Poetry for Young People
DARK SKY PARK
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Dark Sky Park, with illustrations by Jesse Hodgson (Otter-Barry Books, 2018) ISBN: 978-1-91095-9-886
OFF ROAD TO EVERYWHERE
Winner of the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) Poetry Award 2011
Described by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, the previous year's winner of the prize and a judge as, “an outstanding winner for this Award” while fellow judge Fiona Waters, also a previous winner, said, “This is wonderful stuff. Here are real, proper poems which are full of beauty and imagination!” knows what's happening, they are on the run together. A gripping, thought-provoking novel about lies, truth, love and whether you can ever really know anybody... even yourself.
‘Already an established poet and winner of the T. S. Eliot prize, Philip Gross has produced Off Road to Everywhere, a collection full of poetry that appeals to both adults and children. His language and diction is captivating, and the rhythmic measure of many of the poems is perfect for a younger generation getting into poetry. Throughout the collection, Gross mixes fantasy with reality and elevates the familiar with images like the “Folded...wings of old-gold birds, / Chinese screens” (Shadow Party); and the exquisite illustrations complementing the poems pick out more than the words on the page. Gross provide a wealth of knowledge on how to write poetry itself, and many of the techniques he uses can be used for workshops amongst adults and children. In an elegant and accessible collection, Gross introduces children to a world of thinking, writing and reading like a poet.’ Liam Parkin on lovereading4kids.co.uk
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Off Road To Everywhere, with illustrations by Jonathan Gross. (Salt, 2010) ISBN: 9781844717224
SCRATCH CITY
‘Philip Gross has pioneered a new form of writing for young readers in which he sets Everest-high standards not only in content but also in the skilful use of form, construction, rhyme and rhythm in the poems. Scratch City deserves to be widely read. It is thought-provoking, enriching and a fine example of craftsmanship in creative writing.’ Junior Bookshelf
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Scratch City (Faber, 1995) ISBN 0 571 17535 X.
THE ALL-NITE-CAFE
Winner of the Signal Award
‘an elegant exhibition of craftsmanship and intellectual mystery... You go back to Philip Gross' poems as they re-echo in your head... Here is writing at the upper edge of children's poetry’ Signal Award judges' report
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The All-Nite Cafe (Faber, 1993) ISBN 0 571 16753 5
MANIFOLD MANOR
‘This is a world of playful conceits and chilly intimations in which voices carry on the wind, lost souls press for recognition, doors become mirrors and mirrors doors. Wordplay is the key to understanding, and the whole enterprise is cleverly designed to nudge young readers into an awareness... that through their own writing they can unlock more than they might have bargained for’ Times Educational Supplement
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Manifold Manor, with illustrations by Chris Riddell (Faber, 1989) ISBN 0 571 15405 0
