Customer Reviews

Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky: A Book of Brillig Dioramas

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4 star:		(2)
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It was a frabjous day when we picked this one up, no question.

This is a winning adaptation, and a great example of poetry to read to young children. My twins, five at the time we picked it up, really responded to Graeme Base's goofy popup illustrations. At that age, too, they already did enjoy Lewis Carroll's turns of language. Now, a couple of years later, both of them can recite the entire poem -- surely not JUST a testament to my brilliantly amazing children (mild self deprecation intended), but also a good measure of how well this book came through to them.

Another poem picturebook you might consider for kids would be the Robert Frost "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" illustrated by Susan Jeffers. Either book makes a nice gift, and if you've got a few moments sometime, if you have some time to stand a while in thought by the tumtum tree, you might even pick them up yourself.

I collect children's books, mainly because they get to the point (something I wish adult books would do), but also for the artwork. This book is such a treasure. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the design of the book makes it one of a kind. It's a true beauty.

The Jabberwocky has always been one of my favorite poems, so I was thrilled when I saw this book on sale at the book store. My children (ages 7, 4, and 2) love the dioramas, and ask me to read the book all of the time. My only complaint is that the paper used in the dioramas, while not super thin, is a bit fragile to be looked at too often and I'm worried about this book wearing out soon. As long as you don't let kids handle the book on their own, or you make sure they're EXTREMELY gentle with it, this book has great illustrations that really hold the attention of children.

All of the Graeme Base books we have are special in their own way. This one differs from the others in that it is sort of like a pop-up book, but not as fragile-the 3-D images are underneath the pages instead of above them. My children are 10 and 13 and think the book is really great.

This book was a gift, and although I was familiar with the poem, I had never seen Graeme Base's depiction of it. Wonderful! Through repeated readings, my boys began to memorize it at age 2 1/2 and could wrap their tongues around the nonsense words before they even realized that they were nonsense words. At age six was the first time either had noticed that the words were occasionally nonsense, but any reader can still understand the story. My husband overheard us reading the lines about the "vorpal sword" and remembered the term from his Dungeons and Dragons days--the term had been "borrowed" from this poem.
This book is also beautifully illustrated. There are so many different levels on which to enjoy this book. For a long time we just looked at the fantastic illustrations as they told the story. After many, many times through we began to look for the Graeme Base style anachronisms. That was fun, too. Finally we noticed that there were two little creatures hidden on each page to discover. Towards the end of the book, there are trophies of other monsters. We take turns making up or own names for these, too.
For those wanting a carefully illustrated book with imagination and interest, this is the book for you!

This is a terrific introduction to a facinating poem for small kids. The illustrations are creative but not frightening, the pop-ups are multi-layered and well constructed to stand up to many readings, and the classic poem speaks for itself. My four year-old son now loves to call anything that looks cranky or frustrated a "frumious bandersnatch". His teacher is very impressed!

My 3-year-old has Jabberwocky memorized, and we love poring through this book while he "reads" it. It is completely unlike any popup book I've ever seen, with 3 layers of depth to the pictures. It's difficult to even describe, and I think it's the children's book we'd save in a fire if we could only save one.