Poetry isn't what it was. Thank goodness. It isn't where it was, either. Poets and their books have been released from the confines of dry and dusty tomes on high shelves and are now "out there" thanks to the energies of such evangelists as Michael Rosen and Benjamin Zephaniah, and initiatives like National Poetry Day. Poetry readings are even listed next to cinema listings in the press. Poetry could become dangerously mainstream!

Jenny Joseph's poem Warning was once voted the nation's favourite poem and appears in her first collection for children, All the Things I See (Macmillan £9.99). That feisty direct tone ("When I am an old woman I shall wear purple") is characteristic of much of her work but her anthology proves she is much more than a one poem wonder.

Sometimes her work can be playful and light, but she rarely ties her ideas up too glibly, always leaving a thought in the air, like an invitation to return.

Brian Patten's Juggling with Gerbils (Puffin £3.99) looks more pugnacious than it turns out to be with its orange day-glo jacket. Young readers will love the whimsical musing ("The Secret Rhyme for Orange"), and his airy brushes with anarchy ("Devil of a Dancer"), interspersed with wonderful Chris Riddell illustrations.

Single-subject collections are a risk. How does the anthologist maintain interest when the point of a poetry book is to dip in and out for variety? Cat in the Dark (Frances Lincoln £10.99), subtitled "a flurry of feline verse" is a delight, thanks to Fiona Waters' excellent selection of poems and Sophy Williams' rich, intriguing artwork.

Cats tend to elicit strong reactions, but even "non-cat" people will enjoy the range, from Colin West's wary "Auntie Agnes's Cat" to Margaret Mahy's exuberant "Cat in the Dark". This is giftbook territory, but well worth the investment. Children will love the sum as well as its parts.

Walker Books has recently published an innovative range of plays based on some of its most popular picture story books. Big Talk (Walker £10.99) takes a similar approach, but to poetry.

Paul Fleischman's poems for four voices colour-code each voice so that the children read their parts, sometimes in unison, sometimes solo. It's a clever idea, ideal for paired reading work with 7- to 11-year-olds, and could lead to further experimentation in the performance of poetry.

Five Finger-Piglets (Macmillan £4.99) is a splendid introduction to the work of Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Roger McGough, Gareth Owen and Brian Patten. Illustrated by Peter Bailey it offers a selection from each, enough for a child to get their teeth into and gain a sense of the poet's style and preoccupations.

The Ring of Words (Faber, £8.99) is a terrific, intelligent anthology, edited by Roger McGough and illustrated by Satomi Kitamura. Although themed, it is consistently surprising.