"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen."
- Leonardo da Vinci
Title: Monster Poems for Monstrous Kids (Book 4)
Author and Illustrator: Melinda Kinsman
Ages: 3-5
I would like to introduce you to Melinda Kinsman who has a wonderful series of rhyming books that I am sure your kids will love. She has created her own world she calls "Top of the Wardrobe Gang." If you drag a chair across the room, get up on it and peek way up to the top of the wardrobe you will find a very busy and exciting world indeed, created by Melinda to spark your child's imagination.
Book #1 in the series presents to you the gang: P.D. Monkey, Oscar Rabbit, Burton Bear, Odd Sock, Terry Tiger (TT), Buster Dog and of course Melinda herself who is the mastermind of all the projects they churn out from there. The adorable little monsters live in Billy's room on the top of his wardrobe (or in the Penthouse Suite) as the gang likes to call it. Billy started school in September so that left all the little monsters lonely, bored and looking for a purpose in life. They discovered they all love words, especially ones that rhyme AND writing stories. Co-operating, and working in harmony, they go forth and start to create rhyming books both to their great delight (and hopefully the delight of their readers!). Here are a list of the books they have successfully created so far:
1. Introducing the Gang!
2. Hello from the Gang!
3. Our Poems for Kids
4. Monster Poems for Monster Kids
Here is a taste of one of the poems from "Monster Poems for Monster Kids":
What Makes A Monster Scary?
What makes a monster scary?
Is it his big jaws?
Is it his long arms,
Or is it his sharp claws?
What makes a monster scary?
Can it simply be his size?
Can it be how loud he BELLOWS,
Or the glinting of his eyes?
What makes a monster scary?
Well, I know what does for me;
It's THE DARK that makes them scary,
And the things I THINK I see...
What STOPS a monster being scary?
Turn the light on and you'll see...
They all turn and run away -
They must be more afraid of me!
Here is one of her adorable monsters....
Yep, there's Odd Sock and she hangs around in the small sink in the bathroom knitting socks and collecting rocks which she loves dearly.
Here's Melinda herself and a little bit about her life:
Melinda Kinsman was born in Stoke-on-Trent. She lives on a peninsular in the UK called The Wirral, which lies just to the north of Wales. She is very new to being an author, having created her first ebooks at the end of 2013. She loves climbing mountains and rock-climbing (both abroad, and in her local mountains of Snowdonia), and she has always had a soft-spot for cuddly toys!
As Melinda has to lie down a lot each day, due to health issues, she now spends most of that time using her iPad to write and illustrate her new books. (Drawing can be especially challenging, as she needs to keep the iPad steady by balancing it with one leg up in the air - much to the amusement of her family!)
Melinda originally wrote a book of poems for her 6 year old niece a few years ago, but never dreamt of trying to publish them, or of trying to illustrate them herself. The advent of ebooks and handheld tablets now makes self-publishing an exciting possibility for her!
The Top of the Wardrobe Gang series of books are credited to both Melinda and a motley crew of cuddly toy characters. This bunch of cuddly toys live on the Top of the Wardrobe - they like to call this the "penthouse suite"! They enjoy reading, and want to try writing their own books. Most of the cartoon gang characters are based on "real" members of Melinda's cuddly toy family, though some have had to have their names and appearances changed to allow their inclusion!
You can find out more about Melinda, the gang, and their books from their website at http://topofthewardrobegang.weebly.com
You can catch up with Melinda on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/TopoftheWardrobeGang
Her books are available on iBooks and on Amazon.
Book Review Rating: 8 (Fantastic!)
Read on and read always! Have an awesome day everyone!
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