Limeroons ¦ If Only ... ¦ Madtail, Miniwhale and other shape poems ¦ The Kingfisher Book of Comic Verse

I've grouped these books of verse together because they comprise one of the most enjoyable elements of my recent reading.

Limeroons is the lightest of the four. Noel Ford revitalises the overworked limerick formula by populating his book with a menagerie of outlandish animals caught up in bizarre predicaments. The portmanteau word title refers to both the verses and their amusing illustrations.

Each poem in Richard Edwards' enjoyable book starts with the word 'If', and, imitating a daydream, meanders off into a rhythmic and rhyming little fantasy:

'If I were an explorer
I'd reach that far off land
Called Jumbledup, where
sand was sea
And sea was made of sand,
Where snow fell every
summer
On herds of grazing bees
And cows flew round the
blossom
Of the orange apple trees.'

Alison Claire Darke's whimsical dreamscapes provide a charming visual counterpoint.

Madtail, Miniwhale is a fascinating collection of shape poems, each one demonstrating in a different way how typographical artistry can combine with wordplay to create a striking piece of pictorial literature.

The Kingfisher Book of Comic Verse is a practically inexhaustible treasure chest of the ludicrous. The book is crammed with over 200 poems, ranging from Lewis Carroll's 'Strange Wild Song', a favourite with my Class 3 kids, to Wendy Cope's brilliant send-up of Peter and Jane (which should be required reading on any primary education course).

All these books represent excellent value for money. The kids loved them and revisited them devotedly. Warmly recommended to readers of all ages.