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.
