A Shame to Miss 1

Many young people come to poetry through someone older with a passion for it. Others have to manage by themselves, and it can be difficult.

I still remember exactly why it was I didn't 'get' lots of the poems I came across. I remember which words I didn't understand, and even which bits I couldn't follow because of things no one had told me.

I've chosen these particular poems because, if I were your mother or teacher, these are the ones I really wouldn't want you to miss. And I've tried to explain everything you need to know to enjoy them first time.

Anne Fine has collected poetry she feels it would be a shame for any child to miss. A Shame to Miss 1 is aimed at junior readers and is a diverse mixture of classic, well-loved poetry like Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky or Tennyson's Break, Break, Break alongside poems from more modern poets like Kit Wright, Brian Patten and Diana Hendry. Other poets featured include Hillaire Belloc, Walter de la Mare, Eleanor Farjeon, Robert Graves, Kipling and many others: more than 70 poems in total.

A Shame to Miss 1 was published on August 5th 2003; ISBN: 978-0-552-56698-8; it was reissued by Corgi Children's in October 2012.

Order A Shame to Miss 1 from Amazon.

More A Shame to Miss poems for middle and older readers.