A Poem for Every Day of the Year

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Be that as it may, I knew some of the poems already, though of some we unfortunately only got abbreviated versions (for good reason though), while a lot were unknown to me. That’s a pretty good mix in my opinion. I am the seed that grew the tree is a collection of nature poetry (oh woah, that rhymed!) for every day of the year, selected by Fiona Waters and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Surprisingly to me, it is filled with lots of poetry throughout time that wasn't created just for this collection.

The poetry anthology ‘I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree’ by Kate Wilson, is a beautiful collection of poems which explore nature through a poem a day. In the introduction Kate discusses the versatility of this book, suggesting it can be used as a shared read aloud or personal read. The book can be used to share a poem a day, focus on specific dates or just to enjoy the imagery created by Frann Preston-Gannon. I particularly enjoyed the illustrations as they added context and detail to each poem, helping the mind explore the words within each poem. This book is fantastic for both adults and children - the range of poems on offer would definitely tempt anyone who is not accustomed to poetry to dive in and explore. I didn’t think poetry was ‘my thing’ but this anthology was extremely refreshing; I enjoyed the mix of traditional and contemporary poems and on top of this, the poems weren’t too lengthy or arduous to read – it felt like an extremely inclusive and accessible collection of poetry. Nature walk – what sort of things did we hear about in the poems? Will we see them when we go outside? What might we find? October – Poems about rain by various authors – These poems could be used in geography lessons to explore rain. Children could conduct investigations using their senses to capture the different sounds that are made by rain, as well as documenting how different types of rain feel and look. Allie Esiri’s introduction zings with passion for poetry and reading it is a true pleasure. I don’t want to spoil the discovery for others but she raises some interesting questions about context and the balance between poet and poem in the reader’s consideration that had me thinking when I wasn’t dipping in to the poems.Though aimed at children, there is nothing childish about the anthology A Poem for Every Night of the Year, edited by Allie Esiri - a reminder that poetry is for everyone and for every day (or night). It would be easy - but a pity - for adults to miss out. It is a brilliant idea to divide the year up with a poem for every night - it gets round the feeling of defeat that can set in with unwieldy anthologies. A flamboyantly miscellaneous list of authors ranges from Sappho to AA Milne and from Langston Hughes to Charles 1. Adults and children should read in the new year with this book and keep going. -- Kate Kellaway The Observer February – That What We’d Do – Mary Mapes Dodge – A poem about two individuals visualising themselves as owls sitting in a tree sharing the romance of St Valentines Day. This is a sweet poem and could be used for the children to explore writing their own poems about what is would be like if they were another creature.

I like that the poem for my birthday is written by someone who's name looks similar to mine... Gene (Gén). Elke dag van het jaar een gedicht, met de natuur als thema én geschikt voor jong en oud. Meer perfect wordt het niet. Poëzieliefhebbers gaan hierin oude, favoriete, namen tegenkomen en nieuwe stemmen leren kennen. Wie nog niet into poëzie is gaat dit zeker worden. ‘Ik wou dat ik’ staat vol woorden en prenten om te koesteren; in je eentje, samen met het gezin of romantisch met je geliefde. (Ik zie al afgeleide Whatsapp-groepjes ontstaan, of nieuwe klas-rituelen.) Ik wou dat ik een vogel was. Een natuurgedicht voor elke dag van het jaar. Samengesteld door Margot Diederix en Marlous van Mourik. Met illustraties van Frann Preston-Gannon. This collection is a mix of poems; some funny, some reflective. Some I had heard before and some I hadn't. I have listed some of my favourites from this listening below but I think if I re-listen at some other time time of year this list might be totally different. March – I am the Song – Charles Causley – I found this a pleasant poem to start them month, which the children could practice writing their own version.May – May – John Updike – This poem was enjoyable through its use of the word ‘may’ in the context of might rather than the name of the month. The children could use this poem as inspiration to write their own version using the word ‘may’ or to explore other words that have dual meanings in the English language. I loved this book, particularly the theme of nature and the potential it has to ignite a passion for animals and our natural world in those who read it. I adored the imagery and the overall presentation of the book – it feels special to hold, it makes the poems inside feel special to have, it makes poetry exciting! I think if this were to be used in a school setting, it would be a gentle and fun reading session for children to be introduced to older poets, and get a sense of appreciation for nature.

Poetry powerhouse’ Allie Esiri follows up the bestselling A Poem for Every Night of the Year with another lively, inspiring collection. There’s a huge range of poems included, by poets old and new, and from across the world. Each poem is linked to a particular day, some very closely – Mary Elizabeth Coleridge’s I Saw a Stable for Christmas Day, Valentine by Wendy Cope for 14 th February – while other connections are more tangential: Blake’s Jerusalem for 12 th July, the day James Hargreaves applied for a patent for the spinning jenny. Esiri tells us to think of these poems as ‘a boost of words for the day ahead’, and they are just that, a short connection with another human being. The more poetry in our lives, the better, and this is a book everyone in the family will enjoy. ~ Andrea Reece

This beautiful poetry anthology that includes a new nature poem for every day of the year is likely to become a primary classroom essential. Most of the poems were not really my piece of cake, but that's what you get with a collection: a variety of poetic doems, themes, and writers. And the good thing is, a collection makes discovering new writers easy. It kind of forced me out of my small bubble and I added some poets on my to-read-more-of list :) This is a book I would definitely have in my classroom. I could see this being used as a nice, peaceful way to start the school day. I think it presents a lovely opportunity to bring the class together and create a ‘poetry environment’ and ultimately spark a child’s interest in poetry. The book captures the complexity and diversity of nature very well and as we move through it, we are made aware of the changing seasons and a variety of living things. I believe this poetry book could be used for a variety of topics/lessons, for example:

Some books become lifelong treasures and A Poem for Every Night of the Year, edited by Allie Esiri, will be one of them. A handsome collection, it contains not just classics by TS Eliot and Eleanor Farjeon but modern poems by Maya Angelou and Tony Mitton. It is the best book of its kind since Charles Causley's, and a must-have for nine-plus readers. -- Amanda Craig The New Statesman

About Allie Esiri

This wonderful collection of poetry offers a beautifully illustrated poem for each day of the year and a diverse collection for every month and season. The publisher of this collection, Kate Wilson, explains her intention for this book to build upon a collection of poetry she herself had loved as a young person and ‘to make something that was more beautiful and easier to find your way into’ and ‘to make a book that helped you see the world around you’. This collection is inspiring, educational and presents a diversity of different poets and literary techniques. I truly believe there is something for everyone hidden within this book and that this would be a perfect addition to any classroom and anyone’s book shelf. Throughout the course of the term or year, I would collate all poems that the children had written to create our own class anthology and share in the school library. Overall this is very well thought out and beautiful collection of poetry and illustrations from start to finish, which would be very versatile in a classroom setting. With younger children I would use this book as a read aloud and share a poem a day, discussing the characteristics of each month/ season. With older children I would use the book to support and explore cross-curricular activities, such as those mentioned in the selected poems above. December – Red Sky at Night – I would use this poem to explore the English language, different cultures and explore old sayings that have been passed down throughout generations. The children could choose a topic and create their own sayings to go with them. Look at the different animals in the book – which animals do you recognise? Think about their habitats and how they live The collection of 366 poems (to make sure leap years are covered too!) contains a really interesting mix of poems from well-known favourites from Christina Rossetti and Walter de la Mare to more modern offerings by Benjamin Zephaniah and Carol Ann Duffy. The book is structured into monthly sections and the poems accompanied by beautiful illustrations that celebrate the beauty of the natural world and changing seasons.