Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear [Hardcover]

Edward Mendelson (Editor), Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Poetry For Young People

Utterly delightful to read aloud, and for parent and child to share, Edward Lear's humorous verses shine with irrepressible joy and rhythm. Filled with exuberantly nonsensical made-up words (like "Scroobius Pip" and "pobble"!) that tickle the funny bone, his work gives free rein to youthful imaginations. What better to foster a love of poetry than the immediately appealing The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, with its effortless rhymes, songlike beat, and charming animal characters? Or The Quangle Wangle's Hat, which tells the tale of a creature who warmly welcomes everyone--and so makes everyone cheerful. In Dingle Bank, even some young and mischievous boys punished by their schoolmaster make the best of their situation and succeed in having a good time. Bright and fanciful paintings--all as wildly energetic and unrestrained as the language itself--add to the enjoyment. 20 examples of Lear's finest poems will entice children over and over again--and, as always, this acclaimed series features fascinating biographical information, introductions to each verse, and full annotations that define difficult vocabulary.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edward Lear (1812-1888), ed. by Edward Mendelson, illus. by Laura Huliska-Beit, joins the well-conceived Poetry for Young People series. Misunderstood by his peers and plagued by loneliness and low self-esteem, the 19th-century wordsmith and painter spent much of his time in the company of children, composing poems and songs for their amusement. Mendelson here compiles 35 of the author's efforts, introduced by comments that place each in the context of his oeuvre ("Many of Lear's poems are about people who become happy by doing what they think they should do, not what other people think they should do"). Definitions of unfamiliar words and the poet's signature nonsense phrases (such as the Owl and Pussy-Cat's "runcible spoon") follow; Huliska-Beit's swirling spreads and vignettes play up the eccentric scenarios.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. In an analytical introduction, Mendelson looks at Lear's serious and silly sides before selecting 15 limericks and 18 longer poems, all of which feature odd creatures adapting to, or reveling in, their differences. Sporting conical noses or other physical peculiarities, Huliska-Beit's smiling, rubber-limbed figures dance through vertiginously tilted, brightly colored minimalist settings. Though some notes are provided, the awkward gap in "Scroobious Pip" is not explained (Lear left it unfinished), and the small type size gives some pages a jam-packed look. Still, as a presentation of Lear's better-known poems, this makes a thought- and laugh-provoking bridge between the many picture-book editions of single poems and such extended collections as The Nonsense Poems of Edward Lear (1991). John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (October 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806930772
• ISBN-13: 978-0806930770
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,170,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids Love It!!!, June 18, 2004

By 

nietzsche (Columbus, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear (Hardcover)

Poetry for Young People is a wonderful series, and I have the whole series in my classroom, but I have to buy extra copies of Edward Lear's book all the time because everyone wants to read it, and I keep giving copies away. Students who have never cared for a book in their life go so crazy over this one that I just have to make it a present to them. The illustrations are fun and colorful and exciting, and the poetry is zany and silly and rhythmical. I like to read aloud from this book, and we can read these poems over and over (which promotes fluency). If you want to motivate your students or your children to read poetry, or if you want to introduce your kids to poetry so they'll develop a love for it, give them this book. And like I said, the whole series is great. The biographies provided at the beginning of each book are brief, but give a pretty comprehensive picture of the interesting events in each writer's life, and give insight into the works that follow.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BROUGHT OUT THE KID IN ME..ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL, November 5, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear (Hardcover)

I cannot think of a better way to introduce the poetry and stories of Edward Lear than this small volume. The selection is excellent and of interest you the young reader. The commentary is quite relevant as are the pictures which accompany it. I find that often now, our young people go all the way through the early grades in school and many of them have never heard of Edward Lear, much less read their poetry. This was the sort of stuff my generation and the generation before it grew up on and cut our teeth on. I do not feel I am any worse for the wear. I am fearful that we are bringing up an entire generation (rightfully or wrong, although I feel it is the later) of young folks who will have no appreciation to this great art form and will miss a lot. This book helps. This entire series helps, as a matter of fact and I certainly recommend you add this one and the others to your library. Actually, it is rather fun reading these with the young folk and then talking about them. Not only do you get to enjoy the work your self and perhaps bring back some great memories, but you have the opportunity to interact with your child or student. It is actually rather surprising what some of the kids come up with. I read these to my grandchildren and to the kids in my classes at school. For the most part, when I really get to discussing the work with them, they enjoy it. Recommend this one highly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, August 26, 2006

By 

Jill Fitzroy (NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poetry for Young People: Edward Lear (Hardcover)

I had these stories read to me when I was a child and was thrilled to find this book for my son. The illustrations are wonderful and the stories are particularly fun to read aloud. For those of you not familiar, give them a try. I know that there are some terms in these stories that have other connotations to Americans, but the stories are pure, fantastical and innocent.