Rachel McAlpine Ed.: Another 100 Poems for Children

By MARGIE THOMSON

This is a wonderful introduction for children to the sheer pleasure of language, and to some of the biggest names in our national poetry pantheon, such as Bill Manhire, James K. Baxter, Ruth Dallas, Fiona Farrell, Sam Hunt, Margaret Mahy and McAlpine herself.

These are intelligent and thought-provoking choices and range widely in subject matter, from the inevitable animal poems through to a poem written by a Maori soldier from Egypt during the Second World War, from happy to sad, from private to political. A lovely collection.

Publisher: Random House, $24.95