speaking seems like a mystery to solve, but very quickly all three become good friends which means they can unite against the school bully Rufus. Well Hero would like to challenge and even defeat Rufus but every time she witnesses dreadful things happening to Aria she just freezes - she seems unable to be a hero even though that is her name. Then the girls make another discovery about Aria and so perhaps Hero can be a hero after all.

At home things can be tough for Hero because her father suffers enormous mood swings - he can be UP and happy and engaged or way down and unable to leave the house or get out of bed. 

Jaz is the third character and she is just a crazy girl. She is loud and has strong opinions and she is fearless even though she does obsess about her health.

Now that you have met Aria, Hero and Jaz you need to read this book to discover why Aria cannot talk, how Jaz and Hero help him, and hopefully find out how the issue of Rufus is resolved. 

There are a lot of issues in this book which has just over 200 pages - bullies, mental health, refugees, courage, and the importance of friendship. 

The strongest part of this writing comes from the way Maryam Master gives the reader fragments of Aria's story and his terrifying experience of fleeing Iran. These chapters are 'decorated' with fragments of the Arabic and English alphabet. This is a subtle but well designed way to show the change of voice. The short chapters ensure this book is a quick read and a true page turner. 

Maryam Master talked to Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words:

It is my hope that anyone reading No Words will be uplifted. I hope they too will see that no matter what curveballs life throws at us (even a revolution!), hope and humour will see us through. Oh, and words.

My only small criticism of this book (and probably these parts will appeal to the target audience of 10+) are the references to poo, farts and snot. I am not the target audience but these felt like cheap, and perhaps unnecessary, jokes although I appreciate that Maryam wanted to add a touch of humour to her story. I also was unsure why the class teacher was depicted as such a crazy lady allocating hundreds of detention hours for tiny misdemeanours. On the other hand this book has a huge amount of heart and Aria's experiences are heart-wrenching and beautifully described. I also really enjoy books with multiple voices. 

Parts of this book reminded me of a more sophisticated story Soraya the Storyteller by Rosanne Hawke.

Companion reads:

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Shooting Kabul

Escape from Aleppo

No Ballet shoes in Syria

This one is perfect for a younger audience

Mina and the Whole wide world

Christophe's Story

The Eleventh Trade

The Red Pencil

If you want to explore another book about selective mutism try to find this one (note it has several different covers):

A Dog called Homeless

And these:

Jubilee

Bronze and Sunflower

Poems Out Loud illustrated by Laurie Stansfield

 

Here is a book that needs to be in every school library because teachers and children are often looking for poems to read and perform and these are just perfect for your youngest students. As a bonus this book also comes with an audio CD and this book is a very reasonable price too. 

You may recognise a few of the famous poets - Joseph Coelho; Roger McGough; Ben Bailey Smith; and AF Harrold.  There are 29 poems in this book. Take a look at this performance of The Beetle by the poet - Nadine Wild-Palmer.  Here are couple that appeal to me:

Shoo, Fly, Shoo! (extract) by Brian Moses 

If a fly comes by and bothers you,

these are some of the things you can do.

You can trap it, or zap it, or give it a slap.

You can creep up behind it when it's taking a nap.

You can shout GET OUT and hope that it goes.

You can whack it with a bat when it lands on dad's nose.

This poem was originally published in this book:

Shhh ... by Roger Stevens

I know where Mum hides her chocolate biscuits

I'm not going to tell you because it's a secret

There were five in the packet but now there are four

I wonder if she'll notice if I just have one more?

This poem was originally published in this book:

My Beautiful Voice by Josephy Coelho illustrated by Allison Colpoys

"My heart starts booming, my skin becomes a raging river,

I feel scared and nervous inside. But then.. "

"I feel my voice inside me ... It feels like it wants to be heard."

The terror of public speaking is a genuine feeling for many adults and children. Add to this publicly reading a poem of your own composition and that fear is multiplied many times over. My Beautiful Voice is the story of one boy and the way he overcomes his fears with the help of a wonderful, vivacious, energetic and loving teacher. Miss Floatsam is a force of nature. When our narrator's work is snatched by a young girl in the class "Miss Flotsam gazes at her with eyes that can turn thunder into summer rain."

When you share this book with your class, though, you will need to be prepared for the ending - spoiler alert- we never hear the actual poem that the child has so carefully crafted.  I call this a Harvey Slufenburger moment. Have you read the famous book by John Burningham where we travel with Santa on his long and dangerous journey to the home of Harvey Slufenburger all the way anticipating the wonderful Christmas present? I love the way children always sigh over the words "I wonder what it was". 

With My Beautiful voice though, we do have some hints about the poem and so, after reading this book for the first time, you could go back and gather up some of the possible ideas:

"A flutter of fabric filled with the spice of colour."

"quiet heroes and beautiful unheard songs."

"like her long-lost languages in shut up tombs and finding new accents in rainbow bustling markets."

I highly recommend My Beautiful Voice as a book well worth adding to your Primary school library picture book collection or perhaps you will shelve it (as my copy has been classified) at 361.37 which oddly is a number for social work and specifically volunteers. 

Publisher blurb: Follow a child who is so shy she doesn't speak. With the encouragement of an enchanting and magical teacher, she writes a poem. But a poem is meant to be read aloud! She musters all her courage, stands at the front of the class and shows her classmates that she does have a voice. And her voice is BEAUTIFUL! The perfect way to encourage empathy in young children and show shy children how to feel brave.

Joseph Coelho lives in the UK and from a young boy he wrote poetry: I wrote poems about how I was feeling, poems about life at school, angry poems, sad poems, funny poems and sometimes I’d nervously share those poems in my drama class. Perhaps My Beautiful Voice is partially autobiographical. 

Allison Colpoys lives in Melbourne - so we have another delicious book mystery - How did the pubisher Frances Lincoln (UK) bring these two book creators together.

I'm just no good at rhyming by Chris Harris illustrated by Lane Smith

Yes this is a funny book but it is also a book for intelligent and sensitive readers. You will laugh (a lot) but you may also stop to think which is part of why I enjoy reading poetry.  This book is a must buy addition for any school library.

Chris Harris is a television producer working on shows like Top Gear.  Lane Smith is the perfect illustrator for this generous anthology. His work is more than decoration. He adds to the fun and meaning of every poem.

Here are two of the more sensitive poems that I like:

The Valleys shape the Mountains

The valleys shape the mountains
The shadow shapes the crescent moon
The chill of late December
Shapes the warmth we feel in June.

So next time that you're crying,
Just remember this small rhyme;
Your sadness shapes the happiness
You'll feel again in time.

I'm Shy on the Outside

I'm shy on the outside, but inside my head?
I'm not at all shy - I'm outgoing instead.

I'm chatty, I'm witty, I'm hilarious,
Funny and friendly and downright gregarious.

Ask me about me - I'll say, "I'm a cut-up!
Sometimes? I can't get get me to shut up."

Even though out here I'm minimal-worded,
Deep down inside? I am so extroverted!

I'm the life of the party here under my skin,
So keep knocking -
Someday I might let you in.

In so many classrooms teachers use the form acrostic as a way to have students create a simple poem. In I'm Just no Good at Rhyming you will find the perfect anti - acrostic poem.  It made me laugh and laugh.

L-O-V-E

L is for looking out for others.
O is for Open heartedness.
R is for -
Hey! There's no "R" in LOVE"!
I know, but I thought maybe I could that I'm for Respecting -
No! No! No! There is no "R" in "LOVE"!! Get outta here, R! Go on, git!
Okay that's more like it. Now let's keep going.

Another clever inclusion is the poem that references the work of the famous American poet Robert Frost.

Here is the final verse from the original:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Here is the poem by Chris Harris

Two Roads

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - 

I took the one less traveled by ...

Since then I've been completely lost

Thanks for nothing, Robert Frost.

Image source: http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com/2018/04/im-just-no-good-at-rhyming-by-chris.html

You might like to read this review in Reading Time. Betsy Bird writes a terrific review in the School Library Journal and here is an interview with Chris Harris. You can also listen  to a radio interview with Chris.

There are so many funny touches in this book. There is a list of poems that didn't make it into the book such as "I'm N-N-N-Not scared of G-G-G-Ghosts (I'm just C-C-C-Cold)" and "Dust! 482 lines About the Most Incredible Thing in the World."  Also check out the page numbers and then hunt for the poem that explains why so many pages are missing. You do need to read this book from the beginning through to the end because several poems evolve such as The Door. One more thing, do take the time to read the dedication page - it's such fun!

If you need a performance poem take a look at IF YOU EVER HAVE TO MEMORIZE A POEM OF TWENTY LINES OR LONGER AND DELIVER IT TO YOUR CLASS, THEN THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD CHOICE. It's on page 15.

Here is the cover of the paperback edition.

Huge thanks to a friend of mine who loaned me this wonderful book from her school library. I have been looking at it in shops for months and months wondering if I really did need this book for my home collection - the answer (now I have spent several hours with this book) is a resounding YES!

In the storied tradition of Nash, Lear, and Dr. Seuss, Harris joins forces with Smith to present over 100 original poems and illustrations dedicated to having some serious fun. Kirkus Star Review

There is plenty of humour with jokes and riddles (some deliberately very unfair) and puzzles, including a poem to read backwards and a duel between the letters d and b. The title belies the range within however, there is so much more than nonsense here. This is also a collection which is full of love and hope, warmly perceptive about being a child and growing up and being a parent observing this happening. Books for Keeps

A great big cuddle - Poems for the very young by Michael Rosen illustrated by Chris Riddell

It feels like there’s something for everyone in this collection, but the takeaway is how well it holds together. A treasure in a treasury.

It is also worth noting that without including any verbal instructions, even the dullest of parental readers will catch on pretty early that many of these poems are interactive. 

Delightful to read aloud again and again (a good thing since I’m afraid you will have to, if only to please your rabid pint-sized audience) and lovely to the eye, Rosen and Riddell aim for the earliest of ages and end up creating a contemporary classic in the process.

School Library Journal

Here is an absolutely perfect, must own, must read, must buy poetry book for children aged 2-6. I loved every single poem by the amazing Michael Rosen. The large format and the funny, colourful illustrations Chris Riddell are perfect for each of the 35 poems.  Here is the Kirkus review and one from Kids Book Review.

Here are a few poems I enoyed :

Inside Out

Inside out
Outside in
You can't lose
I can't win

I've got a sausage
You've got a pie
I can't whistle
And I don't know why.

I've got a letter
You've got a phone
You like sandwiches
I like to moan.

Moan
moan
Moan
Moan
Moan
moan
Moan
moan.

Your voice needs to get softer and softer towards the end.

Mrs Hobson-Jobson Says :

Itty-bitty . Bat . Tittle-tattle . Tat
Shilly-shally . Shout . Dilly-Dally . Out
Willy-nilly . Woo . Silly Billy . Boo!
Roly-poly . Rip . Pitter-patter . Pip
Wibble-wobble . Woe . Namby-pamby . No
Hunky-dory. Hop . Topsy-turvey
Stop

The billy that died with its boots on and other Australian verse by Stephen Whiteside

Issue Four of our NSW School Magazine will feature The billy that died with its boots on and other Australian verse in the Bookshelf section.

I am always pleased when I take time to read these selections.  Here is a amazing poetry book - one that would be a terrific resource for all teachers of Grades 3-6.

The themes in this book are so diverse there is sure to be a poem for every occasion.  Stephen Whiteside suggests the poems work best when read aloud.  Many would also work well as performance pieces.

Topics include : Dinosaurs, Around the house, In the garden and in the street, Dogs (and a cat), Anyone for sport?, Birds and beasts, At the beach, Out in the bush, Up in the snow, Out on the ocean, Rail, hail or shine?, A couple of heroes, Christmas, Here's something a bit different and finally Especially for performance.

Here is an extract from a poem about coffee cups which I think most teachers will relate to :

Mum's Abandoned Coffee cups

...  Mum's abandoned coffee cups,

With liquid brown and thick;

One's been standing there for days.

It has an oily slick.

Here's a new one, fresh and hot.

If I can be so bold,

I'd say that in an hour or two

It, too, will be stone cold.

The poem about Simpson and his Donkey would be perfect for an ANZAC assembly.  I also enjoyed the poem entitled The ice-cream that hurt.  Here is a detailed review.