'Read and write! Write and read! Think about words, play with them, taste them in your mouth, turn them into games...'
~ Mary Ann Hoberman
In May, the Poetry Foundation named their third Children's Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis. Like the previous Laureates, Mary Ann Hoberman and Jack Prelutsky, Lewis will serve a two year term as a champion of children's poetry in the States.
I've been taking a wander through Prelutsky, Hoberman and Lewis' works, trying them out on my two pre-schoolers, who love a good, bouncy rhyme. Mary Ann Hoberman has a lovely wise warmth to her stories-in-verse, touched with a neat sense of whimsy, and Jack Prelutsky is just so much plain, silly fun that it takes a while to realise how sneaky-clever he is with words!
J. Patrick Lewis does seem to pitch many of his poems for a slightly older audience than my kids; they're full of in-jokes, riddles and references and the sort of language play that really suits older children.
All three poets have been teamed up with a variety of wonderful illustrators that make their books a real visual pleasure for any age group. Here are a selection of some of the titles that have been especially popular with my kids.
