Saturdays at the Imaginarium
Written by Shauna Darling Robertson
Illustrated by Judith Wisdom
Publication date: October 2020
Ages: 7+ years
Format: Paperback / 210 x 140 mm / 96 pages
ISBN: 978-1-912745-12-8
Rights available: World
UK retail price: £8.99
In her first book of poems for children, Shauna Darling Robertson celebrates creative thinking and encourages curiosity, revelling in the pleasure of looking at things from fresh and surprising perspectives.
Thoughts whizz around like mosquitoes, a day lasts longer than a year and the weather forecast is for an ear-to-ear grin nearly two miles high.
Inventive, provocative and highly original, Saturdays at the Imaginarium asks big questions about how we see ourselves and each other as well as our place in the world. It invites children of all ages to explore the incredible potential of their own imagination.
‘Shauna’s poems are confident, persuasive and mischievous. They’ll grab your attention and lead you into worlds you never quite knew existed.’ – Rachel Rooney
‘A beautiful balancing act of the surreal and the graspable, the everyday and the out-of-sight in-the-mind. And always there’s a light in the window to guide you to a home you never imagined before.’ - A.F. Harrold
Awards & selections
A National Poetry Day Selection 2021.
Shortlisted for the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award 2021.
Nominated by the Twitter book community for a BookBlether.co.uk ‘Hidden Gems’ award.
Resources & extras
Click on the image (right) to download a free resource for teaching (KS2) and creative play, using a handful of poems from Saturdays at the Imaginarium - including ideas for reading, performing, reflecting, discussing, writing, drawing and more.
Visit Imaginarium Extras on Shauna’s website for a blog with more ideas and exercises based on some of the poems in the book, where you’ll also find some audio recordings and videos of poems from the book.
You can also listen to Shauna reading the ‘The Poetry Guerrilla’ on the National Poetry Day 2020 website at nationalpoetryday.co.uk/poem/the-poetry-guerrilla
Reviews
“An astounding collection from one of the best imaginators around. You'll want to stay in the Imaginarium until bedtime. And maybe have a sleepover too.”
Roger Stevens
“An excellent poetry book for KS2 - should be in every class.”
Pie Corbett
“One of the most inventive, quirky and enjoyable poetry collections I’ve read for a while. Some wonderful gems for Key Stage Two to get stuck into.”
Jon Biddle, Reading for Pleasure
"A feast of wonder, imagination, possibility, defiance, strength and awe. There is such daring, such positivism; then there’s the language, the poetic dexterity, the variety of forms and the way words are used so powerfully, cleverly, enticingly. Shauna Darling Robertson’s wordplay, poetic skill and imagination burst from this power packed poetry debut. Bookwagon recommends Saturdays at the Imaginarium hugely; to be read, gifted, shared and loved."
“Welcome to Shauna Darling Robertson’s Imaginarium where she will introduce you to ideas, questions, possibilities that should not be... In other words she will excite your imagination exploring the ordinary so that it becomes extraordinary, playing with words, looking at the world sideways. These poems are fun – and yet offer serious thoughts. There are gems to be discovered here. This is Shauna Darling Robertson’s first collection for a younger audience. We look forward to more.”
“A wonderful collection of poems to explore again and again. The poems play with words and ideas, often honing in on the everyday, but considering them with a quirky eye and plenty of originality. An imaginarium is a ‘place devoted to the imagination’ – an excellent way of describing this creative and thought-provoking collection of poems. All manner of ideas and thoughts are explored here in a collection of fabulous wonderings and reflections. There are illustrations throughout in black and white by Jude Wisdom and a delightful colour spread in the centre. These are as imaginative as the poems!”
North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award
“The mark of a great poem for me is if it leaves me thinking, I wish I’d written that. It happened to me many times when reading this book. It is the sort of children’s poetry book that should be on the shelves of all good book shops. Read these poems to children, they can’t fail to light a spark.”
“Step out of your daily grind and into Shauna’s Imaginarium – where humdrum is injected with colour, feelings and emotions with clarity, and empathy is just how and where you need it to be. This is a fantastic work in every conceivable way, and what is more inside its covers I have found what is in my opinion THE PERFECT POEM – but you can count on finding your own perfect poem there, too. Definitely a winner for the classroom and home – HIGHLY recommended!”
Liz Brownlee, PoetryRoundabout.com
“In her poems Shauna Darling Robertson [sits] on your shoulder quietly murmuring advice and devices for coping with what the world can throw at you while you’re still growing up. Grandma, Dad, Big Sis, Big Brother all pop up speaking truths, half-truths and even absolute nonsense. You meet all this and more when you visit that intriguing place, her Imaginarium.”
“Escape into the magical worlds and imaginative wordplay of Shauna Darling Robertson in this excitingly original book, beautifully illustrated by Judith Wisdom. The perfect book of poetry to inspire young minds.”
Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Post
“A fine balance between choice language and wild invention, put together with enchanting illustrations. A ’valley-wide smile’ from me and a must for bookshelves at home and at school.”
Chrissie Gittins
“This humdinger of a book is both intimate and everyday while reaching out to the cosmos and beyond. And most of all, if I dare use the word, it is soulful.”
“Shauna’s world is full of surprises and astute comparisons. Playful language eases its way out of her pen; nothing is laboured. In the middle of dreamlike scenarios, there’s a grounding glimpse of reality, both the good and the bad. Shauna encourages us to embrace our various experiences, until we are ‘Dancing with Life’. ‘Saturdays at the Imaginarium’ is a complete adventure for all five senses, and another triumph of poetry and illustration working together, from Troika.”
Coral Rumble
“An innovative collection with lots of wordplay and imaginative juxtapositions. Both children and adults will enjoy its expansive and varied extravaganza of language. The illustrations are also absolutely gorgeous and work beautifully with the text. There’s a lot here for teachers to explore and some great models to use. A must for every classroom and everyone else as well.”
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