Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526614841 £8.99
This is a wonderful collection of poetry from the award winning Scottish poet Jackie Kay. The poems are reflective of people’s hopes and dreams as well as their everyday life. They range from the very poignant such as “Mrs Dungeon Brae” about an old lady living, and eventually dying alone, to the delightful “Shetland” which describes the author’s developing love for the Shetlands and the sense of calm and coming home that they feel about the island.
Most of the poems are told in the first person and are often in dialect, which creates a problem for those not attuned to the musical sound of the words; however there is a glossary of terms which is extremely helpful. The book is physically small at 18 cm square, but it instantly attracts attention with the red metallic illustrations on a white background. The internal illustrations are simple black images set against a stark white background and aligned to balance the poetry itself. This is a beautiful book for dipping into; it can lift the spirits, but also leave you melancholy, depending on the poems you decide to read. It will make a super addition to any poetry collection for KS2
Margaret Pemberton
