Stars With Flaming Tails

Valerie Bloom Press Reviews

Valerie Bloom is a poet whose work sings with irrepressible joy and humour. -- Sian Williams - Children's Bookshow

Best friends, making friends, pancakes, wild animals and much more in this first solo collection from Bloom in several years, paired with Wilson-Max for the first time. -- The Bookseller - Fiona Noble

No matter how you're feeling, you'll find something to suit your mood, or to lift you out of it perhaps. Ken Wilson-Max's black and white illustrations serve the poems well, providing an additional reason to smile wherever you open the book - Red Reading Hub

Super! There's a huge variety of poems here...that demonstrate empathy, conservation and family. It's fun and full of imagination and we love the riddles and wordplay. - Let Them Be Small

Valerie Bloom's perfectly painted words, accompanied by Ken Wilson-Max's thought-provoking and evocative illustrations make this a collection for every child to enjoy and find themselves in. -- Charlotte Hacking - CLPE

Otter-Barry Books are the publishers with poetry at their heart and have put together this delightful book with two amazing people. It shows how they live up to their aims of pushing boundaries and publishing books that children will love. - Dolphin Book Blog

No matter how you're feeling, you'll discover something to suite your mood, or to lift you out of it perhaps. Ken Wilson-Max' black and white illustrations serve the poems well, providing an additional reason to smile wherever you open the book. - Red Reading Hub

Valerie Bloom is one of Achuka's favourite poets and this is her first solo collection or several years. Bold black illustrations from Ken Wilson-Max throughout...Bloom's mastery of rhythm and rhyme and the natural way in which she slips from the concrete to the figurative, will have readers spellbound...Very highly recommended. - Achuka Book of the Day

Funny, thoughtful and perceptive, this joyful and richly varied collection of poems by Jamaican-born poet Valerie Bloom will inspire curiosity and laughter in pupils, alongside a deep sense of wonder at the beauty and mystery of life -- Teach Primary It's a corker! -- Pie Corbett Full of wonder, friendship, nonsense and delight. -- Imogen Russell Williams - Guardian

A poignant and highly recommended anthology of poetry for children, filled with verse which is as moving as it is fun to read aloud...A must-have collection by Valerie Bloom...who has managed to put into words how we all feel. - Booktrust - Books We Love

Definitely a book that I would recommend children aged 8-11 read, for the sense of exploration and curiosity it can instil in reader, its take on wordplay and poems targeting the emotional quotient of kids and of those with messages for the environment. - Armadillo

A lovely collection, beautifully illustrated. -- Rick Charlesworth - Primary English Lead, UKLA London rep

An excellent, varied collection. - Books for Keeps

I highly recommend the book for both its verses and illustrations. It will bring laughter and pleasure in its reading and rereading. - IBBY

A wonderful collection of poems full of empathy for others, conservation, the environment and rich, imaginative wordplay. - Library Girl & Book Boy