Poetry has always been a big part of my life. I grew up in a house with lots of stories and books. We read and recited poems full of rhythm, such as The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes and Tarantella by Hilaire Belloc – who also wrote scary ‘cautionary tales for children’. My favourite was Matilda, Who Told Lies and was Burned to Death. I loved reading that one out loud, especially to my annoying sister. And I also loved the poems of AA Milne, the author of Winnie-the-Pooh.
