SQUEAK! SQUAWK! ROAR! Amazing Animal Poems
My debut solo book of poems for children came out at the start of this year, 2025.
Publisher: Otter-Barry Books; publication date: 9.1.25, ISBN 978-1915659552.
Squeak! Squawk! Roar! is illustrated by Hannah Asen and is packed full of poems about all kinds of animals, from the albatross to the wombat!
The book has been praised by reviewers, teachers and acclaimed poets, I’m pleased to say. Before publication, it was selected for preview by The Bookseller, and was one of the 25 “top picks” of Bounce Marketing, which represents children’s smaller publishers in the UK. It was also listed in Amazon’s Top 10 ‘Hot New Releases’ for children’s poetry.
More good news has come in since: my publisher tells me ‘Squeak’ is to feature in a national reading scheme next year – details to be announced in due course – that ‘s all I can say about that for now!
You can find out more about ‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’ here.
It’s available from Amazon, Waterstones, or any good bookshop, in the UK and internationally.
ANTHOLOGIES
I’ve lost count of my published poems, but it’s somewhere between 150 and 200, the latest being in MacMillan’s Heroes & Villains 2024. I’ve contributed to a range of poetry anthologies and literary magazines for children in the UK and regions beyond, including Australia, the USA and Asia. My poems have also been published by various professional poetry sites. There’s a list at the bottom of this page.
My poetry has also been used in UK National Curriculum support material, including ‘Break Time’, for instance – in which a child tells of her struggles to fit in with the crowd at play time – which was picked to support personal development and anti-bullying efforts in schools. (‘Break Time’ was first published in ‘Poems about Me and You’, Wayland, 1998.) Other poems have been selected for arts festival recital syllabi around the country – not that I can memorise many of them myself!
JOURNALISM & EDUCATION ARTICLES
I have written for various publications, including the national newspapers and teaching magazines. They include:
The Guardian, Teaching Times, Practical Pre-School, Primary Teacher Update, Teach Secondary and TeachWire.
You can find my Guardian profile page here.
LIST OF BOOKS MY POEMS APPEAR IN
- Heroes and Villains, Macmillan, 2024
- Peak Moments, supporting children in schools in Nepal, 2024
- Elizabeth’s Poetry of Hope, Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope, 2021
- Wonder, The National History Museum Poetry Book, Macmillan, 2021
- Hodder Cambridge English Learner’s Book 2, 2021
- Shaping the World, Macmillan Children’s Books, 2021
- A World Full of Poems, Dorling Kindersley, 2020
- Tiger, Tiger – an animal poem for every day of the year, Nosy Crow, 2020
- KS1 SATs Tests, Schofield & Sims, 2019
- Poems About Families (2 poems contributing), 2017
- Seasons, Wayland (anthologist: Brian Moses), 2015
- Dear Tomato (international anthology), 2015
- A First Poetry Book, Pan Macmillan, 2012
- And the Crowd Goes Wild!, Friesens Press, 2012
- When Granny Won Olympic Gold, A & C Black, 2012
- Best of Enemies, Best of Friends, Wayland, 2011
- Does Your Face Fit?, A & C Black, 2011
- Bovington School’s School of Poetry, Authors Abroad, 2011
- My Cat Is In Love With The Goldfish, A & C Black, 2010
- Read Me At School, Macmillan, 2009
- Wild, Macmillan, 2009
- Let’s Recycle Grandad, A & C Black, 2008
- Read Me Out Loud, Macmillan, 2007
- The Works 5, Macmillan, 2006
- How To Survive School, Macmillan, 2006
- The Poetry Store, Hodder Children’s Books, 2005
- Funny Poems For Christmas, Scholastic, 2005
- The Trying Flapeze, Oxford University Press, 2004
- Poems To Take On Holiday, Oxford University Press, 2004
- Disgusting Poems, Scholastic, 2004
- Second Thoughts, Gomer Press, 2003
- A Glimpse of the Sea, Pembrokeshire County Council, 2003
- The Prime Minister is 10 Today, Macmillan, 2003
- The Teachers’ Revenge, Macmillan, 2003
- Moondust and Mystery, Oxford University Press, 2002
- Fire To A Cold World, Books 1 and 2, Welsh Joint Education Committee, 2002(?)
- Are We Nearly There Yet?, Macmillan, 2002
- Turn That Racket Down, Red Fox, 2001
- Elephants Can’t Jump, Belitha Press, 2001
- Hysterical Historical Poems, Macmillan, 2000
- Unzip Your Lips Again, Macmillan. 1999
- My Gang, Macmillan, 1999
- Poems about Super-Heroes, Macmillan, 1998.
- Poems about Me, Wayland, 1998
- Poems about You and Me, Wayland, 1998
- School Trips, Macmillan, 1997
OTHER PUBLICATIONS MY POEMS APPEAR IN
- The Oldie (1st Prize poetry winner)
- The School Magazine, Australia: numerous poems published through the years.
- Cricket Magazine, Spider Magazine, Ladybug Magazine, USA, 4 poems.
- Caterpillar Magazine, Ireland (multiple contributions)
- Bumples arts magazine for children, USA.
- Better than Starbucks Poetry Journal (children’s section), US (multiple contributions)
- The Reading Realm (app),
- The Dirigible Balloon, online poetry store
- Northern Gravy, online literary magazine
- Poet Brian Moses’s mini online anthologies
SOME EXAMPLES OF POEMS IN ANTHOLOGIES
SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS
I have two self-published poetry books for children, both of which are now sold out: Swinging Through The Sky (2007) and Wildlife Poems (2009).
Wildlife Poems received the following praise from famous poets:
“Congratulations on producing such a fine-looking book. Superior, I would say, to some published by the large presses.”
— Roger McGough (poet)
“These poems move quickly down the page like animals might, unleashing rhymes and rhythms everywhere.”
— Ian McMillan (poet, broadcaster, journalist and playwright)
“Kate Williams finds a subject, gives it a twist and hey presto, that little bit of magic a poem needs is conjured up.”
— Brian Moses (children’s poet)
COPYRIGHT
Please note that I own copyright of all poems presented and listed on this website, and that the book publishers and illustrators own copyright of all pictures of published work on this website. If you wish to use any of my poems or other writings in any publication, public performance, professional recording or for any other commercial purpose, please get in touch first. It is not permitted to copy or use any poems or pictures on this website for commercial use or profit, direct or indirect, without prior consent. Thanks.
Kate Williams 