Fremantle Press 50 Years
If I Could Eat the Stars
& WA Writers
Fremantle Press is now fifty. I’m celebrating by focusing on one of their new books for children, If I Could Eat the Stars (and other poems), and highlighting some of the amazing Western Australian creators who have contributed to the anthology. So, I’m having a double celebration of Fremantle Press and WA writers.
If I Could Eat the Stars (and other poems)
Chosen by Rebecca M. Newman & Sally Murphy, illustrated by Briony Stewart
– Poems for children aged 9-12 years –
If I Could Eat the Stars
“If I could eat the stars
I bet they’d prickle my tongue
And fizz like fireworks
As they dissolved…
If I could see inside a black hole
I bet it wouldn’t be empty, but filled
With glossy blackbirds sleeping –
A starless velvet nest.”
(by Amber Moffat)
(from If I Could Eat the Stars and other poems)
Commentary by Joy Lawn (Joy in Books) at Paperbark Words blog
If I Could Eat the Stars showcases the formidable depth of WA writers for children. Let’s begin with those who selected the poems – Rebecca M. Newman and Sally Murphy – who are two well-credentialed Australian poets for young people.
I have interviewed, awarded and written about many of the following writers over the years and I include links here to recent related pieces about them at Paperbark Words blog.
Rebecca M. Newman’s poems are some of the best and funniest poems in the anthology. Her ‘Caution: Poem Ahead’ kicks off the book. It whets the appetite to ‘eat stars’, imagine and do the impossible. The poem warns of sibilance, alliteration, simile, repetition and other poetic devices in the vein of a short cautionary tale in verse. A whole other book could follow to tease out the ideas hinted at here.
Sally Murphy is a generous contributor and shows another perspective of playing football in ‘All Alone’.
Briony Stewart’s illustrations enhance many of the poems. And she even writes a few herself.
The Garden at the End of the World (Cassy Polimeni)
A roll call of other respected and well-known WA writers contribute haikus, shape poems and free verse.
These include:
Meg McKinlay, one of our finest poets, with ‘Lessons From Trees’ and ‘Morning Snorkel’.
How to Make a Bird (Matt Ottley)
Cristy Burne, is prolific with ‘Space Whales’ and funny poems.
Helen Milroy, best known for her picture books, appears here with ‘Colour Senses: Red’, an ideal template for children to use to write their own colour poems.
Frané Lessac, illustrator extraordinaire writes ‘Barnstorming’.
Deb Fitzpatrick, who has a strong backlist of novels, nails dog-walking and life with a dog in ‘Kelpie and Me’.
Bren MacDibble, acclaimed children’s novelist, has fun here with ‘Hairy Jeremy’.
The Raven’s Song (Zana Fraillon)
James Foley, clever picture book creator has ‘Terse Verse: Food Edition’, a great starting point for children to write their own terse verses.
A.J. Betts, powerful YA novelist, plays with food and words in ‘I Can’t Say No’.
Dianne Wolfer, doyenne of novels and picture books, inspires wonder in ‘North and South’.
Raewyn Caisley, whose ‘How to See’ reminds me of her superlative picture book Something Wonderful (Karen Blair).
And there’s more …
Jevita Nilson, up and coming writer, pokes fun with ‘Socks!’
Our World Full of Wonder (Jess Racklyeft)
Cindy Lane, trades her brushes for letters in ‘The Ink-credible Mess’.
Ningaloo (Tim Winton)
Some of my favourite poems from authors I didn’t already know include:
Sharon Hough with ‘Dew on Spinifex’
Laura Keenan with ‘The Twilight Tree’
Amber Moffat who wrote the title poem ‘If I Could Eat the Stars’ and ‘Wish’
Naomi Fogarty with ‘Lost’
Cheryl Kickett-Tucker with ‘Barlay Koolungka’ and ‘Big Cuz’
Katie Aaron with ‘Saved’
Jake Dennis with ‘Breeze on the Djarlgarro Beelier’
Emma Crook with ‘finding crabs for bait’
I wish I could name everyone.
From the lyrical to the laugh out loud, If I Could Eat the Stars and other poems is ideal to dip in and out of. Teachers could even select poems to read as lesson-break rewards.
If I Could Eat Stars showcases a fabulous depth of talent in Western Australia. Thank you for nurturing and highlighting it, Fremantle Press, and happy birthday.
If I Could Eat the Stars and other poems at Fremantle Press
Special mention tof Karleah Olson, who doesn’t appear in the book but is an important new talent at Fremantle Press.
paperbarkwords.blog 