This book is part of Wordsmith, the complete programme for all your Primary English teaching needs.

"Roger McGough's witty text offers many weird and wonderful explanations ... Chris Riddell's artwork makes the whole an imaginative feast" - Bookseller Runner-up for the English Association 4-11 Award for the Best Children's Picture Book. Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. From the minds of the former Children's Laureate Chris Ridell, and award-winning fellow of the Royal Society of Literature Roger McGough, comes a fun-filled book about how things work. Have you ever wondered how a toaster works? Or a fridge-freezer, or a washing-up machine? In this fun-filled book of how things work, Dudley, the techno-wizard dog, provides the answers. Roger McGough's delightfully ingenious text and Chris Riddell's striking illustrations take children from the furthest realms of fantasy into the fascinating world of technology to discover the workings of familiar machines, making it an exciting book which will delight again and again. At first, it describes how a child thinks things work... (gnomes in the toaster) and then Dudley tells you how the various household appliances really work. Includes all the appliances a curious child would be interested in: the dishwasher, the fridge-freezer and more. A funny, imaginative 'how things work' book for ages 4-7.

A glorious sensational feast of poems! The wonderful Roger McGough has drawn together a stunning collection of poems inspired by the five senses. Gems from the very best classic and contemporary poets such as Carol Ann Duffy, Ian McMillan, John Hegley, William Wordsworth, Vernon Scannell and Michael Rosen will captivate any reader. Prepare for a welcome assault on your senses!

BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please is the longest-running broadcast of verse anywhere in the world. First aired in 1979, the programme, a request show which broadcasts to two million listeners a week, has become a unique record of the country's best-loved poems over the decades since its inception. The BBC has looked back through its rich archive of recordings to produce a poll of the most asked for and most broadcast pieces ever: it is those poems that this anthology brings together here. A showcase, in effect, for the nation's favourite verse, Poetry Please is a treasure trove for our most requested and most listened to poems of all time. It is a compelling invitation for readers of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate the verse that we care so much about: from new readers to old, from schools to reading groups, this a book for giving, a book for cherishing.

The crocodile said to the chimpanzee, "Chimpanzee, I want to be free. The jungle jangle's not for me." Crocodile says goodbye to the jungle and heads for the bright lights of London to find freedom and adventure. But despite the famous sights, city life on a stone-cold street begins to pall... Will crocodile tears become real tears for friends, family and home? A fantastic picture book for reading aloud by poetry legend Roger McGough and award-winning animator Greg McLeod.

From traditional verses by Christina Rossetti and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to modern classics by Carol Ann Duffy, Steve Turner and Benjamin Zephaniah, this dazzling anthology of Christmas poems will delight children and adults of all ages. All the wonders of the season are captured in 100 Best Christmas Poems for Children. Perfect for reading aloud with all the family, there are verses that will encourage children to reflect on the Christmas themes of joy, hope and peace for all the world, while also savouring the festive fun of everything else that Christmas brings - from the opening of the first Advent window to the tidying away of all the decorations on Twelfth Night. Edited and introduced by beloved poet Roger McGough, this enchanting children's poetry book make a wonderful gift and keepsake and will be cherished by all who read it. Children will gain an appreciation for language and storytelling as the magic of Christmas is brought to life by this anthology that they'll return to over and over again each year.

Poems to make you smile! Critically acclaimed poet Roger McGough has drawn together a fantastic collection of upbeat poems to bring happiness into your day with this uplifting collection Happy Poems.

He reminds us that happiness can be found all around us in the everyday, in family, in books in nature and, of course, in our pets! Includes gems from the very best classic and contemporary poets, such as John Agard, Adrian Henri, Brian Patten, Carol Ann Duffy, Joseph Coelho, William Wordsworth and William Blake.

Ever see an anaconda drive through town on a brand new Honda? Don't ask him for a ride. You might end up inside. From the Allivator to the Zonk, here are seventy-two gloriously witty poems that young readers will love and return to again and again. Real and imaginary animals, from newts with flutes to boisterous baboons in hot-air balloons, crowd Roger McGough's celebrated collection, now in a new edition for a new generation. Rich in invention, wordplay, and humour, with Roger's own delightful, quirky illustrations.

A witty and mischievous tale inspired by The Wind in the Willows, from renowned poet Roger McGough.

Mr Toad has a shiny gold coin. He gives it to Miss Mole to pay for a room in her hotel. Now Miss Mole can pay Sam Stoat for painting the hotel, and Sam Stoat can pay back Mr Badger ... until the coin might just end up back where it started!

From renowned poet Roger McGough and Kate Greenaway Medal winner Mini Grey, this is an inspired and witty tale featuring beloved characters from The Wind in the Willows.

100 Best Poems for Children is a unique treasure trove. From the hundreds of poems originally chosen by children themselves, Roger McGough has selected an irresistible top one hundred every child should have.

Arranged alphabetically, this glorious collection offers a fantastic voyage of discovery. Here you'll find Dr Seuss rubbing shoulders with Shakespeare, Roald Dahl sharing a page with Walter de la Mare, and Michael Rosen sitting next to Christina Rossetti. With a wealth of contemporary and classic verse, there is something for everyone.

'I wanted your soft verges But you gave me the hard shoulder' The Mersey Sound brought poetry down from the shelf and on to the street, capturing the mood of the Sixties and speaking to real lives with its irreverent, wry, freewheeling verses of young love, petrol-pump attendants, CND leaflets and bus journey capers. Bringing together the hugely influential work of Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten - the 'Liverpool Poets' - this perennially beloved volume is the bestselling poetry anthology of all time. Now, for its fiftieth anniversary, this edition restores the original text of the book as it first appeared in 1967: energetic, raw and a true record of its era.

A new sparkling and witty version by Roger McGough of Moliere's comedy published as a programme text to accompany the premiere at the Liverpool Everyman on 9 May 2008. Tartuffe is a beacon of piety and in the home of wealthy merchant Orgon he has his feet firmly under the table. But all is not as it seems and as Orgon becomes more enraptured with his new companion the whole city is chattering. Is he a friend, a fraud, a miracle or a hypocrite? The family smell a rat and amidst the frills and frivolity of seventeenth century society they hatch a cunning plan to outwit the wily deceiver before he brings their house crashing down. Moliere wrote "Tartuffe" in 1664 but the play was banned following its first production in Paris; it wasn't until 1669 that it was revived and became one of his greatest successes.

POETRY PIE is a brilliant collection of poems for children by Roger McGough.There are over 50 poems in this hugely enjoyable poetry collection with themes ranging from food and animals to school and ghouls. As always, Roger McGough's poems are full of wit and wisdom, with word play, puns and sharp observations on all aspects of life. Illustrated throughout with his own unique line drawings which are full of humour and pathos. Roger McGough is one of the UK's most celebrated and distinctive poets. He is the author of more than fifty books and has written numerous scripts, including the script for the Beatles' film Yellow Submarine. He is an international ambassador for poetry and in 1997 was awarded an OBE.

A brand new collection for children from beloved poet, writer and broadcaster - Roger McGough Just when you are ready to write your first poem, along come the words and cause mayhem! 'Poems can be like that sometimes,' says Roger McGough. Here Roger's witty poems take you from school and home to places far and wide, and back again just in time to finish the poem you first started.

This is not the time for adultery. Your lover will fail to be impressed, not so much by the face mask and stale musk of sanitizing gel, but your flouting of the rules. At once funny and moving, Safety in Numbers is the new collection from the nation's favourite poet. Traversing new yet timeless terrain with his signature wit and intimacy, Roger McGough brings to life the very strangeness of our times From lost tongues and violins to rising oceans, from adulterers in lockdown to ghosts in line, we may live in dark times and yet find ourselves laughing. From surprising angles and with unexpected voices, McGough, 'a trickster you can trust', reveals the telling moments of our lives. _______________ PRAISE FOR ROGER MCGOUGH 'A witty and ingenious chronicler of British life with a deftness and agility that is hard to beat' Poetry Society 'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time Out

A brilliant new collection of poems. The poetry contains the clever word-play, rich ideas and humour associated with Roger McGough. It includes a series of poems about the exploits of some gangster cats and verse based on Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens.

There are eighty of Roger McGough's wonderful poems in this hugely enjoyable collection, gathered into a new volume to celebrate Roger's 80th birthday! The poems have been specially chosen to reflect Roger's unique sense of humour, his wit and wisdom and sharp observations on all aspects of life. New, quirky illustrations by the author himself add further enjoyment!

Roger McGough is one of Britain's best loved poets and this collection 'charts [his] passage from youthful exuberance to the wry reflection of his later years. What remains the same throughout the 40 years is the poet's winning wit, accessibility and abiding readability' Independent ---------------------------------- 'Time has confirmed ... that McGough's talent was much more substantial than many of his long-forgotten detractors suspected. If he was a pop poet it was not in any ephemeral sense. A shy extrovert ... he has given voice to poetry and found a voice of his own which is humourful, introspective, irreverent, easy on the ear, conversational. It is also memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?' Sunday Herald

A wonderful selection of over 100 of Roger's own best-loved poems from his vast Puffin catalogue of poetry collections. Lots of favourites and some lesser known surprises, too. Packed with fabulous Lydia Monks illustrations throughout.

'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 'McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him' The Times _______________ For fifty years, Roger McGough has delighted readers with poetry that is at once playful and poignant, intimate and universal. In his latest collection, he explores the whole gamut of the human experience, from forgotten friendships and family life, to the trauma of war and contemporary politics, wittily showing us who we are in all our shades of light and dark. _______________ 'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time out 'Memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?' Sunday Herald 'McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away' Poetry Review

It Never Rains by Roger McGough - an expanded edition of comic verse and free line drawings, from the nation's favourite poet While up at Magdalen Spent the time dagdalen. Moved on to Caius Became the baius knaius. 'Oxford Blues' is one of the many new poems in this expanded and revised edition of The State of Poetry, Roger McGough's book of short humorous verse which was published in 2005 as part of Penguin's 70s series celebrating its 70th anniversary. From a poem commissioned to commemorate Dylan Thomas in just 140 characters, which unfortunately comes to an end mid-word, to a pre-emptive erratum notice, these poems show McGough at his inventive, hilarious best - and there are also new line drawings by the author offered at no extra cost. 'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy Roger McGough was a member of the group Scaffold in the 1960s when he contributed poems to the Penguin title The Mersey Sound, which has since sold over a million copies and is now available as a Penguin Classic. He has published many books of poems for children and adults, and both his Collected Poems (2004) and Selected Poems (2006) are also available in Penguin. He presents Poetry Please on Radio 4 and is President of the Poetry Society. He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001 and with a CBE in 2005 for services to literature.

An updated selection of Roger McGough's finest, best-loved verse. The complete span of McGough's writing, from the 1960s to the new millennium, is represented. 'McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away' Ian McMillan, Poetry Review 'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time Out