Review of Special Childhood Treasures

[ciecheesemeister]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Special Childhood Treasures" by Verlinda J Allen.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sometimes a person or situation has a strong impact on one’s life. Verlinda J. Allen was inspired to create the poems included in Special Childhood Treasures in honor of her newborn son.

These poems showcase the amazing things the author believes her son will see and experience in the world. Her works often reference color and the experience of seeing color.

Ms. Allen’s poems don’t rhyme, but they have their own rhythm. The poem Dream Maker, Star Maker provides an excellent example of this.

Dream Maker, Star Maker
My ever true wish maker.
You see my dream
my heartaches.
And pains.
My deepest heartfelt delights.

The author also enjoys writing about animals and nature. She groups her poems into loose categories.

It is difficult to gauge whether or not poetry has been professionally edited. It can also be difficult to determine whether a word one would deem misspelled under normal circumstances was spelled that way deliberately in a poem. I did not find any creatively or alternatively spelled words in this collection. The poet’s approach to her subjects is unpretentious and down-to-earth, even when she is discussing fanciful or spiritual concepts.

Ms. Allen is not the sort of poet who spent years studying poetry. She did not create this book to show off her exemplary knowledge of poetic form. She is an everyday person speaking from the heart about subjects that have deep personal meaning. However, she is an everyday person capable of painting pictures with her words. Her poem, Pegasus, nearly had me believing that I might well see a Pegasus in a field among the horses while driving through the countryside.

PEGASUS
My beautiful white-winged
Flying horse.
Your graceful wings expand
As you take off.

While there were certain poems that I enjoyed more than others, I did not dislike any of the works contained in this volume. Some of the poems reference the author’s Christian beliefs, but she is never preachy. These are poems that will appeal to people who appreciate nature, enjoy fantasy, and like poetry written in free verse. Readers who prefer more strictly structured poetry or poems that rhyme would be advised to choose a different book.

Poetry, particularly free-verse poetry, can be difficult to subjectively critique. However, the poems contained in this volume are very readable, and that is one of my strongest criteria for judging whether I enjoy the poem or not. Ms. Allen has created a beautiful gallery of word pictures in this volume. I rate Special Childhood Treasures four out of four stars.

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Special Childhood Treasures
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[Chiwendu Ikechukwu]

This book looks interesting from the review above. And the storyline is my kind of story. Adding it to my shelf for future reading ASAP.

[Patty Allread]

Good review! Free-verse poetry can be amazing or can be horrible and incomprehensible. This book of poetry, inspired by a newborn, sounds excellent and well-written.

[Ikechukwu Blessing]

Poems with their literal and contextual meaning, it's interesting and captivating as well.Great review.

[Bibwireyesu Amon]

So amazing poems, with an interesting arrangment of word.