Most of the articles on the didactics of children’s poetry focus on orality and poetry reading. In ‘Exploring Poetry Teachers: Teachers Who Read and Readers Who Teach Poetry’

For mystery and advocating a more questioning attitude, pose valuable starting points for further research in other European countries. Most of the articles on the didactics of children’s poetry focus on orality and poetry reading. In ‘Exploring Poetry Teachers: Teachers Who Read and Readers Who Teach Poetry’ Teresa Cremin reports on a project to develop a ‘reading for pleasure pedagogy’ (219), stressing the importance of teachers who share their passion for poetry with children. Although the quotations are stimulating, a more elaborate didactic framework would have been welcome. The wide variety of the articles in Poetry and Childhood is at the same time the strength and the weakness of this volume. The average length of 8–9 pages per article does not allow the authors to develop their arguments in depth. Some of the articles still resemble conference papers too much. The volume’s almost exclusive focus on Anglo-American works is a missed opportunity. A work of this calibre could have opened a broader view on poetry for children across borders. It is striking that in the introduction this ‘British bias’ is called ‘inevitable’ (xiii). The Introduction also acknowledges its failure to take either Caribbean poetry or gender into account. To these, a further three areas of concern can be added: the translation of poetry, the role of illustrations and the reception of children’s poetry. These topics offer rich material for a next international conference on poetry and childhood and a next volume. In this light, Poetry and Childhood opens interesting new perspectives indeed.