If I Were Other Than Myself: Collected Poems
By Author / Illustrator
Sue Hardy-Dawson, Sue Hardy Dawson
Genre
Poetry
Age range(s)
9+
Publisher
Troika Books
ISBN
9781909991859
Format
Paperback / softback
Published
01-02-2020
Synopsis
A stunning collection, full of magical fantasy and dreamlike inventions, which showcases Sue's very unique style and voice. Often poems are interwoven - 'Blackout' leads to 'Fear of the Unknown', 'Why Trees Whisper' segues into 'Zephyr and 'Dog Reads the Wind'. The child is a frequent motif, perhaps even the voice of the haunting title poem 'If I were Other than Myself' with its final question 'and should I wish would I be missed?'
Reviews
Alison
The front cover of Sue Hardy-Dawson's If I were Other than Myself is a beautiful invitation into a truly lovely collection. Enhanced with her own illustrations, Hardy-Dawson's work is consistently thought provoking and enhancing.
I was mesmerised by 'The Girl Who Ate Sunshine' (p.12). Its optimistic final stanza offers just the kind of hope we need as we edge towards the end of this dreadful year: 'But inside the sun rose / speckled with daisies. / Filled her and warmed / all tiny bright things. / The as she walked / all days grew sweeter / and with every footstep / she felt the earth singing. / Sunshine, she said, / is the food for me.//
Suggested Reading Age 9+
Riding a Lion
Wicked World!
Overheard in a Tower Block: Poems
Little Light
