Heroes and Villains

This is truly brilliant collection of poems for the modern era. There are all the traditional poems you would expect from the likes of Keats, Shakespeare. As you would expect from an anthology aimed at younger people you get The Highway man and all the other classics we read growing up, but these poems sit alongside newer, fresher poems exploring the ideas of heroes and villains in a new light. There are so many powerful female lead poems, as well as many from other cultures. As a proud Welsh woman, I was so happy to see a range of poems about Dewi Sant and Santes Dwynwen. Not only are the poems very accessible, but they are all accompanied by the wonderful and unique illustrations of the brilliant Chris Riddle. These truly help to bring the characters and their stories to light. I would say this book is a must for anyone who works with children and I hope every library gets themselves a copy. A truly wonderful collection of classics, traditional, modern and fresh. This is book that will be poured over for a long time.
Thank you so much to Netgalley annd the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

Following on from the brilliant poetry anthology Gods and Monsters, Ana Sampson has curated another wonderful selection of poems - Heroes and Villains.

Bringing a varied range of accessible poetry to older children and a YA readership is a challenge but this anthology is as great as the previous one. Categorised in a range of themes; Quests and Voyages; Cheats and Misfits; Heroes .. and many others, there is plenty to please everyone- some familiar poets and poetry and some less so.

As with the previous compendium, the illustrative talents (or should that be genius) of Chris Riddell bringing every poem to life showing the darker and mischievous side as well as powers and strengths of the various characters who are explored.

Ranging from historical figures- well- known and lesser so -to mythical characters and monsters and even Saints, the focus is broad but also perfectly compiled .

This is a book that can be enjoyed by young and old and one to be recommended to dip into for teachers of upper Ks2 and up to KS4 to broaden the palette of poetry.

Another winner

This was a stunning book, both in its contents and written word to the beautiful illustrations. Can we just appreciate how much work the legend of Chris Riddell would have had to put into this book to provide all of the gorgeous illustrations?! Each page was a feast for the eyes and they were a perfect accompaniment to the poems.

Also to appreciate the amount of research that has gone into compiling the poems as there was a great line up in here.

I really enjoyed this book on poems based around the many legends of legend. From the myths of King Arthur to the Loch Ness monster, heroes, villains, kings and queens. I also loved the little sentence round up at the end of a few of the poems about a certain historical event or character.

We have favourites from Shelley, Lord Tennyson (Lady of Shalott is a new favourite) and Edgar Allan Poe, to poems based off real historical events and those maybe not quite so true. That coupled with the illustrations made it a really enjoyable read and a great addition to have on your shelf!

I saw this on Netgalley and had to request it, as Chris Riddell is one of my favourite illustrators, and I love poetry about myths and legends.

As with any anthology, I enjoy some poems more than others, but all are very suitable to the genre and the illustrations are perfect.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

Thank you very much to Macmillan Children’s Books, Ana Sampson and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

What a fantastic collection of poems for young and older readers alike. Whether you already have knowledge of these legendary characters and places, or are experiencing them for the first time, Sampson has collected such a wonderful array of poems that there truly is something for everyone!
The mixture of classic poems from the likes of Shelley, Browning, Duffy and Shakespeare, fit seamlessly within the collection alongside newer poets and their own takes on these classic legends.
There is an excellent range of poems from different cultures and their legends explored within this anthology offering even the most knowledgable readers new and exciting insights into these rich histories.
All the poems chosen, whether modern or more traditional, are easily accessible to all readers and the exceptional talents of Chris Riddell only contributes to this further. His illustrations truly bring each poem to life and help to create such vivid images in the readers mind. With poems traditionally being a harder genre for children to access, these illustrations enrich the reading experience further.
Heroes and Villains is sure to be a go to text for teachers in the future to further enhance the understanding of these classic and more modern legends.

"When a girl faces her fears, Amelia climbs still."

I've read the other books in this 'series' and I can say they always feel like a treat. This one is no exception. They are a mixture of modern and older poetry and verse with beautiful illustrations by Chris Riddel. His illustration suits the timeless feel of these collections perfectly.

Sometimes there are lyrics included in these collections, but this one focuses much more on the poetry and because of the heroes and villains aspect, it makes it feel a little more elevated. I love that these collections can be read and enjoyed by any age group and will introduce readers, especially younger ones, to a lot of different concepts that they can go away and look into more on their own in an accessible way. This spans a wide range, but I loved the inclusion of Mulan, Rani Lakshmi Bai and a lot of welsh mythology including Saint David, Gruffydd ap Llwelyn and, my favourite, the reminder that Merlin is actually from Camarthen, in Wales.

I loved the illustrations - Seeing classic verse brought to life such as Ozymandias and The Skye boat song made those pieces very vivid and powerful. My favourite illustration was possibly a more lighthearted one however - The three drawings accompanying The queen of Sheba. The drawing of 'the lasses' really reminded me of Derry Girls, so that was a delight.

All in all, another lovely collection!

A stunning book of poetry that’s beautifully illustrated. Although this is made for children I believe, I learnt and just generally enjoyed a lot myself

This is an exquisite selection of poems with Riddell’s unique style of illustrations.
The cover and the foreword are one of the best of their kind too.
Glad to see Ozymandias included.
Easily one of my favourite collections on this theme and of this kind ever.

such beautiful moving poems, I loved them. this book caught my attention so fast on here and it certainly didn't disappoint. I also loved this book for the illustrations. I'm already familiar with Chris Riddel's work and that as a huge draw for me for this book

A wonderful selection of poems, both old and new, Including classics by Keats and Shakespeare as well as some great new poets like Sarah Ziman.
A collection that makes you think and smile while teaching you all sorts from history and legendary times. It was lovely to see so many poems about women too. Great to share with children or to give as a gift to anyone. Highly recommended.

I'm going to have a buy a paper copy of this one, aren't I?! Those illustrations from Chris Riddell are too wonderful to resist! The foreward from Ana Sampson sets the wonderful tone for this lively, inspiring collection. I love how the poems are organised into enticingly titled sections. A wonderful range, a great collection to be forever charmed by.
Emma Perry

This is a gorgeous collection of mythological poetry, a treasure trove featuring larger than life heroes and vain and vindictive Villains for young and older readers alike.
Poems by classic poets interweave seamlessly with modern poets and their take on the myths and legends.
Split into eight titled chapters that cover various themes, from Places of Power to Quests and Voyages. Some of my favourites were "I Wrapped Magic Around Me: Tricksters and Enchantments" and "A Cackling Crew of Rogues, Cheats and Misfits: Villains" oh and "The Whisper of Wing-Beats in Darkness: Beasts"
Within these chapters, the poems cover a range of different cultures, unique histories and mythologies, that is excellent. I loved the diversity that this anthology explored.
All perfectly brought to life by the truly beautiful illustrations by Chris Riddell, this book is worth it for these illustrations alone.

"Whenever a child overcomes her fears, Amelia climbs still."
I mean *goosebumps* right?!?
Taken from 'Amelia Earhart' by Mandy Coe, definitely one of my favourites from this collection as was 'Dragon's Breath' by Nikita Gill.
Reading these, made me sit up, made me feel. I think that's the beauty of poetry, it hits us all differently and can be so powerful, so empowering.
"Don't let a King
Or a prince
Or a fairytale
Tell you you are smaller than that
Or who you are meant to be."

Thank you Macmillan Children’s Books, Ana Sampson and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TL;DR: In Heroes and Villains there will surely be a poem for everyone, young and old! Chris Riddell's illustrations are also what make this collection and brings it to life. I can’t wait to get the hardback of this and get my hand on the others he has illustrated.
Review:

I’m so happy to have been approved to review this poetry collection as it’s not what I typically request. I would never have been introduced to Chris Riddell’s illustrations which would have been a travesty. His illustrations really brought these poems to life and some were framed so beautifully. Some notable favourites were Eldorado, The Moonlit Stream, Oweynagat, and The Saint and the Sky Serpent but there’s honestly so many to fall in love with.

Can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hands!

4.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to my besties at netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was an absolutely wonderful collection of poetry, the mix of older and modern pieces worked together so well. Riddell’s illustrations were just gorgeous, for pencil drawings they were still so rich with details. A really lovely lovely book, and I’d love to see the hard copy when it is released

This anthology offers a delightful exploration of heroic and villainous themes through a diverse collection of poems. The accompanying illustrations are visually stunning, enhancing the overall reading experience. While individual preferences may vary, the selected poems are well-suited to the genre and provide a rich tapestry of narratives.

Illustrated poetry about villains, heroes, quests, voyages, royalty, and beasts. Some poems were already known to me (Sylvia Path, Shakespeare, Keats, etc), but there were also new creative poems which flowed perfectly!

If you are worried poetry might be too boring for you - the illustrations are spectacularly interwoven and the poems cover well-known people, places, or places so it is easier to follow along!

My favourite was URBAN MYTH by Caroline Bird.

I don't even know if that's how planes work, or if gumming punctures keeps you airborne... We played our love like that for a while. Chewing then stoppering. A patch-up job cobbled in midair from whatever we had in our pockets at the time, fighting fire with blobs of miscellaneous optimism, aiming only for temporary insulation, to stopper the sky whistling through us, stay airborne, unofficial and miraculous, cork each new wound with a wad of sweetness freshly printed from the panic of our mouths.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Books for sending me an arc in exchange for a review!

First, i want to thank netgalley, macmillan's children books, Ana & Chris for the arc.⠀
Now, to the book. This is a recompilation of poems about heroes, saints & monsters, among others, where in poems we find new things, new aspects to this legends, new emotions, new authors describing the fantasies we know but we were never curious about or those we once obsessed over, that we still love, shining under a new light.⠀
I'm new to poetry so this might be a little short & rather to the point, but i deeply enjoyed the book, making connections to the characters i just new in passing, those i love since my childhood years, those i never read about. It was fun & refreshing, but perhaps one of the biggest things that draw me to this book was the illustrations by my all-time favourite illustrator, Chris Riddell. I do collect the books he illustrates like the little gems they are.⠀
Again, thank you to the author, the publisher & netgalley for the arc & i hope more of you give this book a chance, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰! Also, as a mythology obsessed girlie, please read Gods and Monsters as well.⠀

Gorgeous illustrated poems for children and adults

The mark of a great illustrated book is the breadth of its audience. Books with pictures aren't just for kids, and Riddell's detailed images perfectly lift the already fascinating collection of poems selected by Sampson in the second of these anthologies. Wide-ranging in author, mood and cultural background, there is sure to be a poem to tickle your fancy, illuminate something you already know, or to raise a whole new train of exploration and reading.

A lovely, lovely book, words and pictures both: four stars.