Roar Squeak Purr

A marvellous menagerie of animal poems for children by New Zealand's best writers - some of them children - selected by star New Zealand poet Paula Green and adorably illustrated by Jenny Cooper.

A marvellous menagerie of more than 200 animal poems by Aotearoa's best writers, ROAR SQUEAK PURR shows just how fun poetry can be, and is sure to inspire a new generation of poets.

In between the covers of this book you will meet creatures large and small. They might pad, or skitter, swoosh or soar. They could be fuzzy, feathery, suckery, scaly or spiky. These animals might ROAR or squeak or Purrrrrrrrrr. Just like the animals they are about, these poems come in all shapes and sizes! They tell stories, pose questions, make us feel things - and they all make glorious music.

If your kids think poetry isn't for them, Roar Squeak Purr will cure that thought forever! This exuberant treasury brings together over 200 animal poems by New Zealand's best writers, many of them written by children. The poems were selected and edited by champion poet Paula Green, winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Poetry and creator of the popular Poetry Box blog, and teamed with Jenny Cooper's cheeky, whimsical and adorable illustrations.

Roar Squeak Purr is destined to be a family treasure - and to inspire a new generation of poets.

About the Author

Paula Green ONZM is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded poets, having published a number of poetry collections of her own for both adults and children and edited several anthologies, the latest being the acclaimed Wild Honey (2019). She lives in coastal west Auckland with her husband, the painter Michael Hight, and two daughters, and her blogs Poetry Shelf and Poetry Box offer New Zealanders young and old a space to appreciate and share our finest writing. In 2017 she was awarded the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry.

About the Illustrator

Jenny Cooper is an award-winning and prolific illustrator of more than 80 children's books. An exceptionally versatile, characterful and exuberant illustrator, the judges of the 2015 LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards praised Jenny for the "multitude of talents in her basket of goodies . . . she is able to draw a variety of animals convincingly well; her command of emotional drawing is also superb." In 2015 Jenny was honoured as one of New Zealand's foremost illustrators with the presentation of The Arts Foundation Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award.