New and Collected Poems for Children - Carol Ann Duffy
New and Collected Poems for Children - Carol Ann Duffy
I've never been entirely comfortable reading poetry books. Although I quite like the single poems handed out in English class for us to dissect, the idea of reading an entire book with no continuous plot and settings and characters that are constantly changing (or nonexistent) has always been slightly unnerving. Many people I know (even those who love reading) feel the same way - that poetry is dusty, dead, the preserve of classrooms and has little to do with our lives or bookshelves. After reading Carol Ann Duffy's New and Collected Poems for Children I can see how wrong we are; her poems sparkle with life and energy, some describing aspects of life with an uncanny accuracy, some with an appealing craziness that children of any age will love and all revealing the magic that can be found in everything; be it a word, a friend, a sock or even a school!
While it would be a daunting (though enjoyable) task to try and read this book cover to cover, reading it has made me realise that a poetry book gives the reader greater freedom than a novel - it is not linear and can be dipped in and out of, you don't have to like or understand all of it but can choose the bits you want to read. This collection captures that feeling perfectly; it is perfectly arranged with the poems loosely connected and grouped together meaning that there is no rigid structure but instead an effective and moving pattern which you are free to follow or ignore as you please. This approach makes for liberating, undemanding reading and means that the overall experience is more enjoyable as readers can choose whether to appreciate the poems in their own right or in context as part of the whole.
This is not (as the title might suggest) just a book for children but rather a book about children or about childhood in all its stages; toddlers, angsty teens and the young at heart all have their place here. An essential book for any family and one that parents should delight in reading at bedtime, this collection fearlessly mixes different aspects of childhood together, tackling weighty issues such as death, love, religion and spots in a way that should delight but never patronize any child or adult reader. The poems, together with their superb black and white illustrations, perfectly embody the range of emotions and experiences - good and bad, serious or silly - that are all part of growing up. I believe that this book is accessible to anyone - be they a toddler delighted with the simple repetitions of The Birds, the Fish and the Insects, a teenager all too familiar with the sensation of A Worry or a reminiscing adult remembering when they too would have had to Ask Oscar.
Amy
