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The Last Hedgehog
The Last Hedgehog
Pam Ayres | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Natural World
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Harsh truth
Beautifully illustrated by Alice Tait, Pam Ayres' poem about The Last Hedgehog is a clever set of verses about the demise of the hedgehog population. Although the rhyme makes readers want to laugh, it highlights the dangers to hedgehogs caused by contemporary society. With this short book, Ayres hopes to open the eyes of the ignorant and change people's attitudes to nature.
  
The Penguin Book of Scottish Verse
The Penguin Book of Scottish Verse
Robert Crawford (Editor), Mick Imlah (Editor) | 2006 | Education, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Twa Corbies (0 more)
Some are very old and difficult to follow (0 more)
Decent
I would be lying if I said that I have read every poem, but I have read a fair few. Reading early Scots is difficult (even for a Scot) but some of the medieval ballads are fun. Check out 'The Twa Corbies' or Jenny Nettles' holding her bairn under her oxter, good fun.
  
The Night Before Christmas
The Night Before Christmas
Clement C. Moore | 2014 | Children
8
8.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
With Christmas fast approaching I realised that we don't own a copy of The Night Before Christmas. Therefore I began my hunt for a copy that my three year old would enjoy. I wanted something with vivid color and interaction. The pages are very busy and there is something new to see each time we open the pages. The traditional poem has always been one of my favorites. The illustrations add life to the words. My son loves it and keeps asking to "Read Santa!" and he goes around saying "Dash away! Dash away!" If you too are on the hunt for The Night Before Christmas, I recommend this copy. Eventually I would like a classic hard copy of this poem to own, but this year I am settling for a digital copy of this version that I found through our local library. May your season be filled with Christmas cheer!
  
Riot Of The Living Dead by Lesbian Bed Death
Riot Of The Living Dead by Lesbian Bed Death
2012 | Rock
Awesome Rock (3 more)
Horror Movie References
Catchy Songs
Inspiring Lyrics
One of my all time favourite albums
I first found Lesbian Bed Death back in 2014 and really enjoyed what I heard. The first song I found was Halloween, and I could not get it out of my head and found myself listening to it over and over again. (Halloween was coming up and I was going to be at Whitby Goth Weekend).

When I went to book my tickets I saw that LBD were in fact going to be playing at WGW that year and I couldn't wait to hear my new found obsession live on stage in my favourite place on earth, Whitby!

After listening to the entire album (and previous albums), I found a new favourite song called Chains, which really spoke to me and in fact inspired me to write a poem called Black Candle, all about how my life throughout school etc. made me feel like I couldn't be myself but I finally broke from those chains and nowadays, I'm not afraid to be me. It was a somewhat anti-bullying themed poem, but also one about courage, and after I had finished writing it, I thought that I should let the artists that inspired me, know what their music has done for me. So I emailed them with my poem and honestly, I thought that would be that. Either they read it or they don't, but at least I went ahead and sent it.

Not long after, but drawing ever closer to the night I was going to see them live in Whitby, the manager (and guitarist), Dan Peach replied to my email, telling me he enjoyed reading the poem and that he showed the other band members and they also liked it. This was surreal to me and I was so excited to walk up to them during the meet and greet before the gig and tell them that I was the one who wrote the poem. When the night came for that opportunity I was nervous as hell, and didn't know how to talk to them. I mean, they're just people, but to me and my mind they were a band with many fans and fans can get creepy. I didn't want to be creepy. So I walked up, greeted them and told them it was so awesome to meet them, and then told them I was the one who wrote the poem and when they all told me it was awesome, I could not stop grinning like a Cheshire cat, and that's not even where the story ends.

After they played a few songs on stage, Kittie announced that the next song was for someone special in the audience. It was a little song of theirs called 'Chains' and it was dedicated to the person it inspired to write a poem about breaking free. Dan Peach nodded at me and so did Kittie and I was lost for words. I rocked so much that night and it remains the greatest night of my life.

The band themselves are awesome, and the music they create is something catchy and lyrically brilliant, with songs that'll stick in your head. I have listened to this album countless times and it remains on of my favourite albums of all time. I highly recommend the album and the band!