A Picnic of Poems: In Allah's Green Garden

by Dawud Wharnsby

Overview

"The chatty informal rhythms and the mix of everyday detail with the universals make this picture book a great family read-aloud." —Booklist

"Dawud's latest book A Picnic of Poems is another masterpiece of poetry that captures the essence of every child's hopes, dreams, and fears, in the most colorful and imaginative way. It is a delectable treat for the whole family, filled with beautiful illustrations. Every part has a wonderful lesson to draw from and will provide all, young and old, with great guidance for generations to come." —Zain Bhikha, South African singer/songwriter

A collection of thirty poems to keep the young and young-at-heart entertained for hours. These poems cover a number of topics including motherhood, daily prayer, baby siblings, life on a farm, the animal kingdom, bullying, mosques, Ramadan, appreciating nature, and more. The book comes with an audio CD to sing along to these joyful yet educational poems.

"A Picnic of Poems"

I've packed some poems for lunch,
some rhymes for us to chew,
a simple, sippy, soup of songs,
to stir and sing and stew.
Like all good meals to munch,
it would be very rude
not to begin with bismillah,
to bless our poetry food.

Canadian-born Dawud Wharnsby began writing poetry, composing music, and performing in his teens. Since then he has become a voice for socially conscious and spiritually minded individuals in the twenty-first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860374442
Publisher:	Kube Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	12/27/2011
Pages:	44
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 11.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dawud Wharnsby was born in Canada in 1972. He has been writing stories, songs and poems for people of all ages for many years. When he is not traveling to sing with audiences around the world, he loves being with his family — hiking in the mountains near his home, growing vegetables and fixing things that get broken around the house. Dawud loves adventures and being outdoors so much that he is an official Ambassador for Scouting (UK), encouraging young people to take care of the earth and build strong communities. The Wharnsby family lives seasonally between their homes in Pakistan, Canada and the United States.

Table of Contents

A Picnic of Poems
Lorry, Cycle and Feet
Storm
Rose
When the World is Dark at Night
Wee Willie Wheezer Wharnsby
A Prayer to end Bullying
My Mother
My Father's Beard
Prayer
Little Baby
Simple Life
I had a Chirpy Chick
Piles of Smiles
The Ant
Busy Buzzing Bees
The Fly, The Spider and I
Corn
Hug the World
My name is Nimboo
Candy People
Dear Mr. Crow
The Mosque
All of Us
Alhamdulillah, Subhanallah and Insha Allah
Peep Hole on the World
Daily Prayers
Ramadan is on it's way
Muhammad?
Dear God

Editorial Reviews

"..another masterpiece of poetry that captures every child's thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears, in the most colorful and imaginative way." — Zain Bhikha

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—Thirty poems celebrate nature, family, community, and religion. Some of the selections read like prayers, while others function more as songs. ("There's always work that must be done,/must be done! Everyone! /Life's so simple when we simply /work to make it fun.") "A Prayer to End Bullying" asks Allah's help to be strong, and "The Mosque" describes the building's many functions. Colorful cartoon illustrations adorn each page, showing loving families worshipping, enjoying one another, and appreciating nature, but what really brings the verses to life is the accompanying CD, which is the strongest part of the package. The poetry performed as rhythmic song takes on a much more vibrant character. A small glossary defines a handful of Arabic and Urdu words highlighted in the poems.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

Purposeful and saccharine-sweet, these poems on religious and secular topics take on new life on the accompanying CD. Wharnsby, a musician, has an appealing folk style, but the poetry on the page sounds forced and often trite. To interest young children in diversity, he writes such lines as "People are a lot like candy! / There're [sic] all so different and dandy." Describing "Piles of Smiles" that have been hidden away, he laments: "Someone misplaced the key, / causing global tragedy." The poems range from the personal "I had a Chirpy Chick," in which the narrator focuses on love for a pet and love for her grandmother, to a didactic poem entitled "The Mosque." Typographical mistakes abound, with the use of "their" for "they're" in the poem "Prayer" and in the example above, among others. Vibrantly colored flowers and plants, echoed in the handsome prayer rugs that illustrate "Prayer," curl their way around multiracial children and adults. Most adult women wear hijab, as do some girls. With more and more Muslim families in North American communities, there is certainly a need for books of this type. Unfortunately, as with much other religious poetry collections for children, the message takes precedence over the words. The more engaging musical version is available separately through iTunes and other distributors. You won't hear the typos. (Poetry. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews