Out now: Sky Surfing - an anthology of children's poems with all proceeds supporting Juvenile Arthritis Research
"The new volume from Dirigible Balloon, collated and edited by the indefatigable Jonathan Humble, is a triumph of range and depth, perceptively contrived to appeal to kids of all ages." Steve Whitaker, Yorkshire Times
You may recall the news we shared last year about a very exciting project. You may have seen some snippets and sneak peeks on our social media accounts relating to Sky Surfing; the new anthology of children's poems from children's poetry webzine, The Dirigible Balloon.
Well, we are delighted to announce that the book is now printed and ready, and is available to order from the Dirigle Balloon website here.
Sky Surfing received over 1500 submissions and the final 72 have been carefully curated by editor Jonathon Humble. In addition to the fantastic poets showcasing their work, the anthology contains superb illustrations from a range of talented artists too. The book is a delight for the senses and would make a perfect gift for a child or young person (or for your school library).
"“Sky Surfing: Adventures in a Poetry Balloon” is a careful curation of poetry for children that doesn’t shy away from serious or complex ideas and manages to be genuine fun with internal rhymes, slanted looks at ideas to provoke new ways of thinking, plays with sounds and rhythm and poems to come back to, encouraging the idea of reading again, thinking again." Emma Lee
The anthology has received some fantastic reviews and we've been poring over our own copy enjoying the words and illustrations that jump off the page and into our hearts and minds, seeing such talent from these poets and illustrators gracing the pages of this anthology.
Of course, we have some favourite poems, though too many to mention here. And it's been a delight to see a mix of well known authors and poets - the likes of Michael Rosen and Philip Ardagh who have long been household names in many family's homes - together with new and upcoming talented poets who are being given the opportunity to showcase their fantastic work.
All proceeds are being generously donated to support Juvenile Arthritis Research and we are extremely grateful to the poets, illustrators, the editors at The Dirigible Balloon, the Yorkshire Times and all involved in producing and publishing this book. And to every person who buys a copy of this book - thank you. On behalf of every child and family affected by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), we'd like to say thank you to each of you. Thank you for supporting Juvenile Arthritis Research and making life better for those affected by JIA.
The book can be purchased at https://www.dirigibleballoon.org/shop
Praise for Sky Surfing:
"The puddles that are so often the focus of the child’s attention become seas and oceans elsewhere in this fine, metaphor-laden collection, along with animated odysseys across land, sea and sky." Steve Whitaker, Yorkshire Times.
"A flight of curiousity, where the journey might just be more fun than the destination and no one asks ‘Are we there yet?’" Emma Lee
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Read more about the anthology at:
And an interview with the Editor, Jonathan Humble at https://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Humbled-By-Poetry