If I Could Eat the Stars (and other poems)*

Chosen by Rebecca M Newman and Sally Murphy

Illustrated by Briony Steward

Fremantle Press and Alphabet Soup Books, 2026

Reviewed by Zewlan Moor

Starred review 

There are not enough children’s poetry anthologies published, in my opinion, so I was very excited to review If I Could Eat the Stars (and other poems). This anthology comes from the same team who created the successful Right Way Down (and other poems). It is edited by Sally Murphy, a renowned author of prose, poetry and verse novels for children, and Rebecca M. Newman, a poet and educator who ran the children’s own voices’ review site, Alphabet Soup. She talks of the poets who influenced her as a child (Michael Rosen, Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein), but how 21st century Australian children need poems written by 21st century Australian poets. The illustrations (and three of the poems) are by the multi-award-winning Briony Stewart. 

Both the poems and presentation are very accessible for middle-grade readers. The paperback book is an appealing size and length, at about 150 pages. The celestial cover, with red, white and blue astronauts hovering on a black background, highlighted by yellow stars and the word STARS, is eye-catching and inviting. Black-and-white illustrations of the cords connecting the astronauts’ spacesuits to the oxygen units in the spaceship, are a subtle metaphor for the connection and life-giving function of poems. 

A table of contents lists each poem, gathered under the headings of Livewires, In Full Swing, Off the Beaten Track and On Top of the World. Reading the book from cover to cover, there is a definite flow and connection to the order of the poems. There is also pleasing alternation between short and longer poems, different types of poems, and their layout. The use of white space is effective in both allowing the reader space to mull over the poem, and not dis-couraging reluctant readers with a crowded, intimidating page of text. However, some of the most evocative pages are the dark pages containing shape poems, such as “Space Whales” by Cristy Burne . And the black cave mouth of Briony Stewart’s “Knights’ Warning” contains a short quatrain that shines a different light on the meaning of stars: “Abandoned swords, and empty skies,/ mean stirring depths and fiery eyes.” 

The poets are West Australian as far as I can tell, some old favourites and some new to me. Short biographies of each poet, as well as the editors and illustrator, are listed at the back of the book, along with an Acknowledgments page and recommendations of other children’s poetry collections. 

On her website, Newman yearns to see poetry anthologies well-thumbed and dog-eared. I had to do just that, with all the poems that tickled my fancy! “Who’s for Dinner?”, a clever culinary tale by Sian Turner; “Ello-Mellow-Pee”, a celebration of mondegreens by Briony Stewart; “I Can’t Say No” by A.J. Betts; “North and South” by Dianne Wolfer; and the short and squeak (sic) “My Recorder” by Camilla Carron:

What’s wrong with my recorder?

No matter what I play

their words say, ‘oh, how lovely!’

but their expressions: ‘go away.’ 

My personal favourite is Newman’s “Caution: Poem Ahead”. It would have made a wonderful title too, since it is the first poem in the anthology. This stanza demonstrates the playful cleverness of what is to come:

Reading this poem, you will have

an uphill battle against idioms.

Adverbs will suddenly (successfully!) steal your attention.

Personification in the previous line is a bonus

but repetition will annoy you — it will! It will! It will!

Do not read this poem. 

This is a highly recommended purchase for Stage 2 and 3 classrooms and primary school libraries, as well as public and home libraries for children Ages 7-12.

Teaching Activity

Teaching Notes

Zewlan Moor is the author of Nothing Alike, The Bill Dup and Our World: Philippines. Her latest book, Say Hello Like an Armadillo is out in the US/UK in June 2026 and Australia in Summer 2026-7. Pre-order or add it to your Goodreads Want To Read shelf now!