Squeak! Squawk! Roar!
Kate Williams, illustrated by Hannah Asen
Otter-Barry Books

It’s good to see that Kate Williams, contributor to a fair few anthologies now has her first solo collection comprising fifty five poems and great fun it is too. Essentially it’s a celebration of the tremendous variety of animals that share our planet, but Kate also draws our attention to the plight of so many amazing animals on account of the selfish or thoughtless actions of humans in one way or another. Take for example Jungle Shrink that tells of the destructive effects on the animal inhabitants when tree felling machines go into action, ‘Brmmmm-thud! Brmmmm-thud!’ . And Sharp Wrecked: ‘Gentle as the sliding tide is gentle, / peaceful as the lolling waves are peaceful, rare as her forebears once were plentiful, / harmless as the jagged junk is harmful, / vulnerable as never before, / is turtle.’
No matter where you open the book, the author’s love of earth’s fauna is evident.

It’s not easy choosing just a few to draw attention to, but on the day of writing as well as the above mentioned, I was especially drawn to Dance of the Penguins, a superb portrayal of a sequence of penguin movements;

also Foal in the Field, a delightful account of one foal’s transition from a ‘lazing, dozing; bundle in the grass’ to a ‘ skipping, gliding; // dancer in a golden glow.’

and Albatross –
‘Lone ocean bird
surfing the sunset’s glow –
so bright, so white
so graceful, so grand
so calm
so strong
solo’

Adding to the enjoyment are Hannah Asen’s black and white illustrations of many of the featured creatures from mice to monkeys, swans to snails and cows to cobras.

Definitely recommended for solo reading and for classroom sharing. Great to dip in to as well as using as part of an animal theme (so long as you remember the fine line between ‘using’ and ‘abusing’ the poems).