Scan barcode
Reviews
What Is Poetry?: The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems by Jill Calder, Michael Rosen
connieischill's review
3.0
3/5 stars
A really good starting point for people getting into poetry, and very accessible for children. However I think I'm just a bit too old and have more experience with writing poetry through Uni and my personal life to get everything I need from this one. This makes me want to start a poetry class for children just to get them into writing it independently from what school (especially secondary) classes as 'good poetry' and 'bad poetry'.
A really good starting point for people getting into poetry, and very accessible for children. However I think I'm just a bit too old and have more experience with writing poetry through Uni and my personal life to get everything I need from this one. This makes me want to start a poetry class for children just to get them into writing it independently from what school (especially secondary) classes as 'good poetry' and 'bad poetry'.
indiebookshops's review
4.0
Let’s just get it out of the way at the start - I love Michael Rosen. There I said it.
‘What is Poetry’ is one of the funnest books on poetry I’ve ever read, it seems to be aimed at a young audience, probably middle-grade readers. This doesn’t stop me from saying that this book is one of the best books on writing poetry for all ages, especially for those that are frightened by the idea of poetry.
Broken down into digestible chunks, the encouraging advice is so clear and not patronising that I wanted to start writing poetry.
The images peppered through the book are also a nice touch.
Examples of poetry throughout the book don’t pull any punches either; from modern poetry by Rosen himself to work by Thomas Hardy, the excerpts and complete poems are used well to explain different facets of the craft of a poet.
I would say that this is probably one of the essential books for any budding writers, not just of poetry, as it explains things clearly and will help writers gain confidence in their art and skill.
‘What is Poetry’ is one of the funnest books on poetry I’ve ever read, it seems to be aimed at a young audience, probably middle-grade readers. This doesn’t stop me from saying that this book is one of the best books on writing poetry for all ages, especially for those that are frightened by the idea of poetry.
Broken down into digestible chunks, the encouraging advice is so clear and not patronising that I wanted to start writing poetry.
The images peppered through the book are also a nice touch.
Examples of poetry throughout the book don’t pull any punches either; from modern poetry by Rosen himself to work by Thomas Hardy, the excerpts and complete poems are used well to explain different facets of the craft of a poet.
I would say that this is probably one of the essential books for any budding writers, not just of poetry, as it explains things clearly and will help writers gain confidence in their art and skill.
More...