Awards

• Long-listed for World Illustration Awards 2025
• Winner of BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award 2021

Overview

Top poet John Agard's own selection of over 80 of his poems written between 1988 and 2001, now again available in this giftable hardback collection. A towering figure in the poetry world, especially children's poetry, John Agard has chosen poems from eight collections (all now out of print) originally published between 1982 and 2001: I Din Do Nuttin; Say it Again, Granny; No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock; Laughter is an Egg; Grandfather's Old Bruk-a-Down Car; We Animals Would Like a Word With You; Come Back to Me My Boomerang; and Points of View With Professor Peekaboo. Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the range of his interests, ideas and styles, and above all perhaps, his awareness of being a British-Caribbean writer in an increasingly multicultural society.

Full Product Details

9781915659477

Table of Contents

Reviews

""John Agard is not just one of our greatest poets and writers for children, but one of our greatest writers period.""  -- Piers Torday ""He makes us laugh and makes us think, he plays with language, attacks it, makes it his own."" -- Frank Cottrell Boyce

""John Agard is not just one of our greatest poets and writers for children, but one of our greatest writers period.""  -- Piers Torday ""He makes us laugh and makes us think, he plays with language, attacks it, makes it his own."" -- Frank Cottrell Boyce ""Acclaimed poet John Agard selects 80 of his liveliest, funniest and most engaging poems in this enticing illustrated collection for 6+, including No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock, and Mouth Open, Story Jump Out."" -- Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * 'On stage Agard is a mischievous and charismatic performer and here he brings his trademark wit and wordplay to a selection of 80 of his poems for younger readers... Light, bright and life-affirming.' * The Times *

""John Agard is not just one of our greatest poets and writers for children, but one of our greatest writers period.""  -- Piers Torday ""He makes us laugh and makes us think, he plays with language, attacks it, makes it his own."" -- Frank Cottrell Boyce ""Acclaimed poet John Agard selects 80 of his liveliest, funniest and most engaging poems in this enticing illustrated collection for 6+, including No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock, and Mouth Open, Story Jump Out."" -- Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * 'On stage Agard is a mischievous and charismatic performer and here he brings his trademark wit and wordplay to a selection of 80 of his poems for younger readers... Light, bright and life-affirming.' * The Times * ""It’s a brilliant introduction to Agard’s playful and thought provoking poetry for KS2 readers. Highly recommended."" * School Reading List * ""Superbly evocative illustrations from Shirley Hottier, which match the theme of the poems so well. Otter-Barry Books have always brought great poetry books for children and this is an amazing new title to have…"" * Book Monitor * ""This is the book of the summer….Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the genius of Agard through a range of poetic forms and styles and most of all his extraordinary ability to connect with children of all ages through poetry."" * Achuka * ""This incredible book contains eighty of John Agard’s poems, selected from eight of his previous collections. It is an absolute treasure trove of poetic joy, deserving a place on every library, classroom and home bookshelf…..The collection is rich in both his playful, light-hearted poems and his more thought-provoking work, making it perfect for returning to again and again."" * Through The Bookshelf *

""John Agard is not just one of our greatest poets and writers for children, but one of our greatest writers period.""  -- Piers Torday ""He makes us laugh and makes us think, he plays with language, attacks it, makes it his own."" -- Frank Cottrell Boyce ""Acclaimed poet John Agard selects 80 of his liveliest, funniest and most engaging poems in this enticing illustrated collection for 6+, including No Hickory, No Dickory, No Dock, and Mouth Open, Story Jump Out."" -- Imogen Russell Williams * The Guardian * 'On stage Agard is a mischievous and charismatic performer and here he brings his trademark wit and wordplay to a selection of 80 of his poems for younger readers... Light, bright and life-affirming.' * The Times * ""It’s a brilliant introduction to Agard’s playful and thought provoking poetry for KS2 readers. Highly recommended."" * School Reading List * ""Superbly evocative illustrations from Shirley Hottier, which match the theme of the poems so well. Otter-Barry Books have always brought great poetry books for children and this is an amazing new title to have…"" * Book Monitor * ""This is the book of the summer….Over 80 poems are included, reflecting the genius of Agard through a range of poetic forms and styles and most of all his extraordinary ability to connect with children of all ages through poetry."" * Achuka * ""This incredible book contains eighty of John Agard’s poems, selected from eight of his previous collections. It is an absolute treasure trove of poetic joy, deserving a place on every library, classroom and home bookshelf…..The collection is rich in both his playful, light-hearted poems and his more thought-provoking work, making it perfect for returning to again and again."" * Through The Bookshelf * ""It’s fascinating, heartwarming, and thrilling to look back at all these absolute classics…. It’s no exaggeration to say John Agard is a genius; his poems are very funny, very playful, full of empathy, and just the best to read out loud. The illustrator Shirley Hottier has done a wonderful job... This is a masterful collection of wonderful poems that every primary school and home should have on its shelves."" * BookTrust * ""This incredible book contains eighty of John Agard's poems, selected from eight of his previous collections. It is an absolute treasure trove of poetic joy, deserving a place on every library, classroom and home bookshelf"" * Reading Zone *

Author Information

John Agard was born in Guyana and moved to Britain in 1977, where he was soon recognised as an original and inspiring writer. He has published more than 50 collections of poetry and received many accolades. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 2007. Awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2012, he received the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. He is a nominee (along with Jackie Morris) from British IBBY for the international Astrid Lindgren Award in 2025. He is married to fellow-poet Grace Nicholls, and they live in Lewes, West Sussex. Shirley Hottier was winner of the FAB illustration award in 2021. She is French and graduated in Paris with a degree in architecture. As an illustrator she has a passion for promoting diversity, drawing on her own family tradition of multiple cultures to create warm and lively scenes and characters. Shirley specialises in digital art, incorporating a rich palette of vivid colours and varied textures. She lives in Edinburgh.

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