The dreams of children come to life on this unique recording showcasing the young winners of the Walking Oliver Poetry in Song Competition. The judging panel chaired by Michael Rosen chose these exuberant, funny and poignant poems to be transformed into music by Paul Austin Kelly and Richard Durrant. The lyricists of tomorrow meet the musicians of today!

Praise for Walking Oliver CDs:
"...sheer musicianship...every song treated with originality and good taste...enough inventiveness to to bear any amount of repetition"
~Gerald Haigh, Times Educational Supplement (London)

"I loved it! I laughed, danced along, drove my family mad joining in with it!"
~Michael Rosen

A Windfall of Dreams

I've had a homework assignment for the last month or so –– to read the 1300 poems sent to Walking Oliver by kids from all over the UK. It didn't feel like work, though –– if felt like a privilege. After all, I got a free glimpse into the hearts and minds and imaginations of an upcoming generation –– and that's a pretty exciting thing. I wish I could share the whole experience with you but I can't. I can only tell you that it was fun, interesting, enlightening, and often wonderful.

The hardest part of my assignment was deciding which of those 1300 poems to send on to our brilliant panel of judges. I think I did okay. All I know is that the judges faced an enormous challenge to choose only 15 winners from those 77 finalists. But they did.

Once we'd made our selection, the real fun started for me. I got to take poems I'd grown to love, written by kids I'd grown to admire, and then it was my turn to use imagination to compose music for the words. You see? I have a great job!

Now it's your chance to witness the creative spirit of our young people. I've listened many times over and am still marveling. I hope I've done them justice.

And to you kids out there, both those chosen for the CD and those not chosen this time –– don't stop writing! You may not realise it now, but through writing down your thoughts and your dreams you get to know yourself. If enough of us do it and enough of us read each other's writing we get to know each other. And if we get to know each other well enough we can build a better world.

Paul Austin Kelly
~2004 Lewes, ENGLAND