Not Afraid to Be Real
Not Afraid to Be Real ~ A Poetry Collection by Maranda Russell is a poetic chronology of the author’s reflection on the different stages of life. She starts with love and daily living, and progresses through death and grief, before she emerges with hope and inspiration. She writes with an insight on life that many of us may not have considered. Then she adds a short chapter of miscellaneous poems that she describes as “funny, random or just plain weird”.
When I first started reading Ms. Russell’s poems, I thought, “How dark and gloomy.” I was right about the first poems because she was writing about topics that should be cheerful and positive, including several of the ones about love, but I decided that Ms. Russell was writing about a subject that she could see as dark or positive. In her introduction, she declares that she writes for teens and young adults because they ““get” what I am trying to say”. They do reflect the angst of the age group.
“I was never content
to catch the lightning bugs
and watch them glow
behind the glass;
I smashed them on the asphalt
and drew patterns
that shined briefly,
then faded away forever.”
When I got to the later poems, the mood changed. By the time I got to the end, I found I was enjoying her take on life. Her poems become more positive and upbeat as she came to the end of the book,.
I know I can be anything,
I know I will succeed.
Though doubt may spring up in my heart,
it’s hope I choose to feed.
All ages will find something they can identify with in this small book of poems. Teens and young adults will relate to their current challenges. Older people will reflect back to what they felt at an earlier time and place.
Maranda Russell is a foster parent, children’s author, poet and cat lover who currently lives in Dayton, Ohio. She enjoys art, photography, anime, reading, writing, dancing, hiking, spending time with her family and rescuing stray animals.
When I first started reading Ms. Russell’s poems, I thought, “How dark and gloomy.” I was right about the first poems because she was writing about topics that should be cheerful and positive, including several of the ones about love, but I decided that Ms. Russell was writing about a subject that she could see as dark or positive. In her introduction, she declares that she writes for teens and young adults because they ““get” what I am trying to say”. They do reflect the angst of the age group.
“I was never content
to catch the lightning bugs
and watch them glow
behind the glass;
I smashed them on the asphalt
and drew patterns
that shined briefly,
then faded away forever.”
When I got to the later poems, the mood changed. By the time I got to the end, I found I was enjoying her take on life. Her poems become more positive and upbeat as she came to the end of the book,.
I know I can be anything,
I know I will succeed.
Though doubt may spring up in my heart,
it’s hope I choose to feed.
All ages will find something they can identify with in this small book of poems. Teens and young adults will relate to their current challenges. Older people will reflect back to what they felt at an earlier time and place.
Maranda Russell is a foster parent, children’s author, poet and cat lover who currently lives in Dayton, Ohio. She enjoys art, photography, anime, reading, writing, dancing, hiking, spending time with her family and rescuing stray animals.
Ode to Icky
Maranda Russell has written a funny, colorful story, illustrated by the animated pictures by Nicolas Peruzzo. Children will enjoy the funny storyline of “Ode to Icky” as they watch the progression of the story in the illustrations and plot.
Candy has a very lazy cat she named Icky who only thought of eating and sleeping and would not clean himself until he smelled so bad that the dog even stayed away from him.
When Candy’s sister gets some new perfume from France that purportedly smelled like Icky, an idea of how to make some money comes to Candy. She makes some perfume from Icky’s hair and sells it at school. What happens next at school with her classmates and at home with her parents is predictable, but also holds a surprise.
Children will laugh as they read this book, not only for the storyline, but also for the surprise ending that is so typical of “young entrepreneurs”.
“As Kayla stomped out of the room, Candy got a brilliant idea. In fact, she was so excited she turned off the TV and went into the kitchen to find an empty glass jar.”
Ms. Russell’s first picture book, Ode to Icky is written for 3-8 year olds, but parents will also enjoy it as they laugh along with their children. The moral is not spelled out, but is left for the children to work out for themselves. Parents and teachers can have lively discussions about the consequences of their actions.
Maranda Russell is a foster parent, book reviewer and children’s writer. She spends most of her time reading, writing, hanging out with her family, playing with her 5 cats and giving author talks and presentations at schools, stores, and community events around the Dayton, Ohio area. She also likes to dance, hike, visit art museums and browse local bookstores. Check out Maranda’s website: www.marandarussell.com.
Candy has a very lazy cat she named Icky who only thought of eating and sleeping and would not clean himself until he smelled so bad that the dog even stayed away from him.
When Candy’s sister gets some new perfume from France that purportedly smelled like Icky, an idea of how to make some money comes to Candy. She makes some perfume from Icky’s hair and sells it at school. What happens next at school with her classmates and at home with her parents is predictable, but also holds a surprise.
Children will laugh as they read this book, not only for the storyline, but also for the surprise ending that is so typical of “young entrepreneurs”.
“As Kayla stomped out of the room, Candy got a brilliant idea. In fact, she was so excited she turned off the TV and went into the kitchen to find an empty glass jar.”
Ms. Russell’s first picture book, Ode to Icky is written for 3-8 year olds, but parents will also enjoy it as they laugh along with their children. The moral is not spelled out, but is left for the children to work out for themselves. Parents and teachers can have lively discussions about the consequences of their actions.
Maranda Russell is a foster parent, book reviewer and children’s writer. She spends most of her time reading, writing, hanging out with her family, playing with her 5 cats and giving author talks and presentations at schools, stores, and community events around the Dayton, Ohio area. She also likes to dance, hike, visit art museums and browse local bookstores. Check out Maranda’s website: www.marandarussell.com.