The Works

by Paul Cookson (Editor)

Every kind of poem teachers could wish for - all in one bumper book! The Works is 10 years old and this special anniversary edition features brand-new lesson plans from poets including John Foster, Brian Moses, Valerie Bloom, and Pie Corbett. The Works contains every kind of poem you will ever need for the Literacy Hour but it is also a book packed with brilliant poems that will delight any reader. It's got chants, action verses, riddles, tongue twisters, shape poems, puns, acrostics, haikus, cinquains, kennings, couplets, thin poems, lists, conversations, monologues, epitaphs, songs, limericks, tankas, nonsense poems, raps, narrative verse, and performance poetry - that's just for starters. It features poems from the very best classic and modern poets, for William Blake, Michael Rosen, Robert Louis Stevenson, Allan Ahlberg, W.H. Auden, Brian Patten, Roger McGough, Roald Dahl, Charles Causley, Eleanor Farjeon, Benjamin Zephaniah, Ted Hughes, T.S. Eliot, and William Shakespeare to name but a few.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Teaching

546 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2000

Reviews

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good resource for getting very young children into poetry.

[Catherine McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Works: Every kind of poem you will ever need for the Literacy Hour, chosen by Paul Cookson is exactly what it says it is. This book is fabulous for both Key Stages and there are even some gems for the Early Years. The poems follow a thematic theme starting with Nursery and Traditional Rhymes running right through to Chants, Humorous Verses, Tongue Twisters, Riddles, Prayers, Raps and Songs among others. Not only are the poems arranged thematically but also in the back of the book their first lines are printed along with their page numbers for those that remember a poem but cannot quite think of the writer! It also has an index of poets, very helpful to the teacher. It is a great book to pull out once a day to get children familiar with the language of poetry and to understand that it is a form that can differ significantly from the fiction they may be use to. What I liked about the book is that it is not necessary to read it cover to cover to the children but rather to dip into on occasions when appropriate. After a Geography lesson in Key Stage 1 on the seasons you could read the poem ‘It’s Spring’ by John Foster.
“It’s spring
And the garden is changing its clothes,
Putting away
Its dark winter suits,
Its dull scarves
And drab brown overcoats…..”

This poem could also lead to cross curricular activities in Science, Art and English. One of my favourite themed poems in the book would be the Shape Poems. These are very fun poems for children to work with and I would never consider reading them to the class as they have to be seen by the children so they can experience the excitement of the poem shaped to the theme of the poem. ‘In the Bath’ by Andrew Collett is lovely example.
To conclude, poetry is sometimes neglected in that it is a form that sometimes gets left behind but poems illustrate a creative process that children can get involved with.

[Karolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to recommend this book that I came across during my school experience B. It does contain literally ‘every kind of poem you will ever need at school’ and I used it myself for the topic of Kennings poems. For all types of poetry it includes a short introduction or definition of the given types of poems, which is very useful as you don’t have to waste time looking for it elsewhere! Although, sometimes the definitions are not necessarily child friendly, it still saves you time as all you need to do is to change some of the wording. For the topic of Kennings poems for example, it contains Kennings on animals which you can use as an introduction to the topic of Kennings-children can guess or act out the animal described and the rest of the class can guess the title of the poem. Also, as a follow up, children can write their own animal Kennings. Furthermore, the book contains a Kenning about a teacher and this can be used to make the learning more personal. After introducing the Teacher Kennings, children can choose a teacher from the school and write a more specific Kenning, using descriptive phrases that would be characteristic of that person. The rest of the class, including the class main teacher can have a lot of fun guessing who the Kenning is about! It’s a valuable book to purchase for your teaching placements as well as your future teaching career in KS1 or KS2.

[Bethy Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I distinctly remember my Year 3/4 teacher reading a poem from this collection daily. So, when I picked this compendium out in the library, it certainly was a nostalgia trip!
This compendium is fantastic. There is a vast range of poems available and several poetry styles represented. For example: traditional rhymes, tongue twisters, haikus, kennings, riddles, limericks, and narrative poems, to name just a few. For me, this compendium is a classroom essential as it opens children’s minds to the endless literary possibilities that poetry creates. It is an excellent starting point for numerous English lessons across all year groups.
I enjoy many of the poems in this collection, however my favourites would have to be the limerick Short Visit, Long Stay by Paul Cookson and the nonsense poem On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan.
Focusing on the latter, this nonsense poem is brilliantly hilarious. My Mum used to read it in the funniest voice to my brother and I before bed on many occasions. The poem is told from a narrative point of view about an imaginary place called the ‘Ning Nang Nong’. The poem describes how different animals and random objects in the imaginary land make very odd and loud noises.
Due to this being a nonsense poem, I don’t think there are any interpretations or messages to be taken from it – other than the Ning Nang Nong being a very noisy place! Similarly, there are no world to text connections that I can easily make. However, when I read this poem, I draw text to text connections with The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. This traditional poem is also nonsensical and about an imaginary land with random animals and objects.
What I find just brilliant about On the Ning Nang Nong, is the way the poem repeats the noises in the second part eg.
So it’s Ning Nang Nong!
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning!
Trees go Ping!
Nong Ning Nang!
The mice go Clang!
This sentence structure is excellent for children to memorise and then read aloud. It is a tongue twister that encourages pronunciation and spoken language skills.

[Book Grocer]

Purchase The Works here for just $10!

The Works contains every kind of poem you would need at school, from a wide range of classic and modern poets. Including new lesson plans from poet and educator Paul Cookson, The Works is a perfect reference for teachers, students and poetry lovers alike!

Kelsey - The Book Grocer

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Works is an anthology of different poems. These include Nursery Rhymes, Action Verses, Chants, Modern Rhymes, Traditional Stories in Simple Rhyme, Fables and Parables, Myths and Legends, Humour, Tongue Twisters, Puns and Wordplay, Shape Poetry, Acoustic Poems, Modern Poems, Haikus, Cinquains, Kennings, Riddles, Limericks, Alphabet Poems, Epitaphs, Letters, Songs to say but a few. This is an eclectic mix of poems that vary wildly in skill and accessibility. 3 stars.

[R-mig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid lists of poems! My favorite categories were Humorous Verse, Puns and Wordplay, Modern Poems, Cinquains, Riddles, Alphabet Poems, Prayers, Epitaphs, Performance Poems, and Classic Poems.
However, I do wish to have seen more William Blake and William Wordsworth.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a great collection and I'm sure it was a bargain.

Re-read it looking for my Y3 thing but I couldn't find one that fits :(

[Jennifer Spiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful anthology of poems that contains plenty of styles - perfect to dip into with a class.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad range of poems

[Aimee Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of poems in the first of many chosen by Paul Cookson. There are 39 sections of different styles of poems, some of which include: Haikus, Acrostic Poems, Riddles and Couplets. As it says on the cover of the book, there quite literally is every kind of poem you will ever need. Particular poems I liked were under the Haikus section written by Roger Stevens and John Cooper Clarke. They read:

If a poem has
Just sixteen syllables
Is it a lowku?

and

To convey one's mood
in seventeen syllables
is very diffic

This book would be a great resource for teachers and pupils in literacy lessons to advance one's knowledge on the range of styles of poetry writing.

Age range: 5 - 11