Fiona Waters

I'm not a huge poetry fan, but do enjoy reading good poetry every now and then. So, the idea of a poem a day hit me with either a strong yea or nay. This collection won me over so much so that it's going to join a spot on my bookshelf.

The cover already sparks interest with its capturing, tiger's gaze. It does a wonderful job at setting the tone for the many poems to come, and does fit the type of illustrations found through this collection. I'm going to start with the illustrations because show more these are a treat as much as the poems themselves. The artwork portrays a more natural direction, keeping the animals in a more realistic direction, and yet, the touch of art is still present. While carrying an overall similar style, the illustrations hold variety and hint at texture, making each one enjoyable to discover and revisit. So, this is already a lovely collection on that end.

The book is broken up into twelve months. At the beginning of each month, there's a list of the poems and authors with the corresponding date. Each two-page spread holds one to four poems, and these do hold with the illustrations as well as the dates. Every poem highlights a different animal. They come from a various authors, cover various types of poetry, and represent everything from modern poems to traditional rhymes. So, expect a bit of everything from every direction to make a diverse mix. Some of them are serious, others invoke thought, and many add a touch of humor. A few are longer, which several verses, while others are composed of only a few words. So, expect a bit of everything.

The hardbound book has a wonderful quality to it, which guarantees more than a single year's worth of use. I was afraid it might be a bit much, but the mix makes it really enjoyable to use. I can recommend this one and am adding it to my favorites of the review year list. I received a complimentary copy and this collection is so lovely that I'm adding it to my book shelf. show less

One of my all-time favourite short stories! You can't go wrong with Oscar Wilde; he's the master of short fiction for a reason. :)

A review by my GR friend Federico prompted me to go down memory lane. He called this work 'Pure Perfection', and I heartily agree.

I had first come across this story when I was in school. It was one of the "chapters" in my English textbook, maybe in grade 3 or 4. I never knew then who Oscar Wilde was, but I remember the sheer impact this little story had on me. show more Haven't forgotten it since, and have read it multiple times over. It is right up there, along with 'The Nightingale And The Rose' as my favourite Wilde work.

Pick it up when you want something beautifully serene. Wilde wrote this story for children, but its impact transcends the target age group. Do read.

5 selfless stars.

This story is in the public domain, so you can read it from any online site for free. Here's one link:
https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/SelGia.shtml

———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter show less

Aesop's Fables contain relevant messages, but also outdated values. "The Wolf and the Goat" might be taken as an excuse to not try to change oneself or explore urges that come from within. However a story like "The Donkey and the Dog" has a great moral and teaches the lesson that everyone finds pleasure in something unique and relevant to themselves. The reader should use their own judgement when reading the fables and decide what morals are pertinent to their lives and which are obsolete or show more meaningless. A deeper meaning can be found in each of the fables which all force the reader to dig into their prior knowledge and come to their own conclusions. show less

This is a compilation of nature poems, one for each day of the year, illustrated. That description is exactly what I was looking for. The compilation is diverse in poetry styles and authors. I love the idea, and enjoyed several poems I was familiar with, and found several new poems that I really enjoyed. There is a very good index of authors, poems, and first lines. Overall, I liked this book. However, I'm not sure that I actually liked enough of the poems to give 4+ stars.

I think it's the show more same book with a different name as "I am the seed that grew the tree" (same selector, illustrator, and at least some pages appear same). show less