James Carter Press Reviews
Beautiful book, wonderful words, lovely illustrations. This is definitely a poetry book, but it's a picture book, too. I tried reading it aloud with a young listener and it went down very well. We both really enjoyed it - every single poem. They made us laugh, they made us shiver and they made us ooh and aah. The alliteration and the onomatopoeia, the fun rhyme and the zappy rhythm are all ideal for joining in. James Carter really does understand how to grab the attention of younger children. And Nicola Colton provides some great illustrations. Buy it. Poetry Zone
There is Roger McGough, there is Michael Rosen and here is James Carter bringing bright, lively words to children. ... Against bold coloured backgrounds of ochre, red and green, Nicola Colton's childlike images add to the joyful action. .. This is a book that would be great fun to share with a class of enthusiastic children, or as a family at bedtime. IBBY Link
Full of exciting, adventurous poems, all of which are perfect for reading aloud and are accompanied by cartoon illustrations. The Reading Zone
This exhilarating collection of poems is a perfect way to enthuse children for poetry. They will be captivated by the bright artwork and the way the poems are interwoven with the pictures...The poems have been specially written for performance - teachers will love them for classroom use and for assemblies; they are great for children to read aloud too, in groups or individually. The wonderful use of language will inspire children to try writing poetry for themselves. Parents in Touch
The sort of poetry book that kids can't resist. I've always held the opinion that funny poetry just BEGS to be read out loud (in as silly a voice as possible) and this book was a true treat. Read It Daddy
Here is a collection of poems especially written for performance. With delightful illustrations by a talented new illustrator. RECOMMENDED. Achuka
This corker of a book arrived during the holidays and I had to restrain myself from dashing out into the road, grabbing any child I could find and saying, 'Come with me and listen.' ...Assuredly, this is a book if ever there was one, to turn children on to poetry. It leads on perfectly from nursery rhymes and deserves a place in every early years setting and on every family bookshelf. So, do what James Carter suggests in his final offering and Take a Poem ... Nicola Colton 's spirited illustrations allow the poems to take centre stage right where they should be - a tricky undertaking, deftly done. Red Reading Hub
Perfect for reading out loud, Appealing illustrations provide plenty to talk about in this perfect introduction to poetry for younger children. Book Trust
A brilliant introduction to poetry for young children, poems easily learnt and performed, great titles and include colours, animals, space, music and fairy tale fireworks. DolphinBooks - the blog
Poetry now enjoys a higher profile within the National Curriculum than previously and books such as Zim Zam Zoom! can only contribute to making poetry more accessible and enjoyable for a young audience. Armadillo
About James Carter
James Carter is an award-winning children's poet. He travels all over the cosmos (well, Britain), with his guitar (that's Keith) to give lively poetry performances and workshops. James once had hair, extremely long hair (honestly), and he played in a really nasty ultra-loud heavy rock band. And, as a lifelong space cadet, James has discovered that poems are the best place to gather all his daydreamy thoughts. What's more, he believes that daydreaming for ten minutes every day should be compulsory in all schools. His poetry titles include Cars Stars Electric Guitars and Orange Silver Sausage (Walker Books) and Time-Travelling Underpants and Greetings, Earthlings! (Macmillan). James was the major contributor to the recent Cbeebies TV series Poetry Pie. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
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