Homage To Spike Milligan, William Shakes-A-Beer By P.Harry Mason, Reawakens The Silly In Today’s Youngsters

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, William Shakes-a-Beer is a whimsical collection of poems, penned by P. Harry Mason, that humorously recounts the world through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy, inviting young readers to chuckle and chortle.

William Shakes-A-Beer

Inspired by the gift of Spike Milligan’s Milliganimals at the tender age of ten, author P. Harry Mason’s enduring love for nonsense poetry has fueled his creative spirit.

In homage to Milligan’s whimsical genius, William Shakes-a-Beer bursts with clever wordplay and absurd humour, capturing the essence of life’s oddities with a childlike simplicity.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old William, Mason’s verse embraces the universal experiences and adolescent confusion that define this formative period. Ian Standing’s illustrations perfectly capture the chaotic and imaginative world within William’s mind.

A delightful blend of nonsense and wordplay, William Shakes-a-Beer is a perfect gift for any age. It invites readers to reconnect with their playful spirit and embrace the absurdity of life.

P.Harry Mason

When I was 10 my aunt gave me Spike Milligan’s brilliant Book of Milliganimals for my birthday. I quickly fell in love with the great man’s nonsense poems and was soon reciting The Silly Old Baboon, The Gofongo or The Wiggle-Woggle to myself and anyone who’d listen.

Some years later I thought I’d risk writing a poem myself and penned The Man Next Door one rainy afternoon and that was soon followed by Our Beastly Boiler. I don’t remember deliberately creating William, but I simply found I enjoyed writing silly poems from the point of view of a well-meaning but easily befuddled young lad with a huge imagination.

Having received a copy of Spike Milligan’s brilliant Book of Milliganimals for my tenth birthday from my aunt, I quickly fell in love with the great man’s nonsense poems and was soon reciting The Silly Old Baboon, The Gofongo or The Wiggle-Woggle to myself and anyone who’d listen.

Some years late I thought I’d risk writing a poem myself and penned The Man Next Door one rainy afternoon and that was soon followed by Our Beastly Boiler, I don’t remember deliberately creating William, but I simply found I enjoyed writing silly poems from the point of view of a well-meaning but easily befuddled young lad with a huge imagination.

-P. Harry Mason

Ian Standing

Drawing the illustrations for Phil’s book was very enjoyable. I became quite attached to Willian and the other members of his family. The poems evoke great imagery and show the vastness of a child’s imagination.

-Ian Standing

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Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CVLNjV