Barmy Ballads is a beautifully produced hardback collection of humorous poetry, introducing a wonderful array of crazy characters. Meet a nutty knight, a naughty witch, a smelly pirate, a not-very-jolly jester, a child genius, a hungry giant, a clever donkey, an invisible mischief-maker and many more.
There is also a full supporting cast, including a crafty wizard, a lovesick fisherman, a helpful octopus, a hip hop drummer, seven washerwomen, a gang of bank robbers, a fiery dragon or two, not to mention the Queen of Spain and the old kitchen sink!
Best-selling poet Roger McGough hailed Colin's previous collection, Bonkers Ballads, as a cracking book and now Colin is back with a whole new bunch of ballads even bigger and barmier than before.
Barmy, brilliant and absurd - Colin West's mastery of witty improbabilities in rhyme, combined with the quirky charm of his illustrations, makes this book irresistible. Liz Brownlee (National Poetry Day Ambassador for the Forward Arts Foundation)