Illustrated Haiku by Sajan Rai and Storm by Tim Minchin

Once again, I paid for Sajan Rai to draw me as a sloth at comic con, and felt like I needed to buy more. I’d been following his Instagram here he posts these haikus since the first time I met him, and always enjoyed the posts. I kept meaning to buy this book, and comic con was the perfect excuse. Plus, Rai did a small drawing in the front, and it’s a touch that wouldn’t necessarily have come from ordering online.

            The range of Sajan Rai is phenomenal. Brocko n’ Frens and The Scream are fantastically funny, and while both the art style and contents are vastly different, this is still absolutely fantastic. Every piece in in here is unique, and I adore both the poems and the illustrations. I can’t really do what I’d usually do what I usually do with poetry, as there are no titles, so this review will be kept short. I must say, I’m truly envious of Rai’s range.

            It possibly goes without saying that I recommend this book. I haven’t a bad word to say about it. This is available on Sajan Rai’s site, and the price is so good for the sheer amount of content you get in this book.

            Here, I’ll show you a few of my favourites from the piece, rather than going through and giving my usual poetry reviews.

So, when I was 14, I was a bit of a knob when it came to certain issues. The only good thing to come out of that time is my discovery of Tim Minchin, who I still adore to this day. I'm not saying anything about Tim Minchin here. I just know what I was like, and I know that brought me to his work. Storm, Minchin’s beat poem has always been a favourite of mine, and finding the illustrated book version made me so happy. I also got this before I’d read much Neil Gaiman, and finding out that he did the foreword was a lovely little surprise.

            The art style is fantastic (of course), and, even if you can’t get the book, the animated video is available on YouTube, and is animated in the same style as the book’s illustrations.

            It’s really worth, if you haven’t heard it before, listening while you read. I’m aware that you’re only likely to but a book like this if you’ve heard it before, but the musicality of the poem is really brought to life by Tim Minchin’s reading. Poetry is, of course, meant to be presented aloud.

            I am biased as a Tim Minchin fan, but I do adore this book, and absolutely recommend it. Even if you don’t buy it, watch the animated video.