Humour, magic and an engaging seriousness combine to make All the Frogs a must for the poetry bookshelf. Charles Causley has described John Mole's writing for children as 'the work of a true poet' and the anthologist Anne Harvey, reviewing an earlier collection in 'The Guardian' wrote 'A new John Mole collection is good news!'
All the Frogs collects together the poems John Mole has written for children since the publication of This is the Blackbird which was shortlisted for the CLPE Award. As in his previous collections, he conveys the mystery, humour and sometimes pain to be experienced in everyday situations, and relishes the free play of rhythm and rhyme. Several of the poems here call out to be read aloud while others are more suited to quiet moments of thought. John Mole writes for children in the playground and for the solitary child in his or her private space. Charles Causley described an earlier collection as 'the work of a true poet' and the same can surely be said of All the Frogs.