stylish and carefully crafted. Wendy Cope, a witty, best-selling poet for adults, revealed a
playful voice for the very young in Twiddling Your Thumbs (1987). Vernon Scannell’s
poetry had been used in schools for years, before he published The Clever Potato (1988),
aimed at children. John Mole, Boo to a Goose (1987) and Libby Houston All Aboard
(1993) were both published poets long before turning their attention to children.
Roger McGough comes from the performance tradition of the radical, Liverpool poets
of the 1960s. So does Adrian Henri, The Phantom Lollipop Lady (1986) and Brian Patten
Gargling With Jelly (1985). All three use a lot of humour, but the pain and tenderness
associated with their adult work is there too; so is the satire. McGough’s inventive
imagination and skilled word play is on full display in You Tell Me 1979 (with Michael
Rosen) and Sky in the Pie (1983). Adrian Mitchell is also well known on the performance
circuit: his combination of compassion, social concern and the comic touch makes for
memorable poetry as in Nothingmas Day (1984). Gareth Owen was interested in the
street life of children in Salford Road (1979) and Song of the City (1985), but his
inspiration came from having worked in education; so did Mick Gowar’s in Swings and
Roundabouts (1981). Allan Ahlberg, an ex-teacher, used contemporary school life in
Please Mrs Butler (1983) and Heard it in the Playground (1990), as did Judith Nicholls in
Magic Mirror (1985).
Another exciting development since the 1980s has been the growing popularity of
Caribbean British writers. John Agard produced I Din Do Nuttin’ in 1983; Say It Again,
Granny (1986), uses Caribbean proverbs as the basis for poetry which is both witty and
wise. Grace Nichols published her first collection for children, Come on into my Tropical
Garden in 1988: Me mudder chase bad-cow/with one ‘Shoo’/she paddle down river/in
she own canoe/Ain’t have nothing/dat me mudder can’t do. James Berry’s impressive
When I Dance (1988), demonstrated fine writing, an empathy for young people’s feelings
and a lively sense of fun, both in dialect and standard English. These three poets have
also compiled ground-breaking anthologies, particularly in terms of introducing young
readers to poetry from other cultures. Jackie Kay’s original Two’s Company and other
talented voices like that of Valerie Bloom, Faustin Charles and Benjamin Zephaniah,
show how contemporary children’s poetry is blossoming into an experimental phase in
terms of language, forms and themes.
Children have never had it so good in terms of accessible, amusing, racy poetry, but it
is not all light-hearted. There’s often a dark undertone in McGough which he describes
as ‘the shadow round the corner’ and he is prepared to deal with child abuse, depression
and death in his poetry. The skill lies in delicate yet honest treatment of harrowing
issues. Wright also feels that children ‘can take some stiffening’ and tenderly explores
mental handicap, bereavement and the cruelties of whaling in amongst the laughter.
Agard, Berry and Kay touch on racism in their poetry. Rosen and Mitchell tackle
bullying, sexism, rejection and loss. Henri reflects on a war-time childhood and Patten
considers the aftermath of a nuclear war. Owen writes of poetry as a means of hanging
on to memories, teaching us not to forget: ‘always too in the further recesses of my mind
I have a hope that there’s another soul out there who will say “That’s how it was...for
me”’ (Styles and Triggs 1988:89). It is simply inaccurate to characterise contemporary
poetry for children as humorous and slight. In some respects it has never been stronger.
200 POETRY FOR CHILDREN