Skinny Dip (No.1)
By Edited by Susan Paris and Kate de Goldi
Reviewed by Gemma Lovewell
| Author & Illustrator: | Edited by Susan Paris and Kate de Goldi |
| Publisher: | Annual Ink |
Reviewed by Gemma Lovewell
Opening sentence
A poetic dip into school life for all ages, reviewed by Gemma Lovewell
I know not everyone is inclined to pick up a poetry book by choice…but they really should! Poetry is such an efficient way to share thoughts and feelings, and reading poetry is a great way to broaden your vocabulary as well. We are lucky enough to have the book Skinny Dip on our bookshelf, and it has very quickly become a family favourite.
The book is presented in such a clever format as it takes us on a journey through the school year and life at school. What is particularly fabulous about this anthology is that there is something for everyone – in our family, we each have different favourites based on our own experiences of school. I particularly like ‘Staying Focused’ because I HATE acronyms! My mum loves ‘My First Big Hit’ which really appeals to her with all the crossing out dealing with feelings. My brother enjoys the structure and layout of ‘Sole to Sole’, as the language is so real. My Grandma – who is an ex-teacher – has read our copy and loved it as well. In fact, she wishes it was around when she was teaching as it has something for everyone and really sums up school life, making it very relatable for students.
I can see a very strong place for this book in the classroom for teachers who teach poetry. There are so many poems to love in here. The book teaches us about different poetic structures as it covers a huge range of poetic forms over 36 poems. Each poem is written by a different poet. Through this book, you learn about poetry, and the poets, while also evoking pictures of your own school life. Both my brother and I have found it invaluable for modelling different types of poems, and it has encouraged us to have a go at some more tricky forms such as sonnet, rondelle and villanelle.
I think this book belongs in every classroom and household, to make people laugh, and sigh, as well as to inspire them to create their own poems. I think it is ideal for Year 7/8 and college kids, but it clearly has lots of appeal for adults as well. Susan Paris and Kate de Goldi did a fantastic job putting this collection together and we are so grateful to have it on our bookshelf.
- Gemma Lovewell is 16 and lives in Masterton
The book is presented in such a clever format as it takes us on a journey through the school year and life at school. What is particularly fabulous about this anthology is that there is something for everyone – in our family, we each have different favourites based on our own experiences of school. I particularly like ‘Staying Focused’ because I HATE acronyms! My mum loves ‘My First Big Hit’ which really appeals to her with all the crossing out dealing with feelings. My brother enjoys the structure and layout of ‘Sole to Sole’, as the language is so real. My Grandma – who is an ex-teacher – has read our copy and loved it as well. In fact, she wishes it was around when she was teaching as it has something for everyone and really sums up school life, making it very relatable for students.
I can see a very strong place for this book in the classroom for teachers who teach poetry. There are so many poems to love in here. The book teaches us about different poetic structures as it covers a huge range of poetic forms over 36 poems. Each poem is written by a different poet. Through this book, you learn about poetry, and the poets, while also evoking pictures of your own school life. Both my brother and I have found it invaluable for modelling different types of poems, and it has encouraged us to have a go at some more tricky forms such as sonnet, rondelle and villanelle.
I think this book belongs in every classroom and household, to make people laugh, and sigh, as well as to inspire them to create their own poems. I think it is ideal for Year 7/8 and college kids, but it clearly has lots of appeal for adults as well. Susan Paris and Kate de Goldi did a fantastic job putting this collection together and we are so grateful to have it on our bookshelf.
- Gemma Lovewell is 16 and lives in Masterton
| Author & Illustrator: | Edited by Susan Paris and Kate de Goldi |
| Publisher: | Annual Ink |
Recommended
