David Self’s purpose in compiling his anthology for Year 4 and above, The Lion Children’s Treasury of Classic Verse (Lion pound;12.99), was to remind us “of the ways poets have shown how important God is in this world, how close he is to his creation, closer even than breathing”. The introduction of a fresh set of poems on every other page with a sentence or two of editorial explanatin soon grates, but the verse is of a quality that is absent from many modern anthologies.
I’m Small and Other Verses by Lilian Moore, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Walker Books pound;9.99) is a marvellous picture book of original verse for nursery and Year1 children, without a dud poem, in which Lillian Moore manages to feel the smallness of being very young.