It’s day FOUR of my poems for children countdown! That can only mean tomorrow is National Poetry Day. I’ll be talking to lots of children about poetry and I’m excited to discover what sort of poetry they love.

So far in my countdown we have read George Szirtes, Edward Lear and e e cummings. Each poem is written in a different style, and each poem is accessible, fun and thought-provoking. Great to discuss in a classroom or at home.

Today it’s the turn of one of my favourite poets – Ted Hughes. A one-time Poet Laureate, Hughes wrote for all ages. I’ve found that ‘serious’ poets don’t always manage to write well for children but Hughes certainly did. And this one is from an especially wonderful collection called Moon Whales. It’s even illustrated by Chris Riddell, which makes it doubly marvellous.

The poem I’ve chosen is the title poem – Moon Whales.