Here in the UK, schools have just broken up for the summer. For children it's a time of great excitement, a long exhale after months of early mornings, assemblies, homework, and hard work. Now begin six weeks of well-deserved rest, the promise of adventures in nature, and the kind of spacious freedom that only summer can bring.
For many of us, this time of year brings a sweet nostalgia — remembering our own childhood summers, the endless light-filled days and scraped knees, and now, as parents or grandparents, watching the next generation make memories of their own. There’s a quiet joy in seeing those rhythms continue, a sense of time stretching both backward and forward.
In this newsletter, you’ll find book recommendations to keep little hands and curious minds busy – encouraging creativity, outdoor exploration, and moments of wonder.
Our Poetry Prescription this week for the grown-ups is our popular Happy Pills. We believe poetry can do so much to match or alter a mood, and these small doses of joy are designed to enhance feelings of happiness and gently lift the spirits in low moments or maybe if days at home with the kids can be a little exhausting! You’ll find the full prescription below.
And sometimes, of course, the very best memories are made in the quietest moments — the unscheduled, half-wild days that drift by in a haze of sunlight and mischief. We love this mischievous poem by Meg Cox.
Summer holidays
Me and my friends did a lot of poking about in a desultory kind of a way for weeks, it seemed like.
Sometimes we went as far as 'the dam' which wasn't one any more.
Everywhere was covered in wild garlic.
Sometimes we went to the pine wood forest where we had a den and showed each other our bottoms. Maybe that was just once.
Sometimes we looked for adders and found grass snakes.
Sometimes we sat in hedges and didn't do anything much.
Meg Cox from Poetry Prescriptions: Calm published October 2025
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Out There in the Wild Nicola Davies, James Carter and Dom Conlon Illustrated by Diana Catchpole
''Hand and root and heart and seed Nature gives us all we need We are of one kin, you and me, The bird, the beetle, and the tree'' - Nicola Davies, from the poem Green Song in Out There in the Wild
Out There in the Wild is a beautiful poetry collection for children, celebrating the wonder of the natural world, from ocean depths to treetop nests. It’s packed with poems about creatures of all kinds: eagles and elephants, foxes and frogs, bees, bats, and butterflies. Each poem invites young readers to see the world with fresh eyes, and to recognise that we are part of nature too.
One of our favourite poems from the book is The Rhythm by James Carter. You can read some of it below or find the whole poem here.
There’s a rhythm out there there’s a rhythm within as the seasons turn as the planets spin
It’s the call of the wild it’s the breath of the world and it’s life so alive that it has to be heard
There’s a rhythm out there . . .
It’s the river that rolls as it picks up pace it’s the moon and the sea and those great grey waves
There’s a rhythm out there . . .
It’s the feet of the child as it steps in line to the beat of the song to the ring of the rhyme- The Rhythm by James Carter from Out There in the Wild
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Keep Kids Busy this Summer
This creative scrapbook invites children to explore their imagination through nature. Packed with playful prompts from drawing and writing to collage and collecting, it encourages kids to engage with the wild world, learn about nature, and transform the book into a unique record of their discoveries.
Perfect for wild summer adventures, Make This Book Wild inspires curiosity, care for the living world, and a sense of joyful wild hearted fun, whether you're exploring a park, cloud gazing, or bug hunting in the garden. You can read some of the activities from the book in the section below.

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Helping Kids Name and Navigate Emotions Through Play
At the Poetry Pharmacy, alongside our books, we offer a range of tools and games that support mental health and wellbeing for all ages. This week, we have a new game that could be just the thing for your little ones this summer.
My Feelings Bingo features 48 emotions, from happiness and sadness to anger, apathy, and anxiety, and helps children recognise and explore their feelings in a playful, pressure free way. Created by developmental psychologist Dr Emily Midouhas, it’s designed to support children’s emotional growth and wellbeing. It’s easy to play for all ages (be the first to match all 16 emotions on your card and shout BINGO!), beautifully designed, and a thoughtful gift to spark meaningful conversations about feelings for kids and adults together.

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Our Summer Reading Recommendations for Kids
You can browse more of our favourite summer books for children on our bookshop.org page, with emphases on play, curiosity and the natural world.
'Summer is the perfect time to encourage children to read. Books draw us into other worlds. A child who reads on holiday enters one new world inside another.' – Guardian

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The Forward Prizes Shortlists
The Forward Prizes for Poetry are some of the most influential awards for new poetry in the UK and Ireland, honouring fresh voices alongside internationally established names. You can browse the shortlist on our Bookshop.org page.
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Write Through the Storm: A poetry workshop for difficult times
Find courage, creativity, and hope through writing with two acclaimed poets
In this workshop, poets Julia Webb and Rosie Garland show how poetry can help us come to terms with the past and help us reimagine the future - building beauty from adversity, and finding hope in unexpected places. The poets will lead a writing workshop and each do a short reading with Q&A at the end of the session. Tea or coffee and cake will be provided.
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Ronald Blythe: The writer who inspired a generation of nature writers
Join us for a special event celebrating his legacy through art, biography, and conversation
Join Ian Collins for a talk about his newly acclaimed biography of the forefather of nature writing: Ronald Blythe. Loved and admired by the greats of the nature writing genre, such as Robert MacFarlane, Roger Deakin, Patrick Barkham, Richard Mabey; Blythe inspired artists, poets and writers alike.
Ian will be joined by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, a friend of Ronald's after painting his portrait, here he exhibits for the first time a series of drawings inspired by the dream-like Bottengoms: Blythe's home in Colchester now bequeathed to the Wildlife Trust. Refreshments included.
Reviews of Ian Collins' Blythe Spirit
'An intimate and insightful portrait of the peerless observer of rural life' Richard Mabey
'Moving, candid, vivid, it is all that we could hope for in a memoir of this unique and treasured writer' Rowan Williams
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The Poetry Habit - Online Workshop with Sophie Howarth
How can we make more space for poetry among all the pressing demands of daily life? Why would we want to? And if we did, what creative magic might happen?
The Poetry Habit introduces you to the transformative effects of a daily poetry prescription. We explore innovative ways to read, write, learn and share poetry, placing particular emphasis on cultivating everyday habits that inspire joy, deepen meaning and build creativity.
This course will reward anyone who wants to bring more wonder and connection into their daily life. It is designed to reward both those who are completely new to poetry and to bring fresh inspiration to more experienced poetry readers and writers. All that matters is to come with an open heart and mind.
"Brilliantly structured, thought provoking, mind expanding and playful"
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Explore writing as a path to embodiment and self-connection
Join Holly Winter-Hughes for a guided online session
A Poetry Workshop with Holly Winter-Hughes: How to Leave a BodyWednesday 15th October, 7-9pm GMT+1Online
Join poet Holly Winter-Hughes for a gentle workshop exploring how writing can help us reconnect with our bodies and the stories they hold. With readings from her new collection How to Leave a Body and space for reflective, somatic writing, this session invites creativity, healing, and connection
''Holly Winter-Hughes' visceral writing turns the human form inside-out, mapping the contours of trauma, abuse and hard-won resilience. It urges the reader to follow and 'Breathe deep to the creak of your heartwood'. Darkly imaginative and pearled with fresh phrase-making, these are poems that compel attention and linger." John McCullough
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A Morning of Spaciousness: Poetry Workshop & Readings
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Discover the poetry that lives at the heart of you
A weekend to explore the wild and courageous edges of your voice
Join Tom Hirons and Rozi Hilton for a weekend intensive in the territory of what they call the Feral Angels of Poetry: poetry with its blazing head in the cosmos and its feet in the muck and murk of this world. Immersive, alive, embodied and richly experiential, these are not your average poetry weekends.
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Personalised poems crafted on a vintage typewriter
Join Jen Feroze for an intimate experience of live, bespoke poetry
Jen is an award-winning poet and creative copywriter who transforms feelings, memories and ideas into heartfelt, personalised poetry. At her regular drop in events at the Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street, she crafts bespoke poems live on her trusty vintage typewriter, capturing individual stories and emotions and turning them into unique keepsakes.
“Jen is an exceptionally talented writer. Her poetry conjures such vivid images that transport you somewhere else, and the way she puts words together is a beautiful art in itself.” Ceri, Poem recipient
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Poetry as Medicine: Healing life’s ailments with Deborah Alma
Join the Poetry Pharmacy founder at Edinburgh Book Festival for a conversation on poetry’s power to comfort and inspire
Join Deborah Alma, editor of the Poetry Prescription series, in conversation with author and poet Nadine Aisha Jassat as they explore how poetry can be a practical tool for good mental health. From easing anxiety to offering encouragement, poetry has a unique power to comfort, inspire and connect. After the event, you’ll have the chance to receive your own poetry prescription.
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From travelling Emergency Poet to opening the worlds first walk in Poetry Pharmacy's
Join Deb Alma to explore her journey, new poetry collections, and enjoy live poetry prescriptions
Join our own Deb Alma in conversation with local poet Juliette Hart, discussing Deb's journey from the Emergency Poet to the Poetry Pharmacy. The event will include a live poetry consultation and some readings from The Poetry Prescription anthologies, including poetic cures for life’s ailments.
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Thanks for reading & have a wonderful weekend!
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