Silly Verse FOR KIDS by Spike Milligan was one of my favourites as a child (I saved up for it with my pocket money and bought it from the village shop) and I still love it. So I decided to make something similar, full of funny, quirky poems: HUMANS ARE NOT OMNIVORES [poems your teacher might not like] (I decided not to beat around the bush with the title!)
Spike Milligan was a brilliantly irreverent vegetarian comedian and author who died in 2002 at the age of 83. He campaigned against factory farming and vivisection and was once thrown out of Harrods for trying to stuff 28lb of spaghetti down the mouth of the food hall manager because they sold pate de foie gras.
“I told him it might give him some idea of how a goose feels being force-fed maize” he said.
I modelled our new book on his, making it the same size and the same layout, so it’s only a little one – just 11cm x 18cm.
His is a Puffin book, published by Penguin. Ours is a Little Chicken book, published by Violet’s Vegan Comics 😉
And both are full of quirky, eccentric, funny poems for kids like ‘Mary Pugh’, above or a selection from Wacky Verse, examples below 😀
I hope Spike would have liked it. I hope you like it too.
All you kids who are sick of being told at school that humans are omnivores – this one is for you! 😀 😀 😀
Violet's Vegan Comics 
I attempted my own version of his book when I was 8. Wish I still had it. Inspired idea!
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Wow! I wish I could have seen it 😀
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I loved Spike and as a child and also read his stuff to my children. He was extremely silly, so of course incredibly serious also really (people said the same of Terry Pratchett). A great man!
Do hope the book does well. Being polite is so over-rated!!! Love the controversial title.
PS Do you have any hairy knees/legs in the book? His pictures were always a treat.
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Thank you, I’m so glad you agree – I wasn’t in the mood for tiptoeing so I threw caution to the wind! No hairy knees though I’m afraid, maybe next time 😉
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We love spike Milligan too; this is fabulous xxx
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Thank you 😀 xx
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Fabulous!
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😀
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Love this!!!
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Reblogged this on charles1958 and commented:
Love Spike Milligan, and this book by Violet looks like it should be really good as well, enjoy.
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Hi, Violet, this is fantastic, I really liked his work as well, and being both a poet and a story teller, used to slip a poem or two of his into story time, and the children loved it, and now there is your wonderful looking book, but now I am retired and no longer do story time. I think the book looks and sounds great, and if it gets out here I will buy it, I hope it will sell well for you, best wishes and blessings, Charles. PS. I think to try and spread the message I will re-blog it and share it, so as many people as possible can see it.
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Wonderful! Thank you Charles. Did you do story time for your own children or for others aswell?
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I was a librarian at the time, and worked mainly in underprivileged areas, and often had several hundred children attending. I only got married at the age of 50, so have no children, neither does Genevieve my wife. Haven’t done story time since leaving the libraries about 12 years ago.
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There are holes in the sky where the rain comes in
The holes are small – that’s why rain’s so thin.
Spike Milligan
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Excellent! Another Milligan classic 😀
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Love it ! What a great idea. Well done.
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Thank you 😀
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I never knew that about Spike Milligan – good for him!!
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