A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children
Book review by Trevor Agnew
A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children (2014) ed. Paula Green, ill. Jenny Cooper, Random House, Auckland NZ, 288 pages, hardback ISBN 978 1 77553 356 6
Treasury is the correct word. This handsome collection, A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children, contains a wide
range of poems by well-known New Zealand poets of both past (James, K. Baxter,
Ruth Dallas, Janet Frame, ) and present (Jenny Bornholdt, C.K. Stead, Peter
Bland). Many of the poets represented
are also well known as young people’s writers (such as Margaret Mahy, Gavin
Bishop, Bill Nagelkerke, Joy Cowley and James Norcliffe).
There are also poems by twenty young poets, the winners
of the Fabulous Poetry Competition for Children (selected from some two
thousand entries).
The editor, poet Paula Green, advises young readers, “Pick a poem from the treasure box, hold it
up to the light, find your favourite cosy spot and start reading.”
Jenny Cooper has created an appropriate (and sometimes
very funny) colour illustration to accompany each poem.
Trevor Agnew
7 Oct 2014
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