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9781872438993

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This is the seventh in a series of poetry books for children by Gez Walsh. There are 64 pages of mostly short, humorous poems in rhyme and metre, illustrated by the author. Gez never patronises his audience. His poems are full of playground humour, addressing subjects dear to his readers: peeing, farting, athlete's foot, underpants, bad breff and so on, along with adult mysteries like love and snogging. Reading it I remembered my own schooldays, and can easily see how a book so bright and cheerful could instil a love of verse in young readers. The title poem's representative: Don't wee in the bath, Terry, There's a good fellow; It makes you smell quite funny And turns the water yellow. Don't wee in the bath, Terry, Whatever you do: You might end up swallowing it, So get out and use the loo! Adult readers may groan, but it's not meant for adult readers. Not all the poems are light. There's one about marriage break-up; another about a homosexual uncle; another about love in old age. Never preachy, they are written from a child's perspective, and are full of compassion and wisdom. Craftsmanship is a key element of formal verse, no matter how light. Rhyme and metre don't excuse strained syntax and poor construction: if anything the metrical poet has a greater duty of care than the free-verser since he must respect the form. I mention this because Gez has occasional lapses, as in this stanza from his poignant closing poem, GOODBYE DAD. I still hear Mum cry at night When she thinks that I'm asleep, All her pain and misery To herself she tries to keep. What schoolboy would ever speak as in line 4? The inversion encourages children to think such strangulated construction is acceptable in poetry. Gez, however, has a disarming riposte to carping critics in THE EVIL POET: People say that my poems are rude And that all my rhymes are far too crude. Why do these people take such a huff When me, myself, couldn't give a stuff? He shows his readers that verse can be a pleasure rather than a chore, and the first book in the series, THE SPOT ON MY BUM, has sold nearly 100,000 copies since 1997, according to the publisher's blurb. A new serious book of poetry will typically sell 300-500 copies. Where have all those young readers gone? We might find that an uncomfortable question to answer. reviewer: David Anthony. NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE

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Gez Walsh burst onto the poetry scene in 1997 armed with his first collection of children's verse, The Spot on My Bum: Horrible Poems for Horrible Children, which was rapidly to become a cult classic. Written in response to his dyslexic son's need for stimulating, approachable reading material, Gez decided to use humour as his tool to encourage interest. Quickly realising he'd hit on a successful method of providing reluctant readers with enthusiasm, Gez's world of laughter sprang into life. Soon it was not only his son enjoying hilarious performances of these poems but a much wider audience of enthusiasts at schools, festivals, book signings and charity events.

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