Reading a poem is just like taking a bath. Your soul will be washed and rinsed by a refreshing stream of lyrics and verses, which carry an immense depth of feelings, moods, emotions and thoughts. Poetry can take you on a journey through history and the seasons, nature and the environment, festivals and the traditions from many different regions, countries, cultures and religions. During the process, you may grieve or soothe, sob or chuckle, rage or exult as the rhyme and rhythm from the string of words resonate with your body and spirit. Poetry is not only suitable for adults, it also offers a wealth of benefits for children. In particular, it enables them to foster a love for language and develop their language skills, helps them to understand themselves as well as others, and allows them to cultivate valuable qualities such as compassion and empathy.

“A year of nature poems”, written by Joseph Coelho, is an exquisitely illustrated poetry anthology of one complete year. Joseph is a junior book author, performance poet and playwright based in London. He has won several awards for his poetry. In this book, each month is described by a poem that reflects the author’s nostalgic celebration of the changing scenes of life and the landscape of seasonal variations. In addition, there is a preamble to each poem, which encapsulates the subject covered in the poem so that the reader can gain a better understanding of the core meaning conveyed by the author. There is a mixture of themes in the poems. Some poems show admiration and respect for the beauty of nature including seasons, animals and plants. Other poems are personal memories from the author’s childhood. The poems are nonetheless imbued with brilliantly revealing moments, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes poignant. They are indeed truly words for life and nature.

The gorgeous illustrations by Kelly Louise Judd add to the pleasure of reading. The illustrations were created in pencil and gouache, producing lovely artwork that is vivid, serene and stunning. The aesthetic visual effects are simply amazing and delightful. The high standard of artwork is paired with each poem seamlessly, which helps readers explore the imagery of the poem.

Amongst the twelve inspiring seasonal poems, my most favourite one is January. It describes the legendary and dramatic fight between two rival fractions of starlings in Ireland in the 1600s. One flock of starlings represents winter and the other flock represents spring. The starlings fight and the spring starlings win, connoting the expectation of the season to change. However, there is a deeper meaning that due to climate change and extreme weather events, maybe one day, the spring starlings would not win the war and there would be no longer any seasonal change.

This poetic work is a bravura piece of writing that can be enjoyed by young readers together with their parents. This book has the power to change your perspective on life and nature, which can make you see completely different things in places we thought we were familiar with.