This article looks at how four British-based poets born in the Caribbean exploit the rich language repertoire available to them in their work for children and young people. Following initial consideration of questions of definition and terminology, poetry collections by James Berry, John Agard, Grace Nichols and Valerie Bloom are discussed, with a…

An increasingly prevalent and accessible form of hybrid nonfiction picture books blends factual information with poetry or poetic devices to create literary nonfiction. This important form of hybrid text has been sparsely examined. This article addresses three questions about poetic nonfiction picture books: first, how might we categorize picture…

Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Foreign Children," Rudyard Kipling's poem "We and They," and Frances Temple's youth novel "The Beduins' Gazelle" are the texts submitted to detailed analysis in this article, which examines cross-cultural perspectives in relation to imperial and post-imperial social contexts. Stevenson is shown to portray the basic…

This article looks at how Ted Hughes' poetry for children developed over more than 30 years of publication. It traces the movement from his earlier, more conventional rhyming poems, such as "Meet My Folks!" (1961) and "Nessie the Mannerless Monster" (1964), to the mature, free verse "animal poems" for older readers of "Season Songs" (1976c),…

The "Touchstones" series of poetry anthologies was first published in the UK between 1968 and 1972 in five volumes. Over a million copies and three revisions later, "Touchstones Now 11-14" appeared in the summer of 2008. Few, if any, books for the classroom can claim such longevity. In this article, the compilers of the anthologies, Michael and…

Carol Ann Duffy's three volumes of children's poetry are important and interesting because they emerge from the work of a writer whose adult poetry has persistently associated childhood with dark and difficult areas of experience. This article explores what happens to such challenging material when a poet of major significance changes the focus of…

This article considers J.M. Barrie's satirical treatment of the Platonic doctrine of reminiscence in "Peter Pan," and how Barrie's work both honors and undercuts it. It will first analyze the Platonic notion of the doctrine of reminiscence in Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" (1807). It will then…

Presents a personal tribute in memory of the work of eccentric writer and performer Spike Milligan. Celebrates and examines Spike's absurdist poetry and sketches for children in the context of both British nonsense traditions and the poetry of American writer Ogden Nash and Dr. Seuss. (SG)

Describes a project in which eight students from the Drama department at Exeter University created a "poetry show" based on poems in English for children, and gave performances in schools and teachers' colleges in Poland. Discusses the project's aims and the principles followed in expressing the meaning of drama in each poem; highlights key…

Considers the burgeoning field of poetry and verse for children now compared to the beginning of the twentieth century. Explores if there is genuine poetry in today's abundance of children's verse. Considers what critics and poets consider to be genuine poetry and where the children themselves stand on the subject of poetry. (SG)

Considers poetry for children by the late Ted Hughes, British Poet Laureate. Examines it in its own terms as poetry and in terms of its intended audience. Suggests his poetry was an attempt to create a body of work that remained true to his gift of "caging" the minute within real and imaginary worlds. (SR)

Investigates the current situation of the writer in the schools by talking with six eminent children's writers--three novelists, three poets--who visit schools in the United Kingdom. Suggests the need for writers and teachers to work more closely together before, during, and after contact with pupils. (SR)

Notes a dearth of quality poetry for young readers. Looks at the work of three poets for young people who have turned to the urban experience for inspiration--Richard Margolis, Paul Janeczko, and Gary Soto. Suggests that the city is a "grand and colorful chorus of humanity with voices mingling sorrow and joy." (RS)

Presents an interview with Jamaican-born James Berry, award- winning poet, about his life experiences, influences, development as a poet, and recent poetry. (TB)

Describes how a librarian involved school children in reading poetry to college students in children's literature classes, classes on the teaching of reading, and classes in language arts. (HOD)