Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: rhyme

  • Poetry As It Once Was

    Poetry As It Once Was

    More than twenty years ago Peter Cressall decided it was time to stop writing, but as the time has moved along and a ripe age has been reached, he has once again decided to share his somewhat intriguing viewpoint on life from a richly mature perspective.

    Throughout the various pieces that make up Poetry As It Once Was, trying to guess his age, which could be anything from 70 years to 90 something years, or even more, becomes of interest as his words unfold offering so many differencing perspectives, in a few simple words.

    Ditties, rub shoulders with Odes, Sonnets sing with a whimsical voice about the journey of life from a young man to a man with much wisdom garnered. A lovely little rhyming verse is The Tie That Binds; do make sure you read it!  Bible Stories is a must read as is Happy Birthday XI which is a totally irreverent perspective on chalking up some more years in ones 70’s.

    Serious pondering is also a component undertaken in the Sonnets; as the pages turn they move towards almost a lament to the loss of a long-time friend, a partner, a wife who has gone before. He looks carefully at the way people gather to support, to care, but still the sense of aloneness remains.

    With Love Song he is reaching out to a loved one as if it is a dream, a dream to help pass through endless sorrow.  if only he could be with her one more time, if only………………..

    Poetry As It One Was is an absolute delight as it is simple verse that tells a story without a considerable amount of guess work or angst from the reader required. Slightly cynical, funny, wry, definitely witty and yet when required sombre, Peter Cressall’s view of life from a very, very long perspective is an absolute gem.

  • A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Poems

    A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Poems

    ‘The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea, in a beautiful pea green boat’ are the opening lines of the much loved poem The Owl and the Pussy Cat, one of the many, many favourite nursery rhymes and poems to be discovered or re-discovered, in this beautifully bound and illustrated Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Poems.

    Fran Preston-Gannon has created beautiful illustrations to grace the pages and frame many of the traditional rhymes we all grew up with, love to share and rediscover over the years. As timeless as they have always been, grandparents have shared them with their grandchildren, as have parents to their young babies and children down through the centuries, with pieces such as Bobby Shaftoe and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean originally being written as a means to pass the news of the day.

    From the simple but lovely ‘There was a little girl……..to the giggly favourite Round and Round the Garden  and  the very active Head and shoulders, knees and toes there is fun to be had on each page. Songs have also been included such as She’ll be comin’ round the mountain, beloved of children of yesteryear and there to be discovered by the new generations.

    Many of the traditional rhymes have not always been just for fun, but were created for a very good reason:  Ring-a-ring o’ Roses was about the Black Plague which killed many in 1665. Jack Be Nimble was a little ditty believed to be about Black Jack the pirate and his ability to mysteriously avoid being captured.

    Mockingbird became a popular song and Old Macdonald was and is a favourite sung and loved by tiny tots to school children. Many of the pieces that make up the book are from around the world and for even the most keen teller of tales large and small, there is something new, another rhyme or poem to be discovered to enjoy and pass on to little ones for many years to come.

    Bound in a hard cover with a wrap- around dust jacket, A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes and Poems built around the work of award winning illustrator Fran Preston-Gannon is a glorious, rich collection of favourites and fresh new pieces destined to be considered as a firm family treasure for years to come, designed to enchant little ones and return ‘older’ ones down memory lane, even if just for a little while.