A Poem for Every Day of the Year

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August – What is Pink – Christina Rossetti – This poem could be used within science, geography, history, and art to explore colour and where they can be found within nature, across different environments. This wonderful collection of poetry offers a beautifully illustrated poem for each day of the year and a diverse collection for every month and season. The publisher of this collection, Kate Wilson, explains her intention for this book to build upon a collection of poetry she herself had loved as a young person and ‘to make something that was more beautiful and easier to find your way into’ and ‘to make a book that helped you see the world around you’. This collection is inspiring, educational and presents a diversity of different poets and literary techniques. I truly believe there is something for everyone hidden within this book and that this would be a perfect addition to any classroom and anyone’s book shelf. I think if this were to be used in a school setting, it would be a gentle and fun reading session for children to be introduced to older poets, and get a sense of appreciation for nature. The poems are all about nature and people interacting with it, observing it, fearing or delighting over it. Maybe that has made following the months and changing seasons especially fun. Or maybe it’s just that I love animals and plants so much that this really was perfect for me. May – On May Day – Anonymous – As with previous poems this could be used to explore the history of annual events, such as May day. Additionally, it could be used to create their own music to accompany this poem or read it alongside a dance that they have created themselves. The children could also create their own poem describing their thoughts on May day and the activities/ characteristic of the day.

July – Shadows – Judith Nicholls – This poem could be used in science to explore light, particularly shadows. This could link to a practical activity where the children capture and investigate their own shadows. Which they could use to write their own version of this poem.

June – Bed in Summer – Louis Stevenson – This poem could be used to explore other countries around the world and how seasons differ across continents. For example, the children could write a comparative version of the poem using a country such as Australia as focal point. They could investigate how seasons can have different characteristics or occur at alternatives times of year compared to England.

March – I am the Song – Charles Causley – I found this a pleasant poem to start them month, which the children could practice writing their own version. Particular favourites of mine included Love's Philosophy by Percy Shelley, The Buddha by Tony Mitton and the very famous The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. There's also an excellent extract from Shakespeare's The Tempest, which in itself is a play of pure poetry. As such the poems are rich in diversity and carry with them varying degrees of complexity. Although published by Macmillan Children's Books, I think this collection is more suited to an adult reader. There are, certainly, poems in here that a young reader may enjoy, but I think an adult would get more out of poems that deal with larger issues such as love, death and life.March – Paper Dragons – Susan Alton Schmeltz – A fun poem in which children can make their own kites and version of the poem and describe the movement of kite in the air. This could also be linked to history and exploring traditional toys throughout the time periods. February – That What We’d Do – Mary Mapes Dodge – A poem about two individuals visualising themselves as owls sitting in a tree sharing the romance of St Valentines Day. This is a sweet poem and could be used for the children to explore writing their own poems about what is would be like if they were another creature. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-09-22 12:03:32 Associated-names Morgan, Gaby Boxid IA1940808 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Below are examples of some of the poems that I particularly liked and how I would use them in a classroom; This collection is a mix of poems; some funny, some reflective. Some I had heard before and some I hadn't. I have listed some of my favourites from this listening below but I think if I re-listen at some other time time of year this list might be totally different.

April – Voices of Water – Tony Milton – I would use this poem to explore water and the sounds associated to water. The class could make their own music to accompany the poem with instruments or body percussion, such as creating a soundscape. This useful anthology is aimed at children but I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it. The target audience ensures accessibility as well as a satisfying blend of light and shade, while Esiri's introduction is a model of economyand enthusiasm. She offers poetry for the small things in life, the every day, and I can't think of anything more life enhancing than opening this book each evening to sweeten the passage of time. -- Bel Mooney The Daily Mail Exploring and comparing the four seasons – What happens during the four seasons? What changes do you notice in nature? How do the seasons affect us and animals?

LoveReading4Kids Says

The Contents of A Poet for Every Day of the Year list the poem and poet for each calendar day although I prefer not to look at that properly until next year when I’ve enjoyed a daily surprise from the book. With poets from Angelou to Wordsworth there really is something for any and every reader. One of the absolute pleasures here is the attention to more marginalised poets such as those from the LGBTQIA+ community so that A Poet for Every Day of the Year feels inclusive and engaging. A Poem For Every Day of the Year is a magnificent collection of 366 poems compiled by Allie Esiri, one to share on every day of the year. These poems are funny, thoughtful, inspiring, humbling, informative, quiet, loud, small, epic, peaceful, energetic, upbeat, motivating, and empowering! Perfect for reading aloud and sharing with all the family, it is bursting at the seams with familiar favourites and exciting new discoveries. T.S.Eliot, John Betjeman, Lewis Carroll, William Shakespeare and Christina Rossetti sit alongside Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, Carol Ann Duffy, and Kate Tempest.This soul-enhancing book will keep you company for every day of your life. About This Edition ISBN: Use poems as models/example for writing own poetry – use nature as a basis, take the children outside or get them to think about their own relationship with nature, places they’ve been, how they’ve interacted with nature – use this as a starting point for their own poems. Some books become lifelong treasures and A Poem for Every Night of the Year, edited by Allie Esiri, will be one of them. A handsome collection, it contains not just classics by TS Eliot and Eleanor Farjeon but modern poems by Maya Angelou and Tony Mitton. It is the best book of its kind since Charles Causley's, and a must-have for nine-plus readers. -- Amanda Craig The New Statesman January – The New Year – Anonymous – This poem helps you reflect and consider each year as having its own personality. The children could use this poem to support writing their own poem about the characteristics of years that have passed. This could be linked to history and thinking about the different time periods and their characteristics. As well as how the world has changed over the recent years that have passed as well as decades. Science/Geography could be touched on here to think about climate and environmental changes.

November – Anonymous – As with previous poems on key dates this poem could be used to look at the history of ‘bonfire night’ as well as explore the tradition of fireworks. The children could create their own soundscapes and poems, as well as art to describe and express this event. The first one was very hit-or-miss due to the selection of poems, the second one was a history book (non-fiction), and this year I read this. urn:lcp:readme2poemforev0000unse:epub:d20b122c-4939-4c40-ad59-373bb94aaff0 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier readme2poemforev0000unse Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t5x72vf8r Invoice 1652 Isbn 0330391321 January – The Garden Year – Sara Coleridge - I enjoyed how this poem highlighted each month of the year and the changing seasons. I would have the class write their own version, describing what they felt were the key attributes to each month of the year. This could also be used to support the learning of month names (maths) as well as the season, exploring characteristics of seasons both in England and across the world (science/geography).

Allie Esiri Press Reviews

I also had fun with the index of first lines at the end of A Poet for Every Day of the Year, reading them aloud like performance poetry and seeing if they would work as found poems in their own right! This anthology has so much to offer and every time I think about it next to the bed ready for me to read last thing at night it brings happiness and a smile to my face.