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National Poetry Day - Wonder (1st October)

One from my #Wordsworth250 celebrations  Next Thursday (1st October) is National Poetry Day. Many years ago, I offered to illustrate favourite poems for anyone who wanted me to. I had a few people who took me up on this. I'm not sure how I managed to do it in the space of a week, but I was young then! This one was a fun commission! Poetry comes in all shapes and sizes. From tiny lines to grand epics. I have heard so many people telling me that they don't like poetry, but what they mean is that they don't like all  poetry. There is always a poem which resonates with everyone whether because it carries nostalgia, inspiration, or wonder . It is fine not to like all poetry, in fact: it is right not to. We would never expect people to like all music, all films, all novels, or all artwork. You can appreciate the artistry within them without wanting to hear/see/read them!! It will come as no surprise to anyone that I love Romantic poetry. In both Day's Dying Glory and Beneath...
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Book Review: The Stranger of Wigglesworth - Colby Hess

Blurb:

The arrival of a mysterious stranger in the happy village of Giggleswick causes a schism that disrupts their innocent, carefree existence. A brave, clever, freethinking boy then sets off on a quest to reveal the stranger’s deception and rescue his fellow villagers.


Review:


This is the story of how a stranger appears and starts telling happy, content people that they'll be more happy and content if they live their lives his way. When they refuse, things start going wrong in their joyful little village of Giggleswick. But all is not as it seems... there is a darker force at work!


I thoroughly enjoyed it. To me, it had elements of The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, both in content and style. The story is written in a kind of gentle poetry which is more about rhythm than rhyme and that makes it a wonderful thing to read aloud.

The Stranger of Wigglesworth is a picture book for older children. It states clearly on the cover that it is for Ages 6-11, and it's important to keep this in mind when reading it. There are a lot of words in here which littler children wouldn't understand, and some parts of the story are very dark. The only slight issue I had with it was that, on one single occasion, the illustrations got so dark that I struggled to see what was happening, but that didn't spoil the overall reading experience for me.

This is a book to be read aloud where possible - and definitely one to be shared!

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