Book: A Picnic Of Poems, In Allah's Green Garden By Dawud Wharnsby

Environmental-poetry - Dawud Wharnsby sings songs of living on a farm, nature, and the animal kingdom. 

I've been a Wharnsby fan from the age of 13, when his 1996 song a Whisper of Peace calmed a lesson of Islamic education. Imagine how intrigued and pleased I was that Dawud Wharnbsy began an eco-blog on frugal living earlier this year (thank you Cambridge eco-mosque!). A Picnic of Poems, In Allah's Green Garden is Dawud's most recent environmental creativity.

He writes on Wharnsby.com,

"Lately I have really been making an effort to simplify my life - clear out both ideological and physical clutter that I've accumulated. Other types of artists - potters, sculptors, painters - all work alone in studios, taking time to craft their work without interruption or unnecessary influence, so I felt it was time for me to approach my music that way. No producers, session players or engineers... just me, myself and I." - Dawud Wharnsby.

A Picnic of Poems is a wonderful collection of 30 poems aimed at children and 'young at heart'. These spiritually rooted poems cover a number of topics including, advice on motherhood, daily Prayers, baby siblings, life on a farm, bullying, ramadan, mosques and appreciating nature.

They are educational poems first, songs second, says Dawud. "A song like 'Dear Mr. Crow' comes across as a simple conversation between a child and bird, but really speaks about the dangers of nationalism and modern day warfare. "Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and InshaAllah" is an educational ditty to help children remember Arabic phrases of prayer, but it also subtly addresses the harms of urbanization and the importance of ecological awareness and preservation."

I absolutely love the eclectic illustrations and attention to detail. The songs are exciting, they give advice and 'sound colourful'. But they too are laid-back, easy to listen to and beautiful. One can tell time and grace was used to create these poems. Kudos to the illustrator Shireen Adams.

The book comes with an audio CD of Wharnsy and company singing each poem. This book is a must for every household and makes an enchanting gift for young and old alike.

Join Dawud Wharnsby on Facebook.


Link to video + http://youtu.be/Y2NcwBYwtJg

A Picnic of Poems is available to buy on Kube Publishing.

+ www.wharnsby.com

Image + flickr