Selected Poems for Children

There are 76 poems in this splendid collection, nearly enough for one per year of Causley's life, and each of them a lapidary masterpiece. The poet's experiences as a primary school teacher, a chronicler of the folklore of his native Cornwall, and a life long lover of the grim and glorious sea, are evident throughout the book, emerging as intriguing observations on mortality and the supernatural, and the cruelty and beauty of the natural world. Causley's use of rhythm and rhyme reflects the cadences of folk music and the oral traditions of children at play creating a body of accessible, thought provoking verse that combines light heartedness with profundity. There is scarcely a human concern that is left unexamined in this anthology; it is a book to share and cherish.