~ POETRY COLLECTIONS ~

Asian Nursery Rhymes
Compiled by Sanjivinee, Illustrated in b&w by Anita Chowdry.
Mantra Lingua, c.1991.

This collection for 2-8 year olds is available in both book and cassette format from an exciting London publisher who specialises in dual language books for children. Earlier editions of the book have the more intriguing, if longer, title (after a famous nonsense rhyme) Itchyka-dana: Asian Nursery Rhymes. The traditional South Asian nursery rhymes have been skilfully rendered into English rhymes. The cd has an atmospheric musical background and is in English with Bengali, Panjabi, Gujarati and Urdu.

Excuse Me, Is This India?
By Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by textile artist Anita Lentwiler.
Tara Publishing, Chennai, 2003.

Swiss textile artist Anita Leutwile works with patchwork and appliqué to create vivid images.  Excuse me, is this India?  is  a series of exquisite images made entirely of cloth to chronicle her travels in India in 1999. Anushka Ravishankar, a well-known Indian poet who has specialised in nonsense verse for younger children, wrote the accompanying verse-story of travel through a child's imagination. The book will suit children of  6 and above. 

Monkey's Drum
Anita Moorthy, illustrated by Soumitro Sarkar
Tara Publishing, Chennai, 2003.

This traditional rhyming tale has a monkey as its trickster-hero. It all begins with Monkey asking the village barber to remove a thorn in his tail, but when the barber shaves off the tip of Monkey's tail by mistake, Monkey demands a fair exchange for the missing hair. The book has lively illustrations and its rhyming story will appeal to children aged 4 and above.

Animal Antics
by Debjani Chatterjee, illustrated in b&w by the poet
Pennine Pens, Hebden Bridge, in association with the Poetry Society, 2000.

Introduced by the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Animal Antics was written and illustrated during a year spent as Writer in Residence at Sheffield Children's Hospital. The book is about the crazy antics of animals - elephants, snakes, monkeys, etc - because children love animals and so do I. Children will encounter some familiar creatures: rats in Hamlyn, Mighty Mouse, Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Garuda, Lakshmi's owl and the monkeys that help Rama to build a bridge from India to Lanka. Other animals will be new to them: the paper tigers that are "news deciders", the adder that learns yoga, "Anton, the ant-eater of Old Canton", the cheeky yeti, the astro-turtle, and many more. The book also contains a subtle support for conservation ("to dine upon Porcupine / must quill the poor creature"!) and has a section of 'Helpful Hints' for teachers. The poems are for children of 7 and above (many adults will enjoy them too!) and the illustrations are mostly in a cartoon style.

The Select Nonsense of Sukumar Ray
translated by Sukanta Chaudhuri,
Oxford University Press, India, 1987.

Sukumar Ray (1887-1923) was an Indian writer, illustrator, scientist and social reformer, best known for his Bengali 'nonsense' poetry for children. If poetry is hard to translate, nonsense poetry is even harder, yet Sukanta Chaudhuri manages a most creditable attempt that is a joy to read for young and old. Many of Ray's nonsense verses were recognised as political allegories by his contemporaries, but like all good poems they continue to have fresh meaning for readers today.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~POETRY ANTHOLOGIES ~

Come to the Carnival and other Poems
Edited by John Foster, illustrated by various artists.
Oxford University Press, 2000.

The 13 pieces in this collection are poems about festivals and celebrations. Christmas, Diwali, Eid, May Day and Thanksgiving are among the festivals in this slim and colourfully illustrated book.

Big World, Little World: A Green Anthology of Poetry and Prose
Edited by Sue Stewart, illustrated in b&w by various artists.
Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1991.

This anthology has plenty of poems for children on environmental issues by a range of authors, some of whom are children themselves. The book also offers interesting follow-up activities with opportunities for readers to write their own poems. The material in the book is imaginatively presented in something like a magazine or news reportage style.

Fifty Strong: Fifty Poems chosen by teenagers for teenagers
South Bank Centre, London, 2004.

This anthology is unusual in that its 50 poems have been selected by 50 teenage editors. Their selection has resulted in a powerful book that speaks directly to today's adolescents. A classic gem from the past like W B Yeats' 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' sits alongside a contemporary piece like Sujata Bhatt's 'Your Sorrow'.

One River, Many Creeks: Poems from all around the world
Edited by Valerie Bloom.
Macmillan Children's Books, 2003.

This multicultural collection of poems chosen by Jamaican poet Valerie Bloom features poems from many different countries. There are the delicious 'Hot Cake' by Shu Hsi from China, the long narrative poem 'Mulga Bill's Bicycle' by Banjo Patterson of Australia, Singaporean Wong May's 'Only the Moon' contrasting the moon of childhood with the moon seen by adult eyes, the Indian poet Nirendranath Chakrabarti's sensitive poem about a boy called 'Amalkanti' who wanted to become sunlight, and many other poems.

Rainbow World: Poems from Many Cultures
Edited by Debjani Chatterjee & Bashabi Fraser, illustrated in b&w by Kelly Waldek.
Published by Hodder Wayland, 2003 hdk, 2004 pbk.

My friend Bashabi Fraser and I had great fun selecting over a 100 poems by more than 80 poets for an anthology for children of 8 and above, that would celebrate our 'rainbow world' with its rich colour, natural beauty and amazing diversity. The work of Rabindranath Tagore from India, Australian Aborigine W Les Russell, Den Sute-Jo and Okamoto Kanoko from Japan, Ho Chi Minh from Vietnam, Begum Sufia Kamal from Bangladesh, and many other poets has enriched the book. A review in The Times EducationalSupplement spoke of "this book earning a valued place on the bookshelf...and indeed becoming a much dipped into resource." Rainbow World was an EMMA 2004 Best Book Award Runner-up.

One for Blair: An Anthology of poems for Young People
Edited by Chris Searle, illustrated in b&w by Christine Smith.
Young World Books, 1989.

This poetry anthology for children of about 12 and above was compiled as a tribute to a London teacher who was killed while taking part in an anti-racist demonstration. The dignity of labour, and the struggle against imperialism and racism, are recurring subjects among these poems from many lands. The poems include Pablo Neruda's 'José Cruz Achachalla' about the life of a poor miner, Nazrul Islam's 'The Song of the Women Masons', and Hang Phuong's 'The Pink Parachute' in which a Vietnamese mother wants to make her little girl a party frock from the remnants of an American parachute shot down from the sky. Plenty of poems here to change the world.

Around the World in Eighty Poems
Edited by James Berry, illustrated by Katherine Lucas.
Macmillan Children's Books, 2001.

This beautiful hardback book is A4 size and its poems are in large font and well spaced with bright illustrations, making this an attractive and accessible book for children of 6 and above. The 80 poems come from over 50 countries including Korea, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and India.

Masala: Poems from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Edited by Debjani Chatterjee.
Macmillan Children's Books, 2005.

In Masala I have selected nearly 150 poems from and about India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Many of the poems have simple notes to help young readers understand or appreciate them better. Usha Kishore's 'Tanka' for instance carries an explanation of the word 'tanka'; Basir Sultan Kazmi's ghazal carries an explanation of the word 'ghazal'; Pireeni Sundaralingam's 'Sri Lankan Schoolroom' carries a brief history of the conflict between militant Tamil groups in the north of the island and the Sri Lankan army; and Sarojini Naidu's 'Palanquin Bearers' carries an explanation of the word 'palanquin' and a short biography of the poet who was called 'the Nightingale of India'. The poems in this book are aimed at children of 8 and above and are thematically grouped in ten different sections.

Can I Buy a Slice of Sky? Poems from Black, Asian and American Indian Cultures
Edited by Grace Nichols, black & white illustrations by Liz Thomas
Blackie, 1991.

This lovely hardback anthology is a selection by Guyanese poet Grace Nichols. It brings together traditional and contemporary poems by Black, Asian and American Indian poets.

Posted April 2006