AN author has unveiled his latest collection of bizarre poetry for children during an exhibition of illustrations inspired by the book.

Brian Morse's collection A Slice of Sun contains 40 poems taking an off-the-wall look at the everyday world.

The poems include subjects such as a bored chimpanzee talking on his mobile phone in the zoo, and a jellyfish dining on yoghurt and Eccles cakes.

"The title, A Slice of Sun, comes from an infant classroom where there is a red table, a green table and the yellow table is a slice of sun," said Mr Morse, a former teacher from West Bromwich who now lives in Diglis, Worcester.

"The poems are aimed at eight to 12 year-olds.

"They are serious but also comic kind of poems."

This is Mr Morse's third collection of poetry for children, following his first book Picnic on the Moon.

He has also written 20 children's novels.

Illustrations for the book are by Frans Wesselman, a Dutchman who moved to this country 20 years ago and now lives in Church Stretton in Shropshire.

For the rest of the week Mr Wesselman's work is being exhibited at Ombersley Gallery in Church Terrace, Ombersley, where the book launch took place last Friday.