Nonsense Songs
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!
Who has written such volumes of stuff.
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough.
So wrote Edward Lear upon the first publication of these Nonsense Songs in 1871, and few poets indeed have captured the imagination of children as he has. His playful use of language, his celebration of the absurd, his love of pure nonsense have secured his place on the shelves of childhood libraries for generations.
This new edition of his Nonsense Songs has all the favorites--the romantic "Owl and the P***y-Cat" and the silly "Jumblics"--as well as many other rhymes that may be new to young readers--"The Pelican Chorus" and the hilarious "New Vestments."
Newly commissioned illustrations by Jonathan Allen and an introduction by Naomi Lewis make this the edition of choice for a new generation of readers.
His Waistcoat and Trousers were made of Pork Chops;--
His Buttons were Jujubes, and Chocolate Drops;--
Hi Coat was all Pancakes with Jam for a Border,
And a girdle of Biscuits to keep it in order.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this offbeat volume of four Lear verses, Willey (The Golden Hoard: Myths and Legends of the World) conjures a dream-realm of dark skies and vaguely unearthly animals. Asymmetrical windows of rich color imagery open on the white negative space of each page, next to unembellished text. "The Owl and the Pussycat," "The Jumblies" and "The Pobble Who Has No Toes" take place on a violet-green sea dotted with flecks of white foam and populated by ethereal starfish and minnows. Willey's folk style takes its cue from Chagall: the Pobble's Aunt Jobiska is an enigmatically smiling peasant woman in a purple babushka; the green-headed (but otherwise human-looking) Jumblies exude a magical calmness as they blithely sail their sieve; and the yellow calf in "The Quangle-Wangle's Hat" has a human's lidded eyes and rosy cheeks. The book seems incomplete without "The Dong with a Luminous Nose"; the doleful Dong is relegated to a mere mention in "Quangle Wangle," and Willey portrays the character as a white quail, not as the boyish type that Lear himself drew for the role. This departure notwithstanding, Willey, with her eerie interpretations, conveys the classic nonsense author's spirit of eccentricity. Ages 5-8. FYI: Willey's fans can also look forward to a companion volume to The Golden Hoard; the new book, The Silver Treasure: Myths and Legends of the World, also by Geraldine McCaughrean, illus. by Willey, is due from S&S/McElderry in April ( , ages 10-up).
