Skinny Dip

A poetry anthology from the makers of the famous Annuals

A new school year: nits, crushes, maths lessons, and rainy-day lunchtimes. But what happens when you send a bunch of poets to school? They loiter in corners and see between the lines. They notice the school bus is missing, there are hungry piranhas in the gym, that someone’s painted everything blue.

In Skinny Dip, the makers of the best-selling Annuals bring you thirty-six poems for young readers from all the New Zealand writers we love: Sam Duckor-Jones, essa may ranapiri, Bill Manhire, Anahera Gildea, Amy McDaid, Kōtuku Nuttall, Ben Brown, Ashleigh Young, Rata Gordon, Dinah Hawken, Oscar Upperton, James Brown, Victor Rodger, Tim Upperton, Lynley Edmeades, Freya Daly Sadgrove, Nina Mingya Powles, Renee Liang and Nick Ascroft.

Edited by two of New Zealand’s most astute and experienced champions of great books for young readers, and with stylish illustrations by Amy van Luijk, this witty collection gives young readers in years 7 to 10 and their teachers and whānau a crash-course in the range of poetic forms while having a whole lot of reading fun.

To download teacher notes, click HERE.

To look inside, click here.

‘An absolutely novel and tremendous read’ — Chris Reed, NZ Booklovers

‘Bold and timely. A magnificent range of form from some of our best contemporary voices.’ — Hera Lindsay Bird

‘Putting a poet’s observational eye on the school year, it delivers a wonderful collection of observations and recollections that will resonate with anyone who has been to school, experienced the pain of PE class, grumbled over homework or uniforms, meandered home with a friend, or drifted off in a boring class.’ — Vanessa Hatley Owen, Kids Books NZ