Bright Bursts of Colour

by Matt Goodfellow

' Matt Goodfellow is a fresh voice on the children's poetry scene .' (Pie Corbett) What if cats had flavoured fur or if you swallowed the sun? What if you were a special kind of badger or if you found a map to the stars? And what if your home was split during the week: one half at Mum's, the other half at Dad's? Packed with brilliant poems that explore a whole range of themes from the downright silly to the sensitive, this collection will delight, enthuse and resonate with children and adults alike!

Genres: Poetry, Middle Grade, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2020

About the author

Matt Goodfellow was a primary school teacher for more than ten years before becoming a full-time poet and author. Shu Lin’s Grandpa is his first book with Candlewick Press. He lives with his wife and children in Manchester, England.

Reviews

[Mady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun. And I never thought I could say this about a book of poems!!

I was actually read this book and we laughed out loud at a few of the poems. Some of our favourites: ‘This is not a poem poem’, ‘A pear of shoes’ & ‘A pear of socks’ (the title of these is missing on the page and we almost missed the pun), ‘The shortest ever secondary school career’.
But there were also some serious poems that brought tears to the eyes.

A very good surprise!!

[Becki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really lovely collection: funny, thoughtful and wise.

[Molly Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these really got me !! A great collection !!

[Emily Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a collection of poems. A combination of laugh-out-loud funny (Goggles, for example) alongside some incredibly poignant and hard-hitting subjects (Split, Strest, Broken and so many more), with some that are just generally beautiful (like Mist and Book People). There wasn’t a poem I didn’t love and I’ll read it over and over. 🤩⭐️5/5⭐️

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: mentions of divorce, abuse, death and grief

Don't let the cover foolol you. Amongst these beautiful and often silly poems are some of the most raw and confronting poems that beautifully deal with grief, death, divorce, etc. Brilliant poems to help bridge and start conversations with children.

[UWE Primary English Team · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan: At times funny, sweet, serious and downright silly, this is an excellent collection of poems that has a little something for everyone.

[Ollie Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read if you have dyslexia or not

[Libraryliz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit depressing and therefore no good for the transition list which is what I wanted it for!