In this fantastic collection, Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho shows us that poems are made to read OUT LOUD! In this wittily illustrated anthology of poems, designed to be read aloud, twenty poems arm children with techniques for lifting poetry off the page and performing with confidence. Perfect for confident children and shy readers alike, this book teaches all sorts of clever ways to performing poetry. Children will learn 20 techniques for reading aloud by trying out 20 funny and thoughtful original poems by the much-loved and award-winning performance poet, Joseph Coelho. There are tongue twisters, poems to project, poems to whisper, poems to make you laugh. There are poems to perform to a whole class and others to whisper in somebody's ear. Richly textured, warm and stylish illustration by Daniel Gray-Barnett bring each page to life. "Poetry for children is dead. Really? Not when there are young poets like Joseph Coelho" -Books for Keeps

Benjamin Zephaniah and Richard Conlon deal with issues such as prejudice, drugs and disfigurement in this vibrant, gritty adaptation of Zephaniah's bestselling novel for young people.Everything is going Martin's way. The holidays have started, he's got a gorgeous girlfriend and everyone agrees he's the coolest dancer around. But when his world is turned upside down by a crash in a stolen car, he has to come to terms with more than his facial injuries...This is a powerful, exciting and accessible play. It contains relevant, gritty, contemporary issues and dialogue. It offers stimulating activities in the book and a free scheme of work available to download on publication.

Liza Seele's nose snortingly hilarious Potjie Pot Poems, with belly laugh inducing illustrations from Shannan Gia, from the South African melting pot brings children together under one banner: No more boring poems allowed at school! Dive into 85 pages of 30 different poems and join the Mzansi textbook strike.

Poems to read and to perform
Rhymes in every shape and form
For kids, teachers, schools alike
Who have joined the Mzansi textbook strike:
It's time to march and then toyi-toyi
For every girl and every boy
Who's had to sit at school and suffer
One dreary poem after another!
Bring back poems that hit the spot,
Like those from the S'African melting pot...
We demand a brand-new rule:
No boring poems allowed at school!

"Life in Trinidad as described by Mr. Naipaul through the eyes of a "street arab" in "Miguel Street" is enchanting, mysterious, varied and richly comic. His happy-go lucky community, in what to the stranger's eye would be a slum, abounds in eccentric characters: indeed everyone is eccentric, and tolerant of other eccentrics." - The ScotsmanLife in Trinidad as described through the eyes of a street arab.