BOOK REVIEW

Azyea’s Gifts

Written and illustrated by Amanda Holden

Azyea’s Gifts is a very sweet children’s book written and illustrated by Amanda Holden.

It follows Azyea, a little girl who is struggling to find the perfect gift for her mother on Mother’s day.

The story is well written and full of character, with a heart-warming ending and a pleasant message that it is the ‘thought that counts’ when giving presents.

The illustrations are charming, and full of energy. They echo the theme of the story, and really add to the feel of the book. They are as much a part of the story as the words, and the colours and media of the drawing compliment the innocent nature of the story.

A lovey short read for young children, and an excellent book for reading together. A nice read for boys and girls, but best suited for the under five's or very early readers.

 

Review by S J Menary

10/02/2014

What became of the midlands

Coal courses through my veins

Blood as black as oil

Run through my engines

Cogs and pistons

Machines ticking over in my soul.

My skin is red

Covered in hard ground dirt

Black country

Fiery pits

Dark riven ploughed earth.

This is the heart of all industry

Once so proud, once so alive

People with a purpose

Working

To keep these furnaces ablaze.

Now canals that once flowed

Stand still and stagnant with scum

Flecks of russet

Deep seated in my chains and rotors

Infect them with rust.

Drawing slowly to a halt

The machines grow silent

Wiped away

In the rush of the clean, easy, money

Of the jobless elite.

As industry dies

So too do the midlands.

23/01/2014

S J Menary

Unrealistic expectations

Land of canals

And hard-ground dirt

Of wayward shopping trolleys

Drowning in black-green waters

It pulls us down with it

The youth of this industrial wasteland

Sucked in

To the soulless grind

Of kwicksave and poundland

Of council whitewash

Graze-your-knee pebbledash

And payday loans

Dreams dash against

The beer can playing-fields

And fall upon deep-scarred school tables

Etched with the names of those long gone

All the while

Cameron tells us

You too

Can have a Cambridge degree.

S J Menary

20/01/2014

It was...

It was unlike me,

It was highly unsavoury,

It was quite like thievery,

It was likely to result in discovery.

It was done on a quite night,

It was done when the moon was bright,

It was him that said it would be alright,

It was the plan to steal it outright.

We were caught red handed of course,

We were making our getaway on the back of a horse,

We were nicked stuffing diamonds down our trousers with force,

We are now filled with remorse.

I am applying for a divorce.

S J Menary

23/01/2014

A funny little poem about a cat

Hello. My name is Tom.

I’m an obsessive compulsive cat

With a three second memory.

I like to scratch and scratch and scratch…

Hello. My name is Tom.

London

Whilst you build your monuments to money

Sparkling and shining

We, the undersigned,

Walk in dirt filled underpasses

Away from your eyes

This London

So magnificent!

So supreme!

This land of culture and riches

Which grinds the bones of the poor

To build your monstrosities.

Behold!

The civilised capitol of the world!

Which looks with such distain

Upon the blot of life

North of the Watford Gap

Heathens, Picts and Celts

Stupid

To the glory that is London

We, the undersigned, do not agree.

Yours sincerely,

The Heathens, Picts and Celts.

25/11/2013

S J Menary

Book review: The Light Bearer by Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom

The Light Bearer is a collection of moral and religious poetry designed to ‘kill the darkness present in the world.’ The poetry draws on a number of influences and cultural inspirations. For a western audience it offers a glimpse into the world of Nigerian born Freedom, and the socio-political dynamics of the wider world.

Notable excellent pieces are The unseen promise and A black jewel. Swept away by love describes an experience of love that all readers can resonate with, in Freedom’s own unique style. What does it take to buy peace paints a picture of our modern world, images that are all too familiar from the 10 o’clock news. It is an honest and raw portrait of the conflict and strife that Western readers are so far removed from. Freedom’s poetry is a call to all who are still willing to work for peace.

Readers of world poetry will enjoy this collection, and leave carrying Freedom’s message of peace with them.

S J Menary

22/11/2013