All the Colours of the Earth Poems from Around the World

by Wendy Cooling (Compiler)

Imagine the brilliant colours and smells of fruit in a Caribbean market, the vast variety of tins and jars in a North American supermarket. Imagine how many kinds of street music there are, the different ways children play with swings and kits and boats. Imagine the different seasons. Then imagine things that are the same worldwide - land and trees and creatures being destroyed, wealth and poverty spreading.

Imagine believing in good hope, a future when life will be better. This volume contains exciting verse from all over the world by poets such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Grace Nichols, Rabindranath Tagore, Margaret Mahy, Christina Rossetti, John Agard and Robert Louis Stevenson.

45 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Wendy Cooling, a former teacher and Head of the Children's Book Foundation (now Book Trust), works as a freelance book consultant, reviewer and editor. She recently put together the successful millennium collection, CENTURIES OF STORIES. Wendy lives in Hertfordshire. (less)

Reviews

[Kelsey Vayens · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All The Colours of the Earth" is an anthology of poems and stories from writers all over the world. The poems, selected by Wendy Cooling, describe customs and cultures from all over the world. The collection is created to highlight many pieces of various cultures and to promote the various differences that people from all over the world have. From experiences of Jamaican markets and paper boats in India to poverty in Nicaragua and winter in Hungary, the poems reflect multiculturalism and inform its audiences about various cultures.

When it comes to teaching, this book can teach about many forms of poetry. It can expose the students to various poetry. Some of the poems shows poetry that rhymes ("Aren't you cold and won't you freeze, With branches bare, you winter trees?"). Other poems show poetry that has different formats and do not rhyme. Some poems are simply lists. This can show that poetry can take many forms. This book can also take the many aspects of poetry and can promote the act of the children composing their own poetry. Afterwards, the teacher can get the students to present their poems, and that can promote reflection on our differences through poetry. This can also teach multiculturalism in itself because it shows different pieces of literature from people from all over the world.

There are many authors of this book. Each of the poems listed in this anthology was written by someone from a different country. The book is called "All the Colours of the Earth", and everyone can relate to this book because we are all from a different part of the world. We all are special and have our own customs and outlooks, and I think every author within this book can relate to that.

[Joe Stolp · Rating 4 out of 5]

All The Colours of the Earth was probably one of my favorite poetry books I've ever read. This was a book of poems from all over the world talking about different cultures and the environment. They do this cool comparrison about how places all over the world have similar traits have alot of natural beauty. But behind all of these poems the book kind of has message behind it all. The message was that people are destroying everything beautiful in this world through pollution,paving down forest, and even the touch of Racism and how we need to stop all this madness before our beautiful planet is gone. I feel this would be great story to use in many different whether it be science, geography, or even history because of the racism part. The illustrations were the some of the coolest I ever seen, they used paintings as the medium and throughout the whole story they use very bright engaging colors that make the paintings seem like your in that part of the world

[Eleanor West · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘All the Colours of the Earth’ is not a story but a publication full of selected poems from around the world. Each poem describes or talks about cultures and surroundings from all different countries and continents. With stimulating images to accompany each poem they tell the story of people, animal and personal lives from living in the forest to combing hair in the sunshine.

This book offers an array of opportunities for learning revolving around the use of poems. It is a wonderful attribute to literacy and it allows you to discuss history, culture, rituals and even geography. The true beauty of this book is that is has a multitude of cross-curricular links that are expressed in an artistic verbal form. A colourful and powerful attribute to any lesson.