Boshblobberbosh (Creative Editions) [Hardcover]

J. Patrick Lewis (Author), Gary Kelley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Creative Editions

Illustrated poems written in the style of Edward Lear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lewis, whose bouncy The La-di-da Hare showed an unmistakable affinity with Victorian versifier Edward Lear, further acknowledges his inspiration with this inventive collection of rhymes about the poet. A whimsical prose foreword defines "Bosh" as "nonsense" in Lear-speak, and admits that these "runcible poems" are only loosely based on biographical facts. Then, with a turn of the page?and a turn of the oversize book, which is held sideways and, later, upside-down?a shadowy portrait of the infant Lear appears for the opening poem, "Born in a Crowd" (Lear was the 20th of 21 children): "I was just like a son to my sister Ann/ (Which made her a mother to me)./ Often we romped in the meadows and ran/ To the green leaf trees where the world began." Lewis delightfully approximates his source's deft wordplay, writing affectionately of Lear's oversize nose ("In the Middle of Your Face") and penning a letter to Lear correspondent Chester Fortescue, known to Lear as "40scue" ("I'm off 2 seek my 4chun with the sunrise?/ They say the weather's gr8 in Timbuk2./ I hope 2 paint 16y-weeny butterflies/ And catch a cagey cocka2 4 you"). Classic characters such as the Jumblies, the Owl and Mr. Foss the cat make regular appearances in the narrative; smart caricatures of Lear gaze out of most every spread; and a closing chronology charts Lear's years. Using somber charcoal grays and earthy browns lit by dabs of pale yellow and blue-white, Kelley (The Necklace; Rip Van Winkle) establishes an overcast 19th-century atmosphere and subtly counterpoints the lightness of the verse. Literary chronicles seldom prove as amicable as this evocatively illustrated homage, and Lear himself would certainly be pleased that Lewis's limericks scan perfectly. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-In this tribute to the "King of High Bosh," Lewis draws on actual instances in Edward Lear's unusual life to create some entertaining and informative poems. Lear, the master of nonsense, had 20 brothers and sisters, gave drawing lessons to Queen Victoria, suffered from epilepsy, and lived in Italy for many years; all of this and more are recorded here. One of the most humorous incidents related is when Lear overheard a gentleman assert that there is no such person as Edward Lear, and furthermore, that the Earl of Derby is the actual author of The Book of Nonsense. Lear could not help but confront him with monogrammed handkerchiefs and other proofs of identity. These types of fascinating biographical details, letters to friends, and Lear's own words and nonsense rhymes provide the fodder for Lewis's imagination. Detailed endnotes cite the source of his inspiration for each poem. Children will especially enjoy hearing these selections, as words like "fizzgiggious" and "meloobious" beg to be read aloud. Kelley's illustrations have a surreal quality that will appeal to older readers. The vertical design is stunning, and the format demands attention. The poems will work especially well when paired with Lear's original work, though they are strong enough to stand on their own.
Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Creative Editions (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152019499
• ISBN-13: 978-0152019495
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After nearly three decades as a professor of economics, J. Patrick Lewis turned to poetry. He is the author of more than 75 children's books including A Hippopotamusn't (1990), BoshBlobberBosh (1998), Please Bury Me in the Library (2004), First Dog (2009), Spot the Plot (2009), and The House (2009).

He has recently been named the third U.S. Children's Poet Laureate (2011-2013) by the Poetry Foundation.

His books have been published by Creative Editions, Knopf, Atheneum, Dial, Harcourt, Little, Brown, National Geographic, Chronicle Books, Scholastic, Candlewick, Schwartz & Wade, Holiday House, Sleeping Bear Press, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, Dawn Publications, and others. Gulls Hold Up the Sky, his first book of adult poems, was published by Laughing Fire Press (2010).

Pat's children's poems have also appeared in CRICKET (26 times), SPIDER, LADYBUG, CICADA, ODYSSEY, RANGER RICK, HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, Ms. Magazine, YOUR BIG BACKYARD, CREATIVE CLASSROOM, STORYTIME, STORYWORKS, CHICKADEE, AHOY, LANGUAGE ARTS, JOURNAL OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, BOOKBIRD, READING TODAY and over 100 anthologies. He wrote the 1992 National Children's Book Week poem, printed on one million bookmarks and distributed nationally.

Lewis has received numerous awards from the American Library Association, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and others. He was the recipient of the 2010-11 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Children's Poetry Award, presented every two years.

WHERE I'LL BE NEXT--Schools, Bookstores, Conferences

October 14-16, 2011 Poetry Foundation--TED Lecture Chicago, Illiniois
October 23-25, 2011 NY State Reading Assn. Rye Brook, New York
October 28-31, 2011 Keystone State Reading Assn. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
November 5, 2011 Buckeye Book Fair Wooster, Ohio
November 8, 2011 Ashland University Ashland, Ohio
November 15-16, 2011 St. Joseph's College Rensselaer, Indiana
November 17-20, 2011 NCTE Convention Chicago, Illinois
December 1, 2010 Hillview Elementary Newark, Ohio
December 8, 2011 West Chester University (Dan Darigan) West Chester, PA
January 18, 2012 Richard Avenue Elementary Grove City, Ohio
January 24, 2012 Fouse Elementary Westerville, Ohio
March 1-3, 2012 Charlotte Huck Ch. Lit. Conference Redlands, California
April 3-5, 2012 Holland Hall Primary Tulsa, Oklahoma
April 12, 2012 Washington-Centerville Public Library Centerville, Ohio
April 13, 2012 Stingley Elementary Centerville, Ohio
April 17-25, 2012 Anglo-American School Moscow, Russia
April 29-May 2, 2012 IRA Convention Chicago, Illinois
May 10, 2012 Wynford Elementary Bucyrus, Ohio
March 22, 2013 OCTELA Conference Columbus, Ohio

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre poetry, Redundant illustrations, November 13, 2005

By 

Thomas Fackler (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boshblobberbosh (Creative Editions) (Hardcover)

The best thing about this book was that it introduced me to Edward Lear. Everything else was so-so which here means lacked creativity and bored me. My favorite parts were the prose introduction, the explanations of the material for the poetry, and the timeline.