April 2018 Book of the Month Beautifully illustrated by Jo Riddell, this collection of poems and stories is a perfect gift book. It’s ideal for dipping into, for quiet reading and for reading aloud; indeed, unusually amongst the stories, haikus and poems, there are a couple of rhyming plays too, great fun for the family or a group of friends. Single collections of poems are relatively rare these days, and it’s lovely to find one that gives the poet the space and time to explore ideas and return to themes. Poetry speaks to children directly, and this should become a real favourite, a book, to quote Rachel Rooney’s review, ‘to spark the imagination’.
When Poems fall from the Sky, published in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is written by acclaimed poet Zaro Weil and illustrated by rising star, Junli Song. Zaro and Junli's first book, Cherry Moon, received widespread praise and admiration for its beautiful poetry and stunning illustrations. The poems, story-poems, raps, rhymes, haiku and little plays inside this fantastical anthology about nature are a riot of imagination, humour and joy. In exquisitely illustrated full colour pages trees, birds, animals, rivers, flowers, mountains and insects each share their own magical stories. And the stories they tell, the 'poems' that fall from the sky, subtly and powerfully illuminate our hope and collective role as guardians of our earth. Original, inspiring and intimate - When Poems Fall from the Sky celebrates the marriage of science and poetry.