Squeak! Squawk! Roar! – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: oozy-cruisy, non-bat wombat.
Children’s book title: Squeak! Squawk! Roar!: Amazing Animal Poems.
Children’s author: Kate Williams
Children’s illustrator: Hannah Asen.
Genre: Children’s poetry.
Published by: Otter-Barry Books.
ISBN: 9781915659552.
Recommended for children aged: 6-9 year-olds.
First published: Paperback January 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: encouraging playfulness, awareness, and empathy.
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Our review:
Fishy wishes, a comfy cobra, a crosser-than-cross rhinoceros, pocket poppets, oozy-cruisy, a non-bat wombat, and a chimpantease. Squeak! Squawk! Roar! is a cleverly written collection of quirky animal poems.
Each poem is unique, offering different perspectives, styles, and playful uses of language, including wordplay and alliteration. The vivid descriptions bring colourful images to life and will capture children’s attention—for example, “Can you leap-boing far?” Throughout the book, the poems blend imagination with emotions, encouraging playfulness, awareness, and empathy.
What would happen if you let your hamster loose?
Who’s gone to the dentist?
A short imaginative journey with moon power.
Guess what animal is “Rover in Moldova, eating pavlova” ?
Or, “Maxie, long as a log.”
Some of the poems are a jumble of rhyming clues, encouraging the reader to guess the animal. A few poems are written from the perspective of an animal, and you have to guess what it is – or find out at the very end. I found myself enjoying the fun rhythm while my brain was stimulated into piecing everything together to figure out where it was heading. Environmental issues are gently touched upon and are thought-provoking.
Many of these poems could be used for fun projects at school or at home. In “Who, me?”, the character is very relatable for children and encourages them to think and perhaps write a funny poem about themselves. Other poems (particularly the last) inspire creativity and imagination, and children may be motivated to create their own work.
I like that the poems seem to improve as the book progresses, making it more and more enjoyable. The poems would suit a wide range of ages, and this is a book that can be read from start to finish or dipped into at random. It would be a brilliant resource for schools but equally fun for bookcases at home and bedtime reading.
Occasional wacky or cute illustrations help illustrate the subject of each poem, particularly the adorable polar bear cub, who I would love to take home.
Without giving away too many spoilers, I think the Perfect poem is the penultimate one. It touches on the most important subject of all – love.
Many thanks to Otter-Barry Books for the review copy.
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Browse our list of Books for Year 3.
