This Rock, That Rock - Poems Between You, Me and the Moon
Written by Dom Conlon
Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz
Publication date: March 2020
Ages: 7-9 years
Format: Paperback / 225 x 165 mm / 80 pages
ISBN: 978-1-909991-92-7
Rights available: World
UK retail price: £8.99
To celebrate 50 years since the first moon landing by Apollo 11 in 1969, here is an original collection of 50 poems.
In his poems Dom tells us of two incredible things. First, the Moon is incredible: it controls our tides, gives us 24-hour days and keeps our planet stable enough to have seasons. Second, Dom reminds us that poetry is incredible because it is the most flexible form of expressing ourselves, and is how we’ve always told stories, particularly about our ways of seeing this incredible Moon. Put the two together and the Moon is an inspiring rock of possibilities.
To tell us this, Dom uses all kinds of poetry forms… short poems and long ones, silly poems and serious ones. There are haiku and sonnets, acrostics and shapes. He uses kennings and metaphors and slang. And he mixes up the established rhythms that you might find in older poems with the rhythms he hears in his head when his son smiles at him.
So take up the challenge: read the poems, fly to the Moon, land on it, orbit it. Walk on it, live on it, steal it, eat it! Be inspired to discover new things about science, about yourself and about how the world works.
Awards and selections
Longlisted for the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award 2021.
Selected for EmpathyLab’s Read For Empathy book collection 2021.
Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021.
Nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2021.
One of The Guardian’s Books of the Month, June 2020.
Reviews
“A wonderfully eclectic collection of poems which, at first glance, appear to be about the Moon. Dig a little deeper and discover that they’re really about love, family, loneliness and a host of other topics. Excellent for helping children explore and understand emotions.”
“It’s playful and thought-provoking, with atmospheric illustrations.”
Imogen Russell Williams, The Guardian
“Dom Conlon is my 'go to' Moon Man, in fact he's my 'go to' expert for any question about space. He’s also an excellent children's poet. Combine these together with some stunning illustrations from Viviane Schwarz and you have This Rock That Rock, another beautifully produced poetry publication from Troika.”
“[An] absolute gem of a book, I was totally blown away. I also really like the advice on illustrations as well as the guide on how to write poetry. Fabulous ideas and perfect for children who might lack a bit of confidence with their creative writing skills.”
Sarah Burns, LetThemBeSmall.com
Resources & extras
View Dom’s virtual book launch, from his home to yours. Grab a drink, some snacks, settle into a comfy chair (or the front seat of your spaceship) and… CLICK HERE FOR TAKE-OFF!
Discover some of the poems in the book in the videos below. In the video ‘Between You, Me and the Moon’ Dom talks about why he wrote the book while Viviane reveals some of the processes behind her illustrations.
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