It’s the Sound of the Thing

Maxine Beneba Clarke is already well-known for her poetry and for her children’s books. Now, she has published a collection of 100 new poems for young people. The collection includes many poetic forms, from sonnets to limericks, haikus to concrete poems. There is a handy index at the end of the book that categorises each poem, and Clarke’s introduction also contains a brief explanation of how the forms work, which will be useful both for first-time poetry readers and those looking to understand the mechanics in greater detail.

The poems capture something very real about childhood and growing up – worries, crushes, siblings, passions, boredom, justice – that leaves a comforting feeling of being in the hands of someone who understands. It’s also a brilliant resource in showing that not only can poetry be easier to understand than we might first believe, but it’s also an excellent way to express complex or private feelings, making poetry a more accessible form of writing or journaling for kids. My highlights were ‘Remembering’, in which a grandfather’s memory is fading, ‘A Really Quite Peculiar Pet’, about a garden snail, and ‘There’s a Shelf in the Library’ about the right to read and access information about the world. For ages 8+.