17th February A.B. (Banjo) Paterson (1864 - 1941)

Banjo Paterson is arguably the best known Australian ballad poet, probably because he wrote Waltzing Matilda and even though he wrote a long time ago now, children in Australia still know his work. This is made easy for children and teachers because so many of the poems are published as picture story books and come with accompanying CDs. My favourite books are Freya Blackwood's Waltzing Matilda and The Man From Snowy River, but my favourite poem is Mulga Bill's Bicycle and it is easy to explain to children when it is accompanied by pictures such as the humorous illustrations in the version by Kilmeny and Deborah Niland.