Blue Balloons and Rabbit Ears

Shortlisted for the 2015 CLPE Poetry Award (CLiPPA), Hilda Offen’s first collection of poems for children is full of appeal. Divided into four thematic sections – Wild Things, That’s Ridiculous, Out and About and Home Again – these inviting poems celebrate the wonder, variety and possibility of a young child’s world. Some feel like newly minted nursery rhymes, while there are thoughtful poems about nature and history too, and more about school and family life. Full of rhythm and rhyme and using a variety of verse forms, the poems will appeal to a wide age range, making this a particularly useful collection for schools. Each poem is accompanied by Hilda Offen’s lively, fluid black and white illustrations.