History will be very kind to this poet. His work is pitched at a level anyone can respond to. Some of his metaphors are astonishing and more poignant based on the simplicity of the everyday life around the poet. There are no huge ideals just tales of everyday life. This is a spectacular book, and is saddly one of the most underrated I've ever read.

So there I was, in the bookshop, looking for a birthday present (I never give people books I don't first read AND enjoy) when the saleslady thrust this book in my hand and said "Read it." After vain protests that I'd never understood poetry, I opened the book. After two minutes I bought it.

This poetry, unlike the classical stuff that only uses words and phrases that I can't understand, is the stuff of today. Many poems talk of a male in love, but others talk of dying ("let me die when I'm old and in constant good tumour" or something like that), lips, nuclear war, loneliness, poets. This being a collection, even the worst poems are excellent. He uses words in ways I'd never imagined, laying them all over the place. And in a right place.

Somehow, he makes words talk.

I found this book of poetry both interesting and scary. Roger makes you wonder about the reason behind his poetry while you are amazed at the content and stucture of his words. Roger adress things in his poetry that people often only wonder about and don't often discuss. I was both disturbed and surprized at his out-going and honest attitude towards the things he writes about. I was deeply impressed and i am very dissapointed that i can not own my OWN copy of this book as it is now out of print.

The best possible book of poetry for children, this collection features funny, anarchic poems that will crack up children and adults. This was my favourite book of poems as a child and twenty years later it's just as great. A great resource for teaching kids (or adults) that poetry can be about bus tickets and imaginary policemen, not just hearts and flowers.

A book of love verses as they should be written - through good and bad. It is so exquisitely written that it'll give you that floating-on-clouds feeling and move you tears. An excellent read.

A work that manages to evoke just about every known human emotion, as it traces the arc of a relationship from the early joy:

for i locked a yellowdoor
and i threw away the key
and i spent summer with monika
and monika spent summer with me
...
somedays we thought about the seaside
and built sandcastles on the blankets
and paddled in the pillows
or swam in the sink
and played with the shoals of dishes

Through conflict:

your finger
sadly
has a familiar ring
about it

Through resignation:

we nolonger stroll along the beaches of the bed
or snuggle in the longgrass of the carpets
the room nolonger a world
for makebelieving in
but a ceiling and four walls
that are for living in
--------------------------
roger mcgough
sadly
is discounted
because realpoems
can't be
funny

My daughter and I loved this book, the poems are imaginative and are written with a light touch. A lot of them paint whimsical pictures of everyday things, and are full of humourous puns. A case in point would be 'gruper soup'- which is illustrated by a fish (presumably a gruper) leaping out of a pot, but which turns out to a anagram for 'super group'! None of the poems are demanding to read, and the book can be picked up again and again. Brilliant for dipping into for a chuckle.

How does one tackle childhood illness and death? It is noteasy. Roger McGough's solution is to dilute the subject as much aspossible. This is a story of an unloved kite, facts about tall mountains and a girl's fantasy life. McGough transfers the burden of presenting her death from his shoulders to the reader's. Few children would hear this story and understand that Caitlin dies at the end. The reader must explain the ending which will inevitably lead the listener to want to hear it again. Many children have to deal with the subject. It would be a shame to Disney-fy death across the board, where people disappear forever when they have clearly kicked the bucket. END

Here's a beautiful poetic story of a young girl who moves on to Tir na n'Og, the Pure Clear Light, the Macrodimensions, Heaven or however you configure that one in your own scheme of things, on the " wings " of an oft' abandoned Kite.

The story of Cailin and her kite is magical; the illustrations are also by another "poet" using his own medium of graphic art.

A 5 ***** children's faerie book, no question about it.

The editorial review is pretty much on the mark! The book outlines a child's "silly" idea about haw an everyday household item works, and the Dudley supposedly clues us in to how the item REALLY works. The "silly" ideas are actually pretty amusing, but the real explanations are hard to follow, and in some cases missing key information. Any kid who was hoping to discover what the title promises will be disappointed.