Where Do Wishes Go?: Poems

by Debra Bertulis, Jess Mason (Illustrator)

Overview

An exciting debut collection full of magic, adventure, humor and empathy.

Poetry transports you
Over land and air and sea
Find your poetry door today
You already have the key

Ride a silver-maned unicorn, make a witches' brew, head to Star City and become an astronaut. Name your pet mouse Fred, find secrets in the forest and enjoy those glad-to-be-alive days. But don't impersonate your mom on the telephone!

From changing schools and missing friends to standing up for nature and helping to save our Earth. Find poems about being kind, feeling sad, or going on an adventure...there's something for everyone in this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913074395
Publisher:	Otter-Barry Books
Publication date:	08/01/2022
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Debra Bertulis always wanted to be a writer and she has written both poetry and plays for children. As a teacher of speech and drama, working with students on poetry composition and performance, she is keenly aware of how children respond to the written and spoken word. She is passionate about bringing poetry into schools and enjoys doing workshops and readings. Debra lives in Herefordshire, UK

Jess Mason studied illustration at the University of Worcester and graduated with a First in 2018. She is drawn to stories and poems containing adventure, humor and fantasy. Jess takes inspiration from folk art, medieval manuscripts, Renaissance maps and film to create illustrations that are characterful and atmospheric, using a combination of hand-rendered and digital processes. She lives in Worcester.

Table of Contents

Poems Are Doors 6

Greedy Gull! 7

Witches' Brew for All the Family 8

Miss Jazz 10

Heart 12

Falling Apart 13

Grandad's Leaving Home 14

Star City 16

Poetry Potty! 18

Looking After Mum 20

Hair-Scare! 22

Fly in My Soup! 23

Mike the Mirror 24

New Boy 26

All the Days 28

Gran's Cat 30

Jack's Mountain 34

Thinking Place 36

To Be a Tree 37

Baby Sister 38

Aaron the Rat 39

The Twins 40

Moon to Share 41

Serial Shopper 42

Lily 44

Love Is Never Lost 46

Kindness 47

Creature Baby! 48

Eilag Nilletemythguan 50

Not Just a Cloud 52

Moving On 54

Worm 55

Blackberry Picking 56

Callum's Homework 58

IF 60

Morning Song 61

Dear Mrs Bright 62

Kite 64

Sleepover Gran 65

Love Heart 66

The World Speaks 67

What Am I? 68

Miss 70

Experiment Day 72

Wish Upon a Star 74

Blue Moon Haiku 75

Pound on the Ground 76

King Cat 78

Animal Riddle 79

Home for Uncle Len 80

Empty Chair 81

A Poppy for Albert Davies 82

Earth to Intensive Care 83

Change of Direction 86

A Star Called Christa 87

Grief 88

How NOT to Impersonate Your Mum on the Telephone! 89

Forest Secrets 90

Tomorrow 91

Poetry is Everywhere 92

Acknowledgements 95

About the author and illustrator 96

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2022

Gr 1–3—This collection of 60 short poems covers familiar topics, including school, family, and the joys of nature. Most are lighthearted and upbeat. In "Creature Baby!," a child playfully imagines a variety of creatures inside a pregnant mother's oversized stomach. In another poem, a child welcomes "Sleepover Gran," who arrives with a bag of "stickiest sweets…Mum never lets me eat." There are a few word puzzles, examples of haiku and cinquain, and a few somber poems. "Grandad's Leaving Home," for example, finds his grandchild with unanswerable questions following his death. In "Looking After Mum," a child tersely handles morning chores for a bedridden mother, along with feeding and dressing a little sister before arriving late to school to face classmates' stares. Some British words and phrases will need explanation; "poetry potty," for instance, refers to a group of poetry-loving teachers and students. With few exceptions, most poems lack memorable imagery or read-aloud appeal. In "Moving On," a child missing her old home is met with trite assurances: "It's tears of love and laughter/ that make a house a home." In "New Boy," each stanza starts with, "I have come from another land," and follows with singsong observations: "I'm learning your language,/ Learning to smile/ New friends are teaching me how." VERDICT This insipid and uneven collection falls short as an introduction to poetry for primary grade audiences. —Marilyn Taniguchi

School Library Journal