Rachel Rooney Press Reviews
Making the ordinary seem extraordinary is a gift - one which characterises the poetry of Rachel Rooney - Book Trust
The tough kid, the dreamer, the shy one, the whizz kid and even the class hamster, every child will find themselves in the pages of the CLIPPA winning poet's new collection featuring striking two colour art work from Riddell. -- Fiona Noble - The Bookseller
Charming, fun to read, and thought-provoking. - Kirkus
If there's one thing that's guaranteed to get kids into poetry, it's having a sense of being able to identify with the subject matter, and with school being such a huge part of their lives, every single child that picks up this book will definitely be nodding along, agreeing with the sentiments expressed in those devilishly clever rhymes. Really rather special this! - Read it, Daddy!
An absolutely smashing collaboration...Share a couple of these poems with a class or group and I'll guarantee they'll be clamouring to get their hands on a copy. Totally brilliant! - Red Reading Hub
A winning combination of poems and portraits. - INIS
Rooney evokes children's perspectives with empathy. The poignancy and humour of these character sketches are heightened by their illustrations. -- Imogen Russell Williams - Guardian
What a lovely collaboration...this is! Rachel Rooney brings a whole school classroom to life...beautifully complemented by Chris Riddell's witty and sympathetic illustrations. - Reading Zone
This moreish collection of poems about a class full of characters is beautifully written and illustrated and will ring bells with all children about their own behaviour and that of their schoolmates. -- Nicolette Jones - Sunday Times
This is a great collection and will be much enjoyed by children around ages 8-11. It speaks about how you feel as an individual in a class of others. And how others feel the same, even though they don't say anything. - DolphinBooks - the blog
I absolutely love this new children's poetry book -- David Walliams
Complemented by Chris Riddell's amazing illustrations, each well-crafted poem is a glimpse of school life that can be sad, funny or thought-provoking. Children and adults will identify with the 'kids' in the poems or know someone who fits the bill. - Carousel
There is not one weak point in this wonderful collection. The verses are accurate, thought-provoking, honest and beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell. It has already found a place on my 'to be read again and again' book shelf. - Poetry Zone
This eagerly awaited new collection from an outstanding poet, winner of the CLiPPA Award, is perfectly matched by the amazing wit and inventiveness of the former UK Children's Laureate. - Achuka
Thought-provoking and fun. - The Week Junior
This brilliant little book is the perfect addition to any classroom library; a book of clever poems picking out some of the many personalities that pupils will find sitting next to them in assemblies, lunch queues and in the playgrounds. - Book Trust - Books We Love
This unique, daring selection features a poem on each different child within a class - ... The genius lies in the fact that the poems will resonate for the teacher of the class, but each child will see some of their own character in some of the poems...Full of both emotion, and knowledge of the classroom, this is a superb collection, brilliantly illustrated by Riddell, who has also managed to pick out the unique look of each child. If nothing else, it will certainly make you wince in recognition, and laugh at the wit. Poetry has never seemed more alive and more relevant. - Minerva Reads
As a measure of the way the words and pictures work together so beautifully in this excellent collaboration, the class hamster that goes missing in an early poem in the collection due to an accident prone kid, appears silently in many of the subsequent illustrations and eventually gets to display the knowledge he has acquired. - CLPE Book of the Week
