Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn’t)

Today’s Kickass Kids’ Book is Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn’t): A Book of Poems and Pictures for Globe Trotters, a collection of poems about world travel by the inimitable Colin McNaughton. In case you have never heard of McNaughton, he’s a purveyor of rhymes and tales with a wicked sense of humour. Perfect for people who think poems are all about stuffy language and boring recollections.

Wish You Were Here (And I Wasn’t): A Book of Poems and Pictures for Globe Trotters is packed full of poems about all aspects of travel – from meeting grotesque aliens, to barfing in cars. The poems’ protagonists are memorable too, with names like the Oozily Woozily Plonk and Miss Melanie Mish. Seriously, it’s a wonderful read for both kids and adults. I used this book to introduce Alison to rhyme and she adores most of the poems. Her favourite is The Squidgeree – she went around for two weeks asking people, “Have you seen the Squidgeree?” after we first read it.

If you love poetry, this book’s for you. And if you have no clue, well, it’s a great place to start!