An image showing a selection of poetry books on an orange background with a fluid shape featuring a word pattern.

Article-Card-Poetry-Books-UPDATE-2023-3

Children's reading lists

The best poetry books for children

Over to You!

A brand new collection for children from beloved poet, writer and broadcaster - Roger McGough 
 
Just when you are ready to write your first poem, along come the words and cause mayhem! 'Poems can be like that sometimes,' says Roger McGough. 
Here Roger's witty poems take you from school and home to places far and wide, and back again just in time to finish the poem you first started.

Roger McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

Roger McGough was a member of the group Scaffold in the 1960s when he contributed poems to the Penguin title The Mersey Sound, which has since sold over a million copies and is now available as a Penguin Classic. He has published many books of poems for children and adults, and both his Collected Poems (2004) and Selected Poems (2006) are also available in Penguin. He presents Poetry Please on Radio 4 and is President of the Poetry Society. He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001 and with a CBE in 2005 for services to literature.

Just when you are ready to write your first poem, along come the words and cause mayhem! 'Poems can be like that sometimes,' says Roger McGough. 
Here Roger's witty poems take you from school and home to places far and wide, and back again just in time to finish the poem you first started.

Safety in Numbers

This is not the time for adultery. 
Your lover will fail to be impressed, 
not so much by the face mask 
and stale musk of sanitizing gel, 
but your flouting of the rules. 
 
At once funny and moving, Safety in Numbers is the new collection from the nation's favourite poet. Traversing new yet timeless terrain with his signature wit and intimacy, Roger McGough brings to life the very strangeness of our times 
 
From lost tongues and violins to rising oceans, from adulterers in lockdown to ghosts in line, we may live in dark times and yet find ourselves laughing. From surprising angles and with unexpected voices, McGough, 'a trickster you can trust', reveals the telling moments of our lives. 
_______________ 
 
PRAISE FOR ROGER MCGOUGH 
 
'A witty and ingenious chronicler of British life with a deftness and agility that is hard to beat' Poetry Society 
 
'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 
 
 'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time Out

Sparky, thoughtful, inventive, and fun, it's also the mix of these qualities that makes this a fantastic collection

This slim volume is a joy, packed with wry observation, vim and wit that deftly captures the spirit of these strange times we inhabit. Journeying through topical subjects, from rising oceans and adultery in lockdown to seaside staycations and an ode to Laura Kuenssberg, poet Roger McGough has a keen eye for the magical moments within the mundanities of modern life

Probably the best-known contemporary poet in the country, Roger McGough still tours his brand of zany takes on British culture . . . Safety in Numbers runs with several themes, including the pandemic, how to write poems and even being a narrator and voice-over artist. . . . [with] a lot of characteristically clever imagery and wordplay, such as in Warning Signs, a list of aphorisms, "Time to hit the road? You stumble, hit the road".

Expert Reviews, Best Poetry Books for 2022

McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings

Memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?

McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away

From 'Adultery in Isolation' to 'After You. No, After You' to 'Seaside Staycation,' a new collection from one of Britain's best-loved poets. Roger McGough brings his inimitable voice to subjects light and dark, relationships old and new, and the slippery, strange, and surreal nature of recent times. Alight with humour, wit, wisdom, and feeling, the finest poetry with the lightest touch from a poet who has captured the imagination of readers for decades.

joinedupwriting

'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 
 
'McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him' The Times 
_______________ 
 
For fifty years, Roger McGough has delighted readers with poetry that is at once playful and poignant, intimate and universal. In his latest collection, he explores the whole gamut of the human experience, from forgotten friendships and family life, to the trauma of war and contemporary politics, wittily showing us who we are in all our shades of light and dark. 
 
_______________ 
 
'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time out 
 
'Memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?' Sunday Herald 
 
'McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away' Poetry Review

For more than fifty years, Roger McGough has entranced generations of readers with poetry which is at once playful and poignant, intimate and ambitious in its scope. Joinedupwriting delivers on all the wry observation, warmth and subtle heartache that readers have come to expect from his collections. 
 
From forgotten friendships to the idiosyncrasies of family life, to the trauma of war right through to contemporary global politics - these poems explore the human experience in all its shades of light and dark, but always with McGough's signature wit, irreverence and vivacity. This is the nation's favourite poet at his very finest.

There are eighty of Roger McGough's wonderful poems in this hugely enjoyable collection, gathered into a new volume to celebrate Roger's 80th birthday! The poems have been specially chosen to reflect Roger's unique sense of humour, his wit and wisdom and sharp observations on all aspects of life. New, quirky illustrations by the author himself add further enjoyment!

Roger McGough was a member of the group Scaffold in the 1960s when he contributed poems to the Penguin title The Mersey Sound, which has since sold over a million copies and is now available as a Penguin Classic. He has published many books of poems for children and adults, and both his Collected Poems (2004) and Selected Poems (2006) are also available in Penguin. He presents Poetry Please on Radio 4 and is President of the Poetry Society. He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001 and with a CBE in 2005 for services to literature.

There are eighty of Roger McGough's wonderful poems in this hugely enjoyable collection, gathered together into a new volume to celebrate Roger's 80th birthday! Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always inventive, the enormous variety of poems from this hugely popular poet will never cease to amaze and delight children of all ages.

Summer with Monika

Summer with Monika is an honest and touching portrait of a romance, charting the progress of a love affair from the delicious intimacy of the honeymoon, with the milk bottles turning to cheese on the doorstep, through the stage of quarrels, jealousy, recriminations and boredom, to the point where love is as nice as a cup of tea in bed. 
 
Re-issued for its 50th anniversary, Summer with Monika is a hidden gem of British love poetry featuring beautiful illustrations from Children's Laureate Chris Riddell.

McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings

He is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away

Memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?

Roger McGough's famous poem sequence Summer with Monika charts a bitter-sweet love affair from joy through jealousy to the time when love becomes 'as nice as a cup of tea in bed'. First illustrated by Peter Blake in 1967, this 50th anniversary edition of McGough's tender, wry and witty love story is now beautifully illustrated by the celebrated illustrator and author, Chris Riddell.

Summer with Monika is a love poem, charting the progress of a romance from the delicious intimacy of the honeymoon through to the stage of quarrels, jealousy, recriminations and boredom, to the point where love is as nice as a cup of tea in bed. 
 
Re-issued for its 50th anniversary, Summer with Monika is a hidden gem of British love poetry featuring beautiful illustrations from Children's Laureate Chris Riddell.

Restored 50th Anniversary Edition

The Mersey Sound

<a href="https://shop.penguin.co.uk/collections/book-bundles-modern-classics/?&amp;utm_source=Penguin.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=Linked_text&amp;utm_campaign=Penguin_Modern_Classics_Series_26_06">Choose 3 timeless classics for only £21 over on the Penguin Shop</a>

'I wanted your soft verges 
But you gave me the hard shoulder' 
 
The Mersey Sound brought poetry down from the shelf and on to the street, capturing the mood of the Sixties and speaking to real lives with its irreverent, wry, freewheeling verses of young love, petrol-pump attendants, CND leaflets and bus journey capers. Bringing together the hugely influential work of Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten - the 'Liverpool Poets' - this perennially beloved volume is the bestselling poetry anthology of all time. Now, for its fiftieth anniversary, this edition restores the original text of the book as it first appeared in 1967: energetic, raw and a true record of its era.

Since its first publication in 1967 as Penguin Modern Poets no. 10, The Mersey Sound has become an icon of British poetry. Gathering the early, enormously influential work of Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri (The Liverpool Poets), it went on to sell over half a million copies and to become the bestselling poetry anthology of all time. In the course of subsequent editions, old poems were removed and new poems introduced; but now, in time for its 50th anniversary, this volume introduces the restored original selection into Penguin Modern Classics. With its tales of Northern romance, petrol-pump attendants and bus conductors, these are the poems that first spoke so strongly to the real lives behind Beatlemania and the Mersey Beat.

Poetry Pie

A series of poetry titles for children by many of Britain's greatest poets.

POETRY PIE is a brilliant collection of poems for children by Roger McGough.There are over 50 poems in this hugely enjoyable poetry collection with themes ranging from food and animals to school and ghouls. As always, Roger McGough's poems are full of wit and wisdom, with word play, puns and sharp observations on all aspects of life. Illustrated throughout with his own unique line drawings which are full of humour and pathos. 
Roger McGough is one of the UK's most celebrated and distinctive poets. He is the author of more than fifty books and has written numerous scripts, including the script for the Beatles' film Yellow Submarine. He is an international ambassador for poetry and in 1997 was awarded an OBE.

There are over 50 poems in this hugely enjoyable poetry collection with themes ranging from food and animals to school and ghouls. As always, Roger Mcgough's poems are full of wit and wisdom, with word play, puns and sharp observations on all aspects of life. He's even included his own unique line drawings which are full of humour and pathos. Children are sure to ask for another slice of this brand new poetry pie!

It Never Rains

It Never Rains by Roger McGough - an expanded edition of comic verse and free line drawings, from the nation's favourite poet 
 
While up at Magdalen 
Spent the time dagdalen. 
Moved on to Caius 
Became the baius knaius. 
 
'Oxford Blues' is one of the many new poems in this expanded and revised edition of The State of Poetry, Roger McGough's book of short humorous verse which was published in 2005 as part of Penguin's 70s series celebrating its 70th anniversary. From a poem commissioned to commemorate Dylan Thomas in just 140 characters, which unfortunately comes to an end mid-word, to a pre-emptive erratum notice, these poems show McGough at his inventive, hilarious best - and there are also new line drawings by the author offered at no extra cost. 
 
'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 
 
Roger McGough was a member of the group Scaffold in the 1960s when he contributed poems to the Penguin title The Mersey Sound, which has since sold over a million copies and is now available as a Penguin Classic. He has published many books of poems for children and adults, and both his Collected Poems (2004) and Selected Poems (2006) are also available in Penguin. He presents Poetry Please on Radio 4 and is President of the Poetry Society. He was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001 and with a CBE in 2005 for services to literature.

While up at Magdalen 
Spent the time dagdalen. 
Moved on to Caius 
Became the baius knaius. 
 
'Oxford Blues' is one of the many new poems in this expanded and revised edition of The State of Poetry, Roger McGough's book of short humorous verse which was published in 2005 as part of Penguin's 70s series celebrating its 70th anniversary. From a poem commissioned to commemorate Dylan Thomas in just 140 characters, which unfortunately comes to an end mid-word, to a pre-emptive erratum notice, these poems show McGough at his inventive, hilarious best - and there are also new line drawings by the author offered at no extra cost.

As Far as I Know

Take comfort from this 
 You have a book in your hand 
 not a loaded gun or a parking fine 
 or an invitation card to the wedding 
 of the one you should have married 
 
Roger McGough's new book of poems shows him writing as fluently and inventively as ever. There may be a stronger strain of melancholy than before (the death of a regular in the local pub; the news that a daughter might be moving abroad), as well as a distinct sense of menace, small but insistent, which inhabits many of the poems. But there is plenty of McGough's characteristic wit and wordplay too, including a scintillating series of haiku inspired by a London tube strike and a striking reworking of his famous 1960s poem 'Let Me Die a Youngman's Death', this time entitled 'Not For Me a Youngman's Death'. Who but McGough would characterize the butcher's window as 'the friendly face of the abattoir', or imagine the almost limitless ways in which we might go to bed? 
 
A new book of poems by Roger McGough is always an event. Published just ahead of his 75th birthday, As Far As I Know is truly cause for celebration. 
 
'The patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy 
 
Roger McGough was born in Liverpool. During the 1960s he was a member of the group Scaffold which had an international hit with 'Lily the Pink'. He has won two BAFTAs and a Royal Television Award for his broadcasting work, and presents the popular Radio 4 programme Poetry Please. He has published many books of poems for adults and children, and both his Collected Poems (2003) and Selected Poems (2006) are bestselling poetry titles on the Penguin list. He was made a Freeman of the City of Liverpool in 2001, and received a CBE in 2004 for his services to literature.

The same blend of mischievous wordplay, subversion of cliche and distinctive sense of humour that makes him one of Britain's most popular poets

As Far As I Know is self-effacing, unshowy, frequently funny, but with a quiet frankness

Moving poems on memory, love, aging, death and youth ... with his characteristic mix of wordplay and punning, wit, melancholy and self-deprecation

Roger McGough is a poet of many voices. He can delight us with his puns, sadden us with his stories and occasionally tell us a few unwelcome truths. 
In this new collection he becomes in turn the Scottish hard man, the smug husband on his deathbed, the odious self-deceiver of the title-poem. He is equally 'At Home with the Surrealists' as he is on an underground station waiting for the train that never will never come. And throughout there is his characteristic wit as he faces the uncertainties and fears of aging - one of the most striking poems is a reworking of his famous 1960s poem, 'Let Me Die a Youngman's Death', this time entitled 'Not For Me a Youngman's Death'. 
Always inventive, the warmth and honesty of his voice reaffirms McGough as a true original.

That Awkward Age

Roger McGough is one of Britain's best-known poetry voices. Following the success of the bestselling Penguin collection The Mersey Sound (with Brian Patten and the late Adrian Henri) he has been captivating children and adults alike with his unique blend of heart and wit for more than four decades. He is the regular presenter of Radio 4's Poetry Please programme. Much travelled and translated he is now an international ambassador for poetry and was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in 2001, and with a CBE in 2005. In the last couple of years he has successfully adapted two Molière plays, Tartuffe and The Hypochondriac, for the Liverpool Everyman Theatre.

From laundrettes to contact lenses, Paul McCartney's trousers to plane crashes, McGough guides us through the pitfalls and idiosyncrasies of our illogical and unexciting lives, and finds the humour and drama hidden within. This new collection has a bonus section: in a series of wonderfully funny poems, responding to Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife McGough gives voice to a number of forgotten and longsuffering male figures: Lord Godiva, Mr Sappho, Mr Blyton, etc 
 
Presenter of Radio 4's Poetry Please and Britain's foremost popular poet, McGough brings us this happy collision of life, language and imagination with his unique and witty wordplay. His recent adaptation of The Hypochondriac playing at the Liverpool Playhouse has had fantastic reviews where, as with all his writing, McGough "produces that rare sound, an audience rocking to rhyme" (Susannah Clapp, Observer)

Slapstick

A highly original collection from the much-loved and prestigious poet, Roger McGough.

Wise, witty and thought-provoking poems by Roger McGough. 
 
If Philosophy is the Why? 
 
And Science is the How? 
 
Then Poetry is the Wow! 
 
In this stunning volume, you'll discover poems about poems, poems about life, poems about kangaroos and chameleons and caterpillars (though not in the same verse) and many more. This touching and thought-provoking collection will make you laugh, cry, or simply say 'Wow!'

He is a true original and more than one generation would be poorer without him

Roger McGough is one of Britain's most popular poets. He has been captivating children and adults alike with his unique blend of compassion and wit for more than three decades and with more than thirty books. He is an international ambassador for poetry and was awarded an OBE for his work in 1997, and a CBE in 2005. In 2001 he was honoured with the freedom of the city of Liverpool.

If Philosophy is the Why? 
 
And Science is the How? 
 
Then Poetry is the Wow! 
 
In this stunning, brand-new volume, you'll discover poems about poems, poems about life, poems about kangaroos and chameleons and caterpillars (though not in the same verse) and many more. This touching and thought-provoking collection will make you laugh, cry, or simply say 'Wow!'

Said And Done

The extraordinary life story of 'the patron saint of poetry', Roger McGough

Unique ... worthily the 'people's poet Mail

Delightfully self-deprecating autobiography ... his prose is lovely, considered, concise and frequently frivolous, but it never strays far from the poetry that is his natural environment and, essentially, his subject

A warm-hearted book about the extraordinary life of an extraordinary man. He may choose to depict himself as Mr Ordinary, but there is nothing at all ordinary about his energy or talent

Roger McGough has written over fifty books for both adults and children. Much travelled and translated, he has won many awards including the freedom of the city of Liverpool and the CBE. He currently presents Poetry Please on Radio 4.

Roger McGough is one of Britain's best-loved poets, and something of a national institution. His name is ubiquitous with matter-of-fact Scouse humour, easy-going charm, and perfect observations of the idiosyncrasies of everyday life, whether you know him from his poetry, or from his regular broadcasts on television or radio. 
 
Roger first rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop group The Scaffold, who had two number one hits - Thank U Very Much and Lily The Pink. He began his poetry career performing with The Grimms, alongside fellow Liverpool poets Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, with whom he went on to publish The Mersey Sound, which remains the biggest-selling British poetry book ever. 
 
This is his autobiography - and like the best of his poetry it is packed full of hilarious observations, unbelievable stories, nostalgic reminiscences and bittersweet tales of love, life and loss. From his memories of growing up in Liverpool, playing in bombed out houses as a young boy, to the skiffle-crazed days of his adolescence, through to his time at university - and his meetings there with Larkin. He explores his sudden, almost overnight fame and success with Mike McCartney et all in The Scaffold, as well as his time working with George Martin, and co-writing the Yellow Submarine film script for the Beatles, through his international touring days, to the present. 
 
He certainly has many a story to tell about meeting some fascinating characters: Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Marlon Brando, Alan Ginsberg, Pete McCarthy and Salman Rushdie all appear amongst others, but it's his sheer story-telling nous, and his gift for observing the minutia of everyday life, and to completely capture a moment in time which sets this apart from other books. 
 
His life story is one that will be universally identifiable to those who grew up with him - who embraced the verve and irreverence of the sixties, only to end up as slightly embittered romantic cynics. This is done here in the most funny, poignant, bittersweet, and melancholic autobiography you will read this year - a man whose hugely popular take on it all resonates with honesty and humour.

Selected Poems

Part of a major relaunch of Penguin's contemporary poetry - an ongoing programme featuring both new and established poets

'The patron saint of poetry' (according to Carol Ann Duffy), Roger McGough was born in Liverpool, the son of a docker, and attended Hull University. In the '60s he had a brief flirtation with the pop world as a member of the Scaffold. He has been one of Britain's most popular poets for over 40 years, and has written many books for children and adults. His Selected Poems, entitled Blazing Fruit, is a bestselling poetry title on the Penguin backlist. He lives in Barnes, south-west London, with his wife and two youngest children.

An updated selection of Roger McGough's finest, best-loved verse. The complete span of McGough's writing, from the 1960s to the new millennium, is represented. 
'McGough's trademarks: the craft worn as lightly as the crown, the jokes that are something more, the underlying heartache, the acute sense of the way time slips away' Ian McMillan, Poetry Review 'McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings' Time Out

The Monsters' Guide to Choosing a Pet

Fantastic poetry collaboration between two of the UK's best-loved poets now out in paperback.

Roger McGough has been captivating children and adults alike with his unique blend of compassion and wit from more than three decades and with more than thirty books. He is an international ambassador for poetry and was awarded an CBE for his work in 2004. In 2001 he was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. Brian Patten is also from Liverpool and one of Britain's most popular poets for children and adults alike. His poetry for adults has been translated into many languages. Brian is a popular performer of his work, and he has also written chiildren's plays as well as editing poetry collections.

Roger McGough and Brian Patten have selected the very best of their animal poems in order to help two loveable monsters from outer space who visit Earth in search of a pet and need a bit of guidance...Split into sections, the monsters are introduced to animals that fly, swim, crawl and purr by two of our greatest childrens poets. Illustrated in Guy Parker-Rees' lively and intimitable style.

Collected Poems

All of Roger McGough's poems collected in paperback for the first time.

'The patron saint of poetry' (according to Carol Ann Duffy), Roger McGough was born in Liverpool, the son of a docker, and attended Hull University. In the '60s he had a brief flirtation with the pop world as a member of the Scaffold. He has been one of Britain's most popular poets for over 40 years, and has written many books for children and adults. His Selected Poems, entitled Blazing Fruit, is a bestselling poetry title on the Penguin backlist. He lives in Barnes, south-west London, with his wife and two youngest children.

Roger McGough is one of Britain's best loved poets and this collection 'charts [his] passage from youthful exuberance to the wry reflection of his later years. What remains the same throughout the 40 years is the poet's winning wit, accessibility and abiding readability' Independent ---------------------------------- 
 
'Time has confirmed ... that McGough's talent was much more substantial than many of his long-forgotten detractors suspected. If he was a pop poet it was not in any ephemeral sense. A shy extrovert ... he has given voice to poetry and found a voice of his own which is humourful, introspective, irreverent, easy on the ear, conversational. It is also memorable and enduring and fresh. Age has not withered [his lines] nor diminished their potency. Of how much modern poetry can you say that?' Sunday Herald

The Selected Poems of Roger McGough

All the Best

'A packed anthology that is tempting to dip into time and again.' - Guardian

A wonderful selection of over 100 of Roger's own best-loved poems from his vast Puffin catalogue of poetry collections. Lots of favourites and some lesser known surprises, too. Packed with fabulous Lydia Monks illustrations throughout.

Roger McGough was born in Liverpool and educated at the University of Hull. He came to prominence in the 1960s with the publication of THE MERSEY SOUND, and is now one of our most popular poets. He writes for all ages and performs all over the world. He was honoured with an OBE in 1997 and won the Signal Poetry Award in 1998. Roger is heard regularly on radio and is the presenter of Radio 4's POETRY PLEASE. Roger lives in London.

The Bee's Knees

Terrific new and original collection from Roger McGough.

Roger McGough was born in Liverpool and educated at the University of Hull. He came to prominence in the 1960s with the publication of THE MERSEY SOUND, and is now one of our most popular poets. He writes for all ages and performs all over the world. He was honoured with an OBE in 1997 and won the Signal Poetry Award in 1998. Roger is heard regularly on radio and is now the regular presenter of Radio 4's POETRY PLEASE. Roger lives in London.

A brilliant collection of brand-new poems from 'the patron saint of poetry'. Longer, narrative poems sit comfortably with Roger McGough's sharper observations and insightful words in this collection, perfectly illustrated in black-and-white line by Helen Stephens.

A Book of Poems

Pillow Talk

Roger McGough is one of Britain's most popular poets. He has been captivating children and adults alike with his unique blend of witty and sensitive verse for more than three decades and with more than thirty books. He is an international ambassador for poetry and was awarded an OBE for his work in 1997, and a CBE in 2005. In 2001 he was honoured with the freedom of the city of Liverpool.

Wouldn't it be funny if you didn't have a nose? The brilliant and clever Roger McGough asks this and other important questions in this marvellous collection. He also tells you exactly when to cut your fingernails, how to have a real pillow fight and what happens when a burp escapes!

Sky in the Pie

Waiter, there's a sky in my pie! 
 
Roger McGough has cooked up a delicious feast of poems. This spicy collection contains only the finest ingredients - wit, sparkle and thought-provoking insight from a very superior source. Get ready to have your tastebuds tickled! 
 
Warning: some poems will make you choke with laughter, some need to be chewed very carefully.

Bad, Bad Cats

Roger McGough was born in Liverpool and educated at the University of Hull. He came to prominence in the 1960s with the publication of THE MERSEY SOUND and is one of today's most popular poets. He writes for children and adults and performs his poetry all over the world. Roger won the Signal Poetry Prize in 1983 for SKY IN THE PIE. He was honoured with an OBE in the 1997 New Year's List. Roger McGough now lives in London.

A brilliant new collection of poems. The poetry contains the clever word-play, rich ideas and humour associated with Roger McGough. It includes a series of poems about the exploits of some gangster cats and verse based on CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS by Saint Saens.

Roger McGough

This triumphant anthology stuns…If you’ve only room for one book when you go on holiday this summer, take this

1959 – 2024

For sixty years, Roger McGough has thrilled and delighted generations of readers with his irreverent, intimate and ever-original poetry. The Collected Poems presents the definitive selection of his very best work, from the Mersey-soaked sound of his quintessential Sixties start, through to tender meditations on fatherhood and family, and on to political sendups, pandemic playfulness and brilliant new writing. Here, then, is an unmatched store of warmth, wisdom and feeling from Britain's most beloved poet.

Roger McGough

Praise for The Collected Poems

This triumphant anthology stuns…If you’ve only room for one book when you go on holiday this summer, take this

McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings

This triumphant anthology stuns…If you’ve only room for one book when you go on holiday this summer, take this

McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings

This triumphant anthology stuns…If you’ve only room for one book when you go on holiday this summer, take this

McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him

McGough has done for poetry what champagne does for weddings

Books by Roger McGough

Articles featuring Roger McGough

The best poetry books for children

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter