Moon Juice: Poems for Children

by Kate Wakeling, Elīna Brasliņa (illustrator)

Meet Skig, who's meant to be a warrior (but is really more of a worrier). Meet a giddy comet, skidding across the sky with her tail on fire. Put a marvellous new machine in your pocket and maybe you'll be able to fix all your life's problems.

Kate Wakeling's first book of poems for children is full of curious characters and strange situations. The poems she writes are always musical, sometimes magical, and full of wonder at the weirdness of the world.

Moon Juice contains 25 poems and features bonus materials, including interviews with the author and the illustrator, and ideas for writing your own poems.

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2017

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poems was such a delight to read! Full of curious situations and people, some of the poems made me chuckle while others were more reflective and contemplative. Some of the poem subjects were creative takes on aspects of nature, like planets and comets and the moon. Others were more reflective of the human condition, like the ever-relatable envy over someone else's hair type or quiet moments of thinking in the car while someone else is driving. Still others are more absurd or silly, about half hamster/half humans or an anxious warrior who feels more like a worrier.

Wakeling has a satisfying way of using figurative language to make the poems flow well, and I had a lot of fun reading several of the poems aloud to my students. She also sometimes uses the format to bring clever meaning to the poems, with her poem about a thief ending without a last line or another about a telescope having a large O in each line as if to portray the telescope's lens.

The poems are enjoyable and relatable to read as an adult, but they're also accessible and entertaining for children. The illustrations only add to all of these qualities, as do the pointers at the end on how to write one's own poetry.