Things That Should Be in a Poem
Written by Coral Rumble
Illustrated by Shih-Yu Lin
Publication date: September 2022
Ages: 5+ years
Format: Paperback / 198 x 129 mm / 80 pages
ISBN: 978-1-912745-20-3
Rights available: World
UK retail price: £8.99
A weekend of time
A wide space to play
I think I’ll collect
A poem today.
A brand new collection of poems from an award-winning poet, designed to introduce poetry to the youngest readers.
Coral Rumble writes –
"Did you know, you can bump into a poem anywhere? You can find them in houses, fields, oceans, cities, trees... the list is endless! I've even found poems in people's faces when they laugh or cry, or get excited. Of course, you have to write the poems you find, because poems can't hold a pen or type on a keyboard.
“This book is full of poems I found when I was looking out for them. I had to dig some out of my imagination - ouch! You’ll discover in these pages some things that I think should be in a poem, but I'm sure you’ll discover many more of your own. Go hunting!”
Coral’s warm, vibrant, exciting world of poems is complemented by Shih-Yu’s expressive colour illustrations. Perfect for first readers, reading aloud or sharing with family.
Awards & selections
Winner of the Spark! School Book Award 2022/23.
Reviews
“Last year’s collection of poems, Riding a Lion and her moving verse novel Little Light absolutely convinced me that Coral Rumble was at the very top of her game for KS2. This is an expertly considered collection for much younger children. The clever touch is that many of the poems are set in pairs or threes giving us different poetic perspectives on the same subject… While many of these poems are there for the fun of rhythm and rhyme, or for the enjoyment of shape, there are some which go into really thoughtful and sensitive ground. Another real success for Troika books.”
“The range of poems in this collection is pure joy as Coral skilfully moves from the silly to the profound, from observation to imagination. The book opens with the titular poem which offers a perfect launching pad for discussions about poetry and what the reader does or doesn’t like. Used with a class, it could open doors to finding out about all manner of new poems and poets! But it also makes a brilliant model for writing as children can play with all their ideas for the things that they would use to ‘collect a poem today’.”
“Poetry should entertain as well as make you think and that’s just what this vibrant collection of poetry does. The book is stunningly illustrated in full colour by Shih-Yu Lin, [who] brings young readers a gallery of expressive colour and tone illustrations that perfectly complement Rumble’s warm and exciting range of poems – from funny to thought-provoking – and help deliver a magical blend of words and pictures that is guaranteed to fire up young imaginations, spark discussions and inspire a lifelong love of poetry.”
By the same author and / or illustrator
Back to All books / Picture books / Fiction / Poetry