You're a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems

Walker Books has done it again! I was delighted to receive this treasure, You're a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems, which every primary teacher (or at least every English Leader) needs a copy of.

On the face of it, it's a picture book that tells the everyday life of Piglet, his mum and dad, his friend Squirrel and her dad. All very simple domestic events; going for a walk, going camping to the beach, painting a bedroom etc.

However, in each chapter, Piglet discovers a different form of poem and composes his own simple version.  Each chapter closes with a double page spread recapping how Piglet came up with the ideas for his poem and advice on how to compose your own.  These can be used with all age groups, from Reception to at least Year Three, as a starting point and a scaffold. Obviously in the Early Years you'd write the poem all together on the carpet, Year One would be able to compose one in small groups as an adult scribes, Year Two can very easily compose a poem with a partner, using the guide, and Year Three can certainly compose their own.

Given that poetry inevitably gets squeezed out in the frantic timetable madness, as we try to fit everything in, this book is an absolute gift. There are five chapters; five different poem styles to investigate which could neatly provide five half terms' worth of poetry work across the school year (you can all have Christmas half term off as we all know just getting the core subjects done alongside productions, parties and concerts is a feat in itself!).

If this is the year you're determined to ensure poetry is more than just the odd acrostic or shape poem here and there, then buy this book. You can thank me later.

72 pages / Reviewed by Wendy Kelly, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

You're a Poet is a wonderful book.  Blending story and poetry writing advice, it is perfect for encouraging adults and children to play with words and become poets! Many people (including teachers) are 'scared' of poetry and so this powerful form of expression and source of pleasure is often neglected. This book offers some very practical, achievable and effective ideas which help overcome this and produce some very satisfying results.

The book is organised into five chapters. Each starts with a section of story about Piglet, followed with ideas and advice for developing a different style of poem. Every chapter explores a new adventure as Piglet goes for a walk with his mum, goes on holiday, plays with his friend, Squirrel, makes a rope swing with his dad and paints his room. Each situation leads to Piglet exploring how he is feeling, what he notices or what he sees through poetry.

The beautifully illustrated stories are lovely and offer everyday situations as inspiration, making the book a very practical, fun way of encouraging children to create their own poems. The book begins with 'Puddle Poems', a very simple, but very effective and enjoyable way of gathering words to create a poem. Tips and suggestions are given for how this can be developed, should the child be ready to do so, but this lovely idea means that even the youngest children can create spoken poems which adults might (or might not!) choose to record for them.  This playing with words, developing ideas, choosing vocabulary and having fun is wonderful for helping children to express themselves and explore their emotions, as well as for encouraging them to observe the world around them!

Each of the other poems offers a model to support children's writing. Comparing poems encourage the use of a structure- 'as…as' - introducing children to similes without once mentioning the term, whilst the 'Making a person out of something' poem develops the use of metaphors. The other ideas offer structures for children to play with and develop their own ideas.

An excellent book for enjoying and exploring creative writing, 'You're a Poet' is a wonderful book for home, for school, for everywhere and anywhere, offering really practical ideas which will make everyone free the poet inside!

72 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+