When people talk of life changing books, we might imagine a book with a celebrity sword sheen. I know it does come in simple books too. Reading 'The Sound of Wild Snail Eating' by Elisabeth tova Bailey, I could imagine the world many times bigger than me, fumble through it without my dominant eye sense.The author compares a bed-ridden displaced phase of her life to a snail brought from a woodlands by her friend. Watching it, she soons gets attached to it and reads up on snails. At points when I thought why isnt the author naming the snail after owning it truly by calling 'mine', theres an explanation for that. When I wondered what would happen if it came onto a sharp object. The author says that the snails skill in passing the razor test is being used in surgery . We are there with her as all of this is happening. This makes the journey vicarious for the reader.If you dont know much about snails like me then you will appreciate that all that water work left behind on the trail needs to be made by someone - the snail. Countless teeth. Dental Nightmare.Now reading of Liliputs and Gulliver can be done in a new light.
Each day morning when I read a set of poems by a poet and thought about their style or theme inclination, I knew I was on to a great start of the day. After having read enough pages I could compare poems by different poets on a similar experience. For example compare 'The Groundhog' of Richard Eberhart, 'Traveling through the Dark' by william Stafford and 'The Wellfleet whale'by Stanley Kunitz. I wasnt very familiar with the work of any of these poets. This book was a good introduction to many of the unknown poets.To find a non popular poem of a well known poet is to know a poet in a new way. Exa, Design by Robert Frost.The introduction to the authors and their views on poetry and role of poetry are illuminating in the way of how they came to be poets. Some of the influences of their lives are telling in their work.Many poems got me searching for myths, mostly Greek.And sometimes when I flip the pages back, I felt that I hadnt read some poems, that way it becomes an endless book.After reading this book, 'Kill the day' by DonalD Hall is my favourite poem and Richard EberHart is my favourite poet for his eye for nature."For sale signs loomed like paper tombstones on the weedy lawns" - Mona Van Duyn.PS: Poets love to write about Robert Frost. Title paraphrases Walt Whitman's 'The Child who went forth' in recognition of each poet's commitment to spread poetry.
A mosaic of routine and ordinary feelings, things, exotic hike aways, facts about travellers who 'stay put'.The illustrations of different mud land, different rains with the drops gathering in puddles, sliding down the window or sticking slantly have a momentary quality.Colorful mittens, shoes, tea cups all urge you to get snug in a comforter with loads of tea.The illustrations are not all in colour and on paper - Taking a blind cat to a garden so it can sniff the flowers - imagining this leaves the reader with an image of a making of their own.
I remembered the title 'Cooking from Gracie' from 'Man with a Pan' in the author's bio with an essay 'Alternate side cooking'. His dismay in losing control of being the sole food maker for his little daughter is just one of the difficult things that new parents have to deal with. As a child, we might just answer very easily to the question of who our favourite parent with all the taking sides that happens in the family. I wonder how the parents feel pitched against each other for their children's love. Touchy, as the subject is, I appreciated the author's honesty.For new parents theres ton of preview into the 'horror show' of not only sleepless nights but also days and nights merging as well.When the author reaches a revelation about how he cooks, an area where he is good at to substitute for lack in any other area, we are with him in the journey of that process. But his experience is limited to cooking for two to three. So cooking for more is a scene of his adventure in his own familiar turf of the kitchen.I liked the chapter in which he sees himself as an understudy when he has to take care of Gracie for an evening all by himself.
'The game of Boxes' is a game like tic tac toe. How does love compare in your life to the claiming of lines that can be connected and the concomitant boxes that can be claimed?In the 'Apophasis at the All Night Rite aid' poem, the poet 'not wanting to be alone' is shown the door to the moon.In 'A Brief poetics of the Hinge', an article by the poet Catherine Barnett, her search for hinge in poetry, where there is both movement and restriction like that offered by a tether. In Providence,some of the best sermonsdont have endings, he saidcomes to my mind as an example of the restriction and release.chorus is the title of many poems in this book. One thing the title helps with is the conectedness and the identification of the literal chorus for/of many voices. But with so many under that tag, readers will have to remember the first line of the poem for its ID. Couldnt these poems be put into one section with 'Chorus' subheading and look for any other interesting internal theme.'Agape' is for word lovers, not the ones who like them by sounds but for those who like them for their meanings sometimes only and sometimes many.Coming to the style of the poems, with so few lines and words, the reader is forced to think what the poet intended instead of just bagging nice phrases as low hung fruit and proceeding to the next poem. Having hooked the reader into the gap of the poem, there is no choice but to fill our thoughts after the question in Inventory, iiReally, what chance do any of us havefor moments of bliss?But proceeding on without waiting for us to come up with suggestions, she dismisses them.In Old story, The clock doesnt have an amygdala. With no Amygdale, there is no sympathy. As in the warning time and tide wait for none. Whats natural than time and waves, but the measuring of them makes them so inorganic. In 'to speak of other things' gardens speak in a way reminiscent of the serpent eating its tail. Styrofoam in 'Scavenger hunt' shows an imbalance of biodegradable activity and chemical nonbiodegradable inactivity.
I was very taken with the page which has the basic equipment numbered and explained. I couldnt imagine what could be done with them. And then comes the barrage of examples with how to achieve the desired visual effects.Making moulds for the decorations opens a whole new world where in you can design the decoration to sit the theme of the party you want to cater to.With the cutters and stamps, the author shows how stunning effects can be brought about.Some decorations like 'poppy crops' leave the cupcake top feeling no less than a canvas for an eager artist to show off their creative skills.Not only are you introduced to new equipment but to new ingredients like piping gel and their dramatic effect.'Safari stars' is a very creative assemblage.
A book with a bookmark of cake pops.While the credit for the classic pop goes to Bakerella, the author has taken the idea forward applying the dynamic cake pop to faux icecream and popsicle pops.The vibrant colours in the book bring about the festive atmosphere hinted in the title of the book and on the cover. Tiered cake pops is a cool idea.Cake slice pops, animal pops, aeroplane pops... Many ideas like this. Now your kid doesnt have to have one single idea for a cake or choose between the many. You can make all of them as cake pops in one cake.A tiered Display stand for the cake pops and others show how they can add to the aura of the pops and also how pops can build on the themes involved.Paper roses is a new idea unlike the pompoms which has already been introduced by Martha S.
I knew of a couple of famous poems by Lucille Clifton but never felt pushed to explore her work further. Looking at this collection, I gave up even before trying by the enormity of the book. But after being lured into other collections, I have realised how an authors whole body of work speaks in a definite voice. With most poets, we need guides. Not with Lucille Clifton, atleast to enjoy it in first reading. Direct to reader poetry.The verse is so light (all simple worlds) that its hard to believe that one can write on weighty issues and still write on/from dreams, poetry for relatives and a letter and followups to Superman - not in the tone of 'Rescue me'. She taunts the forces be to topple her like those dolls that will never touch face with ground.Repetition used to good effect of gaining familiarty and belongingness.A title begins with ellipsis leading to God.
The first thing that I used from this book is the blanket ride which turned out to be fun for both my daughter and me. Then I made a crown. Morning surprise - coronation.You can pat yourselves on the things you already do.Its interesting to know why some activities like role play, taking care of dolls develop baby's skills.
Recently I made a water painting of an ox relaxing on a beach with palm trees behind and a blue sky from a photo on the net.after I got done with the ox, I no longer wanted the ground to be sand, I wanted it to be muddy water and then came the light sky. And now I was left with middle ground and didnt know what to do with it. Then I imagined a scene from my childhood where there was a mild high land cliffing into water pool. I went fr with the imagination to put in our ancstral home but not enough to realise that it would make an interesting subject for another painting all by itself.To cut long story short, 'Creative Acrylic Landscapes' by Wendy Jelbert encourages such changing, mix and match of elements of in your landscape to get at a powerful painting.'Contrasts in tone' shows how tones alter the perception and feel of a landscape. The book explains the basic quipment and techniques that are needed to make a landscape painting.There is a detailed snapshot by snapshot of making of a half dozen landscapes with snapshots ranging from 30 to 50, explaining, the method and feel sought after with each step.
I have had only a couple of coffees on the list and the history is interesting. I knew nothing about Indian coffee other than the special utensil its made in. Now you can learn of different coffees and how to make them too.
To simplify the elements of a scene that you see into 3 objects.Look at your feet as the author mentor says. There is a painting of such an impression in the book. And now I understand the treasure that lies at our feet.There are many techniques in the book to create wonderful paintings. The author says that painting is for when you are at loss of words. But once you do the paintings, you will find yourself itching to express in words too.There are works by many artists in the book. That brings a variety of perspectives.
This was a gift for my child but I enjoyed solving it. All the while I was trying to make an elephant out of the hippo. There is one big puzzle which is inclusive of all the other 3 smaller puzzles.If you want to give a head start to your kid you can finish the big puzzle to aid them in putting together the other three.Or put the pieces belonging to each smaller one in different piles. and the way to do that is see he pattern of the numers behind the picture side of the puzzle.
It is a very small book with a little over 30 pages. But the examples of poems written out in the shape of the object that the poem is about are a good way of getting kids to be creative about picking their favourite subject and write on it.
I have read about shape poems but these concrete poems are befitting for kids to make just the outline instead of filling out the whole shape.
something fun for one and all.Without being heavy, kids are introduced to a pantoum.Most of the lines stand by themselves but also make sense and maintain continuity if linked with the line above or below, like ripples.The pictures are creative and will inspire new set of fun activities like dance, pet parade.
