ACHUKA Book of the Day 22 Feb 2023
A highly-recommended companion collection to Bonkers Ballads (2018) and Barmy Ballads (2020).
The characters you can meet in this new collection include Freda, a flat-footed fairy, a dirty cowboy called Bert, King Neptunes’s naughty nephew and young Gordon Glass, the boy who ignored notices.
There are animal characters too, such as a sea-faring cat who tells of fantastic adventures, a pig called Sam who isn’t very good at going to market, and a collection of creatures who help to make a truly incredible (and rather inedible) cake.
You’ll also meet some colourful dinosaurs, a pair of turnips who visit London, a ginger wig which undergoes various uses (this one’s great fun), and (if you are more observant than Fergus McPherson) you may even catch sight of the Loch Ness Monster.
All the poems are strong in rhyme and rhythm (West is a master of traditional verse forms) and are complemented by the author’s hilarious illustrations. Colin West’s verses have been anthologised by the likes of Julia Donaldson and Roger Mcgough, and all lovers of nonsense will relish the clever wordplay and humour in every line. The book’s ninety plus pages shimmer with wit and charm. Sit back and enjoy the fun!
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