Rhythm and Rhyme
The National Year of Reading’s monthly theme for July is Rhythm and Rhyme. It's a great opportunity to explore a whole range of poetry, and a suggestion of books for the month can be seen at: http://www.sla.org.uk/nyr-booklist-july08.php.
These include:
Heard it in the Playground
Allan Ahlberg
Heard it in the Playground is a collection of poems that are particularly enjoyed by children aged between 7 and 10, but can also be a trigger to reminiscences by older readers. As a former teacher, Ahlberg clearly draws on his classroom experiences, has great insight into the school environment and reveals many humorous aspects of school life. Most of the poems are quite short (although the final chapter consists of four longer poems) and they appeal and trigger the imagination of children who find they can easily relate to each and every verse. This book will help develop a child's interest in poetry and is a great addition to any bookshelf.
Not Just a Game Not Just a Game
Eds. Andy Croft and Sue Dymoke
Not Just a Game is a unique archive of modern British sporting life - angling, boxing, canoeing, cricket, darts, golf, motorcycling, netball, polo, rugby, rowing, running, skating, snooker, swimming and tennis - as recorded by almost 100 poets including W H Auden, Wendy Cope, Seamus Heaney, John Betjeman, Tony Harrison, P G Wodehouse, Carol Ann Duffy, Ted Hughes, Andrew Motion, Douglas Dunn, Philip Larkin, Roger McGough... and John Arlott. It's not just a book for sports fans. It's not just a book for poetry lovers. It's not just a game...
By Heart: 101 Poems to Remember By Heart
Edited and with an introduction by Ted Hughes
This is an anthology of poems to remember. In his foreword, Hughes gives a short introduction to the topic and his view on the importance of memorising poems. He follows this with 101 of his personal favourites. Spanning four centuries, the anthology offers the reader a 'mental gymnasium' as well as a treasury of some of our most enduringly popular poetry.
