Funky Chickens by Benjamin Zephaniah

Rap poet, musician and writer Benjamin Zephaniah’s second poetry collection for older children, Funky Chickens, was first published in 1996.

Rooted in the real world, these funny, touching, thought-provoking poems cover a diverse range of topics. In "Serious Love", a schoolboy falls desperately in love with the girl who sits beside him. But the next day, he wants to marry her friend! "All You Sea" campaigns to clear up the sewage in the oceans, while "Good Hope" suggests there is enough good in the world for everyone to live without prejudice, starvation and war. Zephaniah tackles difficult subjects such as animal cruelty in "Danny the Cat" and racism in "Walking Black Home", where no taxi stops for him because of his colour.

Running through every lip-smacking poem is the poet’s joy at the richness of language and the fun that a little imagination and a fat pencil can create, all summed up in the exuberant last poem "Funky Chicken".