Birds, Beasts and Fishes

This is a large, handsome book, full of bold and bright pictures, containing a fascinating selection of animal poems. Many of these would appeal to children younger than the age-range I've put the book in. There are riddles and rhymes from oral tradition, comical miniatures from Ogden Nash and fantasies from Edward Lear. But there are also troubled meditations from Ted Hughes and D H Lawrence, and Gerard Manley Hopkins' complex, radiant vision of the windhover as an image of Christ. Simplicity and sophistication, celebration and lament, share the pages of a rich and varied bestiary. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.