If I could eat the stars and other poems by Rebecca Newman and Sally Murphy. Illus by Briony Stewart

Caution: Poem Ahead written by Rebecca M. Newman

Reading this poem will be risky-
alliteration will torment you with tongue twisters,
similes will surround you like sharks,
occasional rhyme will take up your time
And KA-BLAM! onomatopoeia will shock you.
Do not read this poem…

And so begins If I Could Eat the Stars, the follow up collection to Right Way Down published in 2024. This latest collection is a treasure trove of verse by Australian poets including Cristy Burne, James Foley, Briony Stewart, A. J. Betts, Frané Lessac, Sally Murphy, and Meg McKinlay. The book is divided into four distinct sections: Livewires, In Full Swing, Off The Beaten Track and On Top Of The World.

This dynamic collection offers a wonderful opportunity for classroom exploration and discussion, showcasing an inspiring range of poetic styles that will enhance students’ understanding of how poetry can look, sound, and function. Traditional verse, rhyming poems, Haiku, cinquain, an inventive shape poem in the cleverly constructed Space Whales, sit alongside a coding poem, poems with humour and those that show movement, such as Breeze on the Djarlgarro Beelier (Noongar) the Canning River and Bewitched. The inclusion of Tamil and Noongar language introduces cultural awareness and invites conversation about language diversity. With its variety and accessibility, this is a text that warrants multiple readings. As a teaching resource, If I Could Eat the Stars lends itself perfectly to modelling, comparison activities and creative writing tasks across the primary years. Illustrations by Briony Stewart add another visual dimension to the text and the list of poets in the final pages provides a valuable reference for further research.

Teaching Activities: ActivitySheet_IfICouldEatTheStars_ONLINE.pdf

Themes: Poetry, Anthology.

Kathryn Beilby