The Phoebe Book of Poems for Children

Author: Patricia Schonstein
Publisher: The Cactus Foundation and African Sun Press I Seed Readers in Association with Poetry in McGregor
Reviewer: Catherine Eden  
Open the bright and beautiful Phoebe Book of Poems for Children and you will find a note from a little brown dog, appealing for kindness to all creatures, big and small.
This is not any dog; this is Phoebe, who in real life had a very bad start but who is now an animal welfare ambassador and the inspiration behind South African poet and novelist Patricia Schonstein’s collection of 

verses celebrating the wonder and diversity of life on planet Earth.
Some content is drawn from her earlier work, Sing Africa! Poems and Songs for Children. With the additional of new material, the poems are now wide-ranging. The main sections are dedicated to African wildlife, earth, sea and sky, but there are poems about pets and even some that deal with colours and counting – all brought to life by Izak Vollgraff’s glorious illustrations.
There are catchy rhymes, easy repetitions for the very young, and verses built around familiar songs, famous poems and animal-themed children’s classics, such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea. There are also a few wise words from Chief Seattle, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, reinforcing the theme of conservation and stewardship of our resources. From the short and simple to the longer, more complex poems, every lively, colourful page carries Phoebe’s message to appreciate and respect all sentient beings.
It’s a pressing topic, but handled in a gentle, playful and informative way. Take the poem ‘Something About Snakes’, for example. Every line begins with S: ‘Snakes are very/ Secretive and / Shy and they / Slither away if they hear you coming except that / Some don’t, like Mr Puffadder who is / Simply lazy. He / Stays right there in the path...’ The poem ends with a reminder that, ‘Snakes are very / Stylish and worthy of respect / Since everyone in nature has their place, even / Scary ones.’
The book is both educational and celebratory, not least because it was born out of very dark circumstances. Phoebe’s story began in Lusaka, Zambia. An adult man, believing the pup to be responsible for some bewitchment, instructed children to torture her. Someone eventually intervened, but not before Phoebe had been badly hurt.
Mindless cruelty to animals is guaranteed to spark public outrage, but in Phoebe’s case it also sparked some positive change. When South African Sarah Clayton heard about the dog’s suffering, she brought Phoebe to Johannesburg for specialist treatment, and then adopted her. Sarah went on to establish The Cactus Foundation, an organisation dedicated to animal welfare and the protection and education of children in Africa.
In the course of her research into childhood experience and criminality, she made contact with Patricia’s husband, Don Pinnock, an expert on youth at risk, and that was how Patricia began to collaborate with the Foundation as its Story Weaver.
‘It is a serious thing to teach children to be cruel,’ she says. But, as Phoebe’s introductory note explains, ‘... those children hurt me – not because they were nasty – but because no one had ever taught them to be kind to animals.’
The Phoebe Book of Poems for Children with its positive, educational messages, is a wonderful resource that can help to break that cycle of ignorance and cruelty. It belongs in homes, classrooms, veterinary surgeries – anywhere where its healing message can work its magic.
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R350 plus vat. Available in retail book stores from August, but can also be purchased on the website, https://cactusfoundation.africa/shop/