Sheer Poetry – a remarkable read

Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman

This is unlike any other children’s story I have ever read. A series of 26 short poems, telling the story of Sam and Davey, and all about bullying and friendship, secrets and lies, and the terrible thing that happened one day …

Told entirely in Sam’s voice, the poems are mostly in a prose style, following rhythms of speech and thought. The poems really do capture Sam’s emotional turmoil. There is no need for unnecessary explanation, it’s all in the words. But in between are also ones composed in haiku, limerick and blank verse styles. The author explains the forms in an afterword, which will be useful to young readers. Each of the poems is also illustrated with lovely drawings by Helen van Vliet which capture the sentiments within each section beautifully.

This is a remarkable and rewarding read for about 8yrs and upwards. Like many poetic forms, it would be even more moving spoken aloud, and I’m sure it would be an excellent tool for talking about bullying also. 10/10

0 thoughts on “Sheer Poetry – a remarkable read

Leave a Reply