Cautionary Verses

PROS:1) THOUGHTFUL, HUMOROUS AND ENGAGING POETRY FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES2) DIFFERENT LENGTH POEMS3) CHILDREN LOVE THESE POEMS4) THE WOKE BRIGADE WILL BE LESS THAN IMPRESSEDCONS:1) THE WOKE BRIGADE WILL BE LESS THAN IMPRESSED2) CHILDREN ENGAGING WITH POETRY FOR THE FIRST TIME MAY FIND SOME POEMS LENGTHY3) LANGUAGE PROBLEMS DUE TO AMERICANISATION AND LACK OF FOCUS IN SCHOOLS ON ENGLISHWhen I was in Junior school ages 7/8-10/11 years old, which is the equivalent of years 3 to 6, I loved poetry.It was for two reasons: firstly, my dad although a scientist and mathematician, loved the arts and literature. He brought that love to me from a young age. Then, in our junior (primary) school, every week we would have a poetry lesson. All of us loved it, because the poems that were recited to us, and we recited, were of great variety. We had Kipling, Byron, Scott, and everyone’s favourite, Hilaire Belloc.One of my favourites, was Belloc’s, Henry King. Thus, when my wife radically changed careers from economist and tax specialist (for a massive government) to teaching, I had to buy her this book. Her Year 3’s are in awe of Belloc’s work. They loved “Henry King” or to give it its proper title, “ HENRY KING: WHO CHEWED BITS OF STRINGS, AND WAS EARLY CUT OFF IN DREADFUL AGONIES”. Part of my wife’s mission this year is to improve the children’s diction, specifically, articulation and annunciation. Encouraging a child to speak, opening his/her mouth wide and forming letters correctly, is something that’s missing in schools today. Consequently, we produce inarticulate and uncommunicative young people.The other problem our young people face, is the parasitic destruction and infiltration of the English language. This arises from use of the lazy, improper and crass Americanisation of one of the greatest resources and legacies Britain gave to the World. Children in my wife’s class, cannot speak without using “like” or “literally” completely out of context. Thus, her school is on a mission to ensure their children can contribute to the UK economy by being able to fully express themselves in all forms of communication.Poetry is the essence of literature which is often the entry point for a lifelong appreciation and love for literature. The internet is everywhere, and everything is almost instantaneous, however, it’s important to teach your child to love reading. Poetry, especially, Belloc, will capture the minds of the most ardent anti-book child.There is only one downside to this book. That is, the destruction of our language, and its evolution, means that some words may not be in common use in the 21st Century. This, though, can serve to improve your child’s vocabulary, beyond the simplistic, b*st*rdisation of the English language by our US cousins. BUY THIS BOOK, IT’S DOTTORE APPROVED!

A great writer of poetry to make kids toes curl.

I read 'Beastly Boys and Ghastly Girls' all the time when I was little and recently ordered a copy to see if it still pleased my adult mind! It did and brought back so many memories! So I looked in to individual authors from that compilation and came across this! It is a really quirky little book full of strange and wonderful things. Reminds me of a kind of Roald Dahl note book which was probably because Quentin Blake has illustrated it. But similar humour too! I would recommend this to anyone with a childish sense of humour, Belloc fans or Quentin Blake fans.

Anyone - adult or child - who hasn't read these gloriously witty and cynical verses is missing a great treat.I bought this book to replace one that I had when I was a child, and it was with enormous pleasure that I re-read those verses that I hadn't already committed to memory.I'm too old to learn verse by heart now, but this is a wonderful book for a child whose memory is a sponge, soaking up all sorts of things with the greatest of ease.

I have loved these poems since I was given a book of them at the age of 9, over 30 years ago. I have bought copies for my own son and other family members and I think they should be much better known and appreciated. However...........I hate this CD from the jolly musical introduction onwards. I actually can't bear to listen to it as it makes me cringe.These are not readings, but very much performances, with Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres taking turns with different parts of the same poem and little touches such as wah, wah, waaaaah music (partway through the poem!) when Jim is eaten by the lion, the sound effect of a door slamming at the appropriate point in "Rebecca" and worst of all at the end of "Lord Lundy" the last line of which is,"And gracious! how Lord Lundy cried!" We have Martin Jarvis going,"Boo hoo hoo" as if we don't know what crying is!If you don't already know the poems, you may enjoy them as they are great. But if you already know and love them, I would advise extreme caution before buying this CD. Some of the poems (Jim, Matilda and The Microbe) are available on "The Nation's Favourite Children's Poems" from the BBC Radio Collection and are beautifully read by Samantha Bond and Bernard Cribbins. I was so disappointed in this CD I managed to find an old tape of these poems read by a very young Stephen Fry, and had it converted to MP3 so I could have them on my computer and iPod. The quality of those recordings is poor but the readings put this to shame.

We bought this delightful little book for an ambitiously stretched son, who needed to relax and step away from his busyness for a while, and this did it, as we laughed together at the genius of each cautionary tale. The laughter changes things, relieves tensions and opens so many conversations - quite a healer really - great little book, to be shared and loved.

I was looking for poem that we had to recite in a school performance when I bought this, I have since had many dips into it and many a light moment of escapism, I have also shown some of the moral poems to my boys to chivvy them along with such social niceties that come with this enjoyable book.

lovely book to read to grandchildren