Books published by publisher BLOODAXE BOOKS LTD

'Sheep Don't Go to School' contains a whole flock of mad and magical poems from Eastern Europe. There are silly rhymes, surreal tales and serious stories from strange places-all bleating with wordplay, riddling, and true magic. These weirdly wonderful poems have been shepherded into English from Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the former Yugoslavia. Aimed at children up to 12 or 13, this is a terrific way for young children to learn about and experience both poetry and the life of these ""exotic"" European countries.

What makes Julie O'Callaghan's poems so successful is that she does not write down to children; she identifies totally with them. Anyone who has longed for hair with zing, hoped to persuade their parents to part with the price of a new dress, or waited to the point of despair for someone to arrive will find an ally in this poet. Whether writing about the pleasures and terrors of being home alone, or a short lyric about a nasty asteroid, American-born O'Callaghan is both enlightening and irresistible.