Rebecca M Newman and Sally Murphy (editors) and Briony Stewart (illustrator), Right Way Down and Other Poems, co-published by Fremantle Press & Alphabet Soup, February 2024, 144 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760993429
A collection of poems from West Australian writers, Right Way Down and Other Poems is ideal for primary school libraries.
Parents might not realise, but poetry is in the school curriculum at most year levels. I know already this year 2 of my 3 primary schoolers have been writing poems in class, and we certainly covered it as part of learning from home during Covid. As such, school libraries should be on the lookout for poem anthologies to update and extend their collection, giving teachers and students a wider range of resources to use.
Right Way Down is divided up into 5 sections: Come On In!, Creative Thinkers, Creature Features, The View From Here and Heading Home. I’m no expert on poetry, but I do know that there are a variety of poems, some rhyme, some don’t, some are long, others very short, and there are certainly haikus. For what it’s worth, the ones I really liked were:
- The Wright Song, p. 25
- Life With Art is Never Boring (Lucky You’re so Good at Drawing!), p. 36
- The Boy with the Dynamite Idea: How Blowing Stuff Up Can Lead to Great Things, p. 38
- A Gardener’s Guide to Poetry, p. 46
The illustrations, by Briony Stewart, bring added personality and depth to this compilation. A special mention for the illustration for Fremantle Harbour, p.80-81. Perhaps I’m a visual learner, but without the images I would certainly have misunderstood this poem. I do wish that Australian publishers were able to use more colour when publishing books for children. I understand that the volume is not there to justify the expense, I just find myself wishing that illustrators were getting their work honoured and appreciated by printing it in colour.
As I said, this is a great one for school libraries. I can see it being used by teachers, and by older primary school aged students.
Reviewed by Cherie Bell
