Description
It isn’t easy being a kid – especially not in the noisiest class in the school. Some days, you struggle with algebra, or too much homework. Sometimes, one of your fellow pupils just won’t SHUT UP. And sometimes, the hardest thing is just trying to fit in. When the class feels like a many-headed dragon, how can you find a place for yourself? Would you feel less lonely if you could smuggle in a cat? And when your parents are fighting, don’t you find yourself looking into other people’s windows on the walk back home?
Contains 40 poems and features bonus materials, including ideas for writing your own poems. Supported by Latvian Writers’ Union (Latvijas Rakstnieku Savienība) and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. Translated from the Latvian by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini, Sara Smith and Richard O’Brien.
‘The subject matter is rooted in daily life in school but it ranges wider, referencing the school of life as well as referring to actual classrooms and how they interrelate. ‘Whatever flames might flicker in eyes,/I won’t be deceived or fooled./because you learn about warmth in real life – / they don’t teach you that in school.’ (‘What They Don’t Teach You in School’)’ – CLPE
Praise for Skaļā klase
‘The poems brim with a wide range of scenarios and emotions, building up a picture of school life in a way that will resonate with all readers. A sense of mischief and play pervades the collection, evoking the magical atmosphere which reigns in every school and classroom.’ – Dace Bargā, children’s literature editor at Satori.lv
‘Ieva Flamingo captures just the right tone, conveying the emotional charge of school life incredibly precisely. It’s extremely appealing. The pupils’ existence is dominated by social media, modern technologies and the various demands made upon them by school and parents.’ – Juris Petraškevičs, professor at the Art Academy of Latvia & jury member of the 2016 Jānis Baltvilks Prize for children’s literature
