Happy Poems chosen by Roger McGough (Macmillan)

A book that fulfils its promise – the cover claims it as ‘joyful, smiley, uplifting, cheerful, inspiring … poems to brighten your days’. I’ve been reading it for a week and that’s exactly what it is! Sometimes serious, sometimes very funny and sometimes downright silly, this is probably the most wide-ranging collection I’ve seen in a while. A poem by Farrukhi, who was born in the year 980, sits happily with verses from later writers such as Belloc and Blake, Keats and Rossetti; and others which take us through modern times and bring us right up to date with work by the likes of current poets Rooney, Hardy-Dawson and Stevens. Happily, there are poems by the masterful compiler, McGough, too; and by a whole host of talented poets who have together produced a really lovely collection. It’s a shame it’s not printed on better quality paper…
TUC