Lyrical fun and absurdity abound in the pages of Bananas In My Ears thanks to Michael Rosen. Every good book corner deserves a great poetry collection – far too many teenagers in particular have immediate, adverse reactions to the word ‘poetry’ – we can’t help thinking that growing up surrounded by books such as this one, will highlight the pure fun and entertainment that this genre can provide.
This collection of 26 poems is neatly divided in to four categories or books – The Doctor Book is given the title “Spollyollydiddlytiddlyitis” and so the tone is set! Follow these poems as they take you through, and expertly capture, the nuances of family life .. from Breakfast time to bedtime, with a trip to the seaside and the doctors thrown in to the middle!
Each ‘book’ has a certain consistency to it – poems entitled ‘Nat and Anna, ‘What If…’ and ”Things We / You Say’ pop up under each category – ingenious way of pulling them all together and ensuring that a true collection is formed.
Personal favourites have to be the ‘What If’ where imagination is encouraged to go mad with endless possibilities …
“What if
they made children-sized submarines
you could get into and go off underwater
looking at poeple’s feet
and…’
Each page is adorned by the wonderful, cartoon like illustrations by the supremely talented Quentin Blake. His trademark style brings life and even more humour to the words on the page.
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