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Poetry Jump-Up
Dynamic, diverse, lively poetry for children that brings together the voices of black writers from Britain, Africa, America, Asia and the Caribbean, brought together by top British writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
14 people want to read
About the author
Grace Nichols
71 books59 followersGrace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1950 and grew up in a small country village on the Guyanese coast. She moved to the city with her family when she was eight, an experience central to her first novel, Whole of a Morning Sky (1986), set in 1960s Guyana in the middle of the country's struggle for independence.
She worked as a teacher and journalist and, as part of a Diploma in Communications at the University of Guyana, spent time in some of the most remote areas of Guyana, a period that influenced her writings and initiated a strong interest in Guyanese folk tales, Amerindian myths and the South American civilisations of the Aztec and Inca. She has lived in the UK since 1977.
Her first poetry collection, I is a Long-Memoried Woman, was published in 1983. The book won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and a subsequent film adaptation of the book was awarded a gold medal at the International Film and Television Festival of New York. The book was also dramatised for radio by the BBC. Subsequent poetry collections include The Fat Black Woman's Poems (1984), Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Woman (1989), and Sunris (1996). She also writes books for children, inspired predominantly by Guyanese folklore and Amerindian legends, including Come on into My Tropical Garden (1988) and Give Yourself a Hug (1994). Everybody Got A Gift (2005) includes new and selected poems, and her collection, Startling the Flying Fish (2006), contains poems which tell the story of the Caribbean.
Her latest books are Picasso, I Want My Face Back (2009); and I Have Crossed an Ocean: Selected Poems (2010).
Grace Nichols lives in England with her partner, the poet John Agard.
She worked as a teacher and journalist and, as part of a Diploma in Communications at the University of Guyana, spent time in some of the most remote areas of Guyana, a period that influenced her writings and initiated a strong interest in Guyanese folk tales, Amerindian myths and the South American civilisations of the Aztec and Inca. She has lived in the UK since 1977.
Her first poetry collection, I is a Long-Memoried Woman, was published in 1983. The book won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and a subsequent film adaptation of the book was awarded a gold medal at the International Film and Television Festival of New York. The book was also dramatised for radio by the BBC. Subsequent poetry collections include The Fat Black Woman's Poems (1984), Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Woman (1989), and Sunris (1996). She also writes books for children, inspired predominantly by Guyanese folklore and Amerindian legends, including Come on into My Tropical Garden (1988) and Give Yourself a Hug (1994). Everybody Got A Gift (2005) includes new and selected poems, and her collection, Startling the Flying Fish (2006), contains poems which tell the story of the Caribbean.
Her latest books are Picasso, I Want My Face Back (2009); and I Have Crossed an Ocean: Selected Poems (2010).
Grace Nichols lives in England with her partner, the poet John Agard.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2012
A book of song , rhythm and dance is an excellent choice for exposure to different cultures, languages and music. Poetry Jump Up features poems from the Carribean, Britain, America, Africa and Asia. As they were written by black writers from these countries they bring authenticity to the poems.
‘I Love Me Mudder…’ is one of my personal favourites as I am of Jamaican descent I can relate to it especially in terms of language. It is about a child who is expressing her love for her mother using descriptions of what she is like, how she acts, the things that she does that makes her special to the child.
Looking at the poem in detail it does centre around the language but incorporates it with the beat turning it into a fun loving song. The use of patois again brings authenticity to the poem, gives that liveliness to the beat and could essentially be used not only in a Music lesson or an English lesson but for an activity filler. The book also includes some pictures although they are in black and white.
‘I Love Me Mudder…’ is one of my personal favourites as I am of Jamaican descent I can relate to it especially in terms of language. It is about a child who is expressing her love for her mother using descriptions of what she is like, how she acts, the things that she does that makes her special to the child.
Looking at the poem in detail it does centre around the language but incorporates it with the beat turning it into a fun loving song. The use of patois again brings authenticity to the poem, gives that liveliness to the beat and could essentially be used not only in a Music lesson or an English lesson but for an activity filler. The book also includes some pictures although they are in black and white.
November 10, 2017
Poems by different poets and most of them funny, thoughtful, accessible. Most of them abut everyday experiences but expressed beautifully. Bonus - they're just the right lenghts!
December 11, 2012
This book is an amazing compilation
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews