Two stunning new titles for young poetry fans, from indie publishers The Emma Press

We don't often see very many poetry anthologies for children so it's always a huge treat when we get one, and it's a particularly brilliant collection of eclectic and imaginative works.

We've been lucky enough to find two new titles from The Emma Press, a small-scale independent publisher raising the standard for awesome poems for children and these two collections really show off some truly talented folk and their work.

In "Moon Juice" there's a selection of poems from local poet Kate Wakeling, with illustrations throughout by Elina Braslina.

"Moon Juice" collects together poems with a diverse range of spacey subjects, such as a would-be brave warrior called Skig (who is actually more of a worrier), and a gadabout comet with a skittish tail and tale.

Kate thoughtfully addresses childhood issues around peer pressure, worry and anxiety, and fitting in with others in such a beautiful and lyrical way. Poems achieve the balance of being beautifully written and also short enough to hold youngsters' attention but long enough to impart their important and thought-provoking messages.

"Moon Juice" is out now, published by The Emma Press and you can read a little more about it on the Emma Press website here. 

Sticking with a spacey subject, there's also a far-out stratospheric collection of amazing poems by a collective of talented writers.

"Watcher of the Skies" gathers together poems about space and aliens. Edited by Rachel Piercey and Emma Wright, with poems by talented folk like Sohini Basak, Richard O'Brien, Julie Douglas and Sarah Doyle (amongst many, many others), "Watcher of the Skies" is again an amazingly eclectic collection of poems and rhymes, with something for just about everyone!

Are there dogs in space? How big is the Universe exactly? What do you do if you suspect your friend (or your grandad) is actually an alien? You'll find the answers in this amazing anthology!

"Watcher of the Skies" is released on 29th September 2016, published by The Emma Press with more details on the website here. 

Both books look truly brilliant and we really enjoyed "Moon Juice", a really fantastic collection to prompt some in-depth discussions about what it feels like when you're a kid with a huge imagination.

("Moon Juice" kindly supplied for review by The Emma Press).