‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’

Amazing Animal Poems

 



“You know it’s a great book when the kids shout ‘More, more, more!’ ” –
Josie de Falco, poet.

“Delightful… her love of the natural world shines through every verse.”
BookTrust

“A brilliant resource for schools but equally fun for bookshelves at home and bedtime reading.” School Reading List

“A compact powerhouse of poems” – Bookwagon.


” Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’  is a brilliant collection of animal poems about all types of animals from insects to pets, farm animals to wild animals and everything in between.” Books for Topics 

Pupils at St Michael’s Primary School, Bury.

“The book made me laugh, my favourite poem was ‘cobra gets comfy’, it was written in the shape of the snake.”
Just one of the appreciative and observant comments by Reading Rocks reviewers from St Michael’s RC Primary, Bury, who gave the book 5 stars. Click link for full review:
Reading Rocks – St Michael’s Primary, Bury

  • Available from Amazon, Waterstones or any good bookshop.
  • Get in touch to arrange book readings, workshops or anything else.

    Recommendations


Recommended by BookTrust
Recommended by Best Books for Schools
Recommended by Schools Reading List
Recommended by Jon Biddle in ‘Essential Poetry for Primary Schools list’
Recommended by Books for Topics (animals)
Recommended by Through the Bookshelf
and many others.













Selected for preview by The Bookseller, and as one of the “top picks” by Bounce Marketing, which represents children’s publishers.

“Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’ is a vibrant collection of poems celebrating the diverse and wonderful world of animals. From elephants to mice, cobras to chimpanzees, there is much to enjoy in these pages…

“… With so many lovely poems, it is hard to select just one or two to highlight in a review! However, I have done my best… For a cat-lover like me, ‘A Cat’s Day In’ is an absolute delight, capturing the essence of a cat’s activities as it tip-toes on its ‘quilted paws’ with a ‘mew of indecision’. Of course, dog fans might prefer ‘A Dog’s View’ which follows!”

Through the Bookshelf

REVIEWS and COMMENTS – more on Amazon, Waterstone’s, Foyles & more sites.

“This book is already a big hit in our house. Delightful collection of poems with gorgeous artwork. Stunning lyrical rhymes – fun to read aloud! You know it’s a great book when the kids shout ‘More, more, more!’  Perfect for animal lovers.”


— Josie de Falco, poet (on X)  Picture below also provided by Josie de Falco.

“I LOVED Kate Williams’ debut collection and it wasn’t even written for me! This will quickly become a favourite from classrooms to bedrooms. What young child wouldn’t want to hear a witty, beautifully written poem about cats and dogs, hedgehogs, rabbits, foxes, mice or elephants?” 

— Carole Bromley, poet & grandparent


“Kate Williams has impressed me for many years with her clever, quirky poems about all kinds of creatures. Any child who loves animals couldn’t fail to be entertained by the poems in this collection.”

— Brian Moses, writer and performer


“Kate has created a joyous collection of poems, full of energy, humour and a deep love of nature. Definitely one for the classroom bookshelf.”

— Jon Biddle, award-winning teacher and Reading for Pleasure advocate

” ‘A tail, a beak? A roar? A squeak?’ ”  There’s so much to choose from in the animal world. Kate Williams’s collection is a zoological excursion populated by a colorful and characterful range of creatures. Some of the poems are lyrical, like the beautifully atmospheric red deer in A Vision on the Moor, or Fox Trot with its final lines: “Quick dash—red flash—vanish.” Many are comic, as with Rover, the globe-trotting sheep in Woolly But Cool, or the problematic dental patient in Can’t Snap Out of It! who turns out to be a crocodile. Others acknowledge the fragility and vulnerability of some birds and animals like the thrush and the turtle… As diverse in its moods and forms as the animal world it depicts.”

Independent Publishing Group


It’s not easy choosing just a few [poems] to draw attention to, but on the day of writing as well as the above mentioned, I was especially drawn to Dance of the Penguins, a superb portrayal of a sequence of penguin movements.



” ‘A tail, a beak? A roar? A squeak?’ ”  There’s so much to choose from in the animal world. Kate Williams’s collection is a zoological excursion populated by a colorful and characterful range of creatures. Some of the poems are lyrical, like the beautifully atmospheric red deer in A Vision on the Moor, or Fox Trot with its final lines: “Quick dash—red flash—vanish.” Many are comic, as with Rover, the globe-trotting sheep in Woolly But Cool, or the problematic dental patient in Can’t Snap Out of It! who turns out to be a crocodile. Others acknowledge the fragility and vulnerability of some birds and animals like the thrush and the turtle… As diverse in its moods and forms as the animal world it depicts.”

Independent Publishing Group



Readings from the book here, with a new reading each week: https://www.youtube.com/@KatesPoems111 – see Shorts. 

Here’s a taster: ‘In Memory of Maxie’. 


Christmas shopping?

You can’t go wrong with a bright, shiny book of funny, quirky, poignant, mind-stretchy little animal poems, abundantly illustrated, for a young reader or animal-lover!