Pumpkin Grumpkin
Edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols
Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Amusing and bemusing poetry from around the globe. John Agard and Grace Nichols have assembled a bunch of silly poems in this new collection brought to life with quirky illustrations by Satoshi Kitamura.
From classics like The Jabberwocky to great contemporary nonsense like The Computer's First Proverb, there's something for everyone in this vibrant, varied collection.
Publisher: Walker Books
Extract
My Sister by Margaret Mahy (New Zealand)
My sister’s remarkably light,
She can float to a fabulous height.
It’s a troublesome thing,
But we tie her with string,
And we use her instead of a kite.
The Puffin Who Lived in a Muffin by Yansan Agard (Guyana/USA)
There once was a black and white puffin
Who lived in a blueberry muffin.
Blueberries were halls
And all of the walls.
Believe you me, I am not bluffin’.
Puffin came home real late
And he ate and he ate and he ate
One blueberry, two blueberry and more.
He ate up the walls and all of the halls
Till his house was buffin but floor.
The little black and white puffin
He so loved the taste of blueberry muffins
That his house became nuffin but nuffin.
Out in the Desert by Charles Causley (England)
Out in the desert lies the Sphinx
It never eats and it never drinx
It’s body’s quite solid without any chinx
And when the sky’s all purple and pinx
(As if it was painted with coloured inx)
And the sun it ever so swiftly sinx
Behind the hills in a couple of twinx
You may hear (if you’re lucky) a bell that clinx
And also tolls and also tinx
And they say at the very same sound the Sphinx
It sometimes smiles and it sometimes winx
But nobody knows just what it thinx.
About the author
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John Agard and Grace Nichols
John Agard and Grace Nichols were brought up in Guyana and moved to Britain in 1977. Both are well-known writers and performers of poetry and they have each produced a number of poetry books for both adults and children. Under the Moon and Over the Sea (9781406334487), one of their... Read more about John Agard and Grace Nichols
Video & audio
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Poet John Agard talks nonsense while 11-year-old Yisrael tells you what he liked about Pumpkin Grumpkin.
Reviews
it was good the poems were funny and exciting so i will read this book over and over again
It was not good because I didn't understand the poems and it was not very funny even though in the clip they said it was going to be funny
I love this book it's really funny and really interesting and I hope you make more
I have found this book very interesting as it had a lot of poems from around the world.
its so boring I didn't like it
Good great poems but the pumpkin on the front is a bit freaky
WOW !!!!!!!! :)
Good and lots of fun Great poems
it has loads of good poems i have one i like it is called ning nang nong.
I think that the book is really good so far and I would recommend it for anyone who likes poetry!
I like this book because there are funny poems in it and mainly most of the poems are short and I like short poems because they don't take long to read. My 2 favourite poems in this book are called 'Pig's Song Of Courtship' and 'Pig's Lullaby'.
I really like this book because some of the poems are funny and I like funny poems
I loved all the poems in it, especally the weather one
i love this free book because i like poetry and this is the bestest book in the world and i could read it every single day because it's that good
good book but the pumpkin scares me
That pumpkin is scary!
I like the look of this book I have not actually read the book but I think it looks great. The book is colourful and fun.
It's not a bad book
it's good
I haven't read it yet but I know it's going to be good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a very good book
This poem book is good but it also can have better poems. I still think this book is mega though. 4 star
We think it's an amazing book and we think you should try this book Thanks for reading
This Pumpkin looks very very ugly. I'm going to get scared at nightime. But it is a very good book... My Tips... Don't give this book to younger children! :) Thanks.
I have ordered this book because I love poetry and I think it will be funny with all different funny poems and I noticed that the jabberwackey is included in it and I have read that before and it's a funny nonsense poem
Pumpkin Grumpkin is a book with poems from around the world. There are lots of illustrations. Aged 9+. Only for people who like to laugh!
Pumpkin Grumpkin is a book with poems from around the world and it tells you where the author is from and their name.
My favourite poem was called Epitaph for Humpty Dumpty. It’s a poem about humpty dumpty and its saying he has talents but unfortunately one of them was not being balanced. The poem is:
beneath this wall
there lies many talents
but(as you can probably tell)
one of them wasn’t balance.
And there was a picture of Humpty Dumpty.
I recommend this book for boys and girls who like a laugh and like poems, aged 9 and above.
Amusing and bemusing poetry from around the globe. There's something for all poetry fans in this vibrant, varied collection.
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