What is Poetry?

Let’s just get it out of the way at the start – I love Michael Rosen. There I said it.

‘What is Poetry?’ is one of the funnest books on poetry I’ve ever read, it seems to be aimed at a young audience, probably middle-grade readers. This doesn’t stop me from saying that this book is one of the best books on writing poetry for all ages, especially for those that are frightened by the idea of poetry.

Broken down into digestible chunks, the encouraging advice is so clear and not patronising that I wanted to start writing poetry.

The images peppered through the book are also a nice touch.

Examples of poetry throughout the book don’t pull any punches either; from modern poetry by Rosen himself to work by Thomas Hardy, the excerpts and complete poems are used well to explain different facets of the craft of a poet.

I would say that this is probably one of the essential books for any budding writers, not just of poetry, as it explains things clearly and will help writers gain confidence in their art and skill.