Lucky

 Lucky by Roger McGough (Walker Books)

PB RRP $15.95

ISBN 9781847803214

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Welcome to another superb, lively and witty book of poetry. I avoid saying ‘for children’ because everything written for children is always enjoyed by older readers as well. Roger McGough is an observant and wondrous wordsmith. He writes for the stage and has been awarded an OBE and a CBE for services to poetry. He is the author of Dotty Inventions and the other superlative poetry collection, An Imaginary Menagerie who gives readings all over the globe.

It is books like these that bring words to life. Poetry becomes reborn through this entertaining form and enters the mind like a beat from a drum. Each poem is better than the one preceding it.

There are poems about hay fever, the stars, snails, a burp, granny’s canary. From this short list the reader can gauge how versatile and zany the subject matter is in this little book. There are forty-eight poems on ninety pages. The writer has also illustrated the book with pen and pencil.

‘Is sandpaper used for wrapping up sand?

If you lay down your arms, can you still lend a hand?

Is a sick bed a bed that is feeling unwell?

Is a crime wave a criminal’s wave of farewell?’

Then there’s The Book Borrower who borrows a book from a lender who knows it won’t be returned. ‘I’d give her a piece of my mind, but I’d never get it back’. Everything Touches is outstanding and meaningful; No Peas for the Wicked is clever and funny. The title poem Lucky is extraordinary in rhyming verse. The list goes on. If you want a good laugh, or to be amazed at what acrobatics words can do, pick up this book and fill your mind with impressions through poetry. It is a treasure to be treasured and a word lover’s ideal possession. It comes highly recommended.