Poems to Perform

In this collection, Julia Donaldson has chosen poems with performance by children in mind, and in the notes section at the end of the book are her notes and ideas on performing them. Julia's passionate belief that performance can help children enjoy reading and grow in confidence is informed by her own experience both as a child and now, working with groups of children to bring stories, poems and songs to life. The poems range from classics by Edward Lear, W H Auden and Eleanor Farjeon to contemporary work by Michael Rosen, John Agard and Clare Bevan. Illustrated throughout with exquisite, expressive lino-cuts, this is a book for teachers, parents, children: anyone who loves great poetry.

About the Author

Julia Donaldson, the 2011-13 UK Children's Laureate, is the prize-winning author of the world's most-loved picture books, from The Gruffalo to What The Ladybird Heard. In addition, Julia also writes fiction as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live children's shows are always in demand. Clare Melinsky's beautiful lino-cuts follow the style of traditional woodcuts. Over the last twenty years her illustrations have been used in books, magazines and newspapers, and include the Harry Potter covers for Bloomsbury. She lives in Scotland.