The Walrus and the Carpenter [Hardcover]

Lewis Carroll (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805000712 | ISBN-13: 978-0805000719 | Publication Date: September 1986 | Edition: 1st

A walrus and a carpenter encounter some oysters during their walk on the beach--an unfortunate meeting for the oysters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lewis Carroll's beloved nonsense poem about the walrus and the carpenter who amiably lure a bed of naive oysters to their dinner tablethen dine on themreaches new heights in nonsense with Zalben's full-color paintings. Eager for the treat promised by their hosts, a swarm of child-faced oysters swim the ocean with their coats brushed, faces washed and shoes clean and neat ("And this is odd, because, you know,/ They hadn't any feet"). After feasting on raw oysters and realizing his dinner guests are no longer with him, Zalben depicts the Walrus weeping bitter tears next to the empty shells and a blanket strewn with the poor oysters' tiny shoes. Tweedledum and Tweedledee are perfectly proper twits who introduce and deliver the poem, then discuss with Alice the morality of our hosts' odd behavior. A fine presentation of this delightful classic.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3 Zalben's wonderfully detailed double-page watercolors enhance Carroll's familiar poem. A companion volume to Jabberwocky (Albert Whitman, 1985), this book should introduce many new readers to Carroll's special nonsense verse and perhaps entice them to read the complete Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass . Even children too young to understand Carroll's humor will be enticed by the illustrations, most of which contain enough detail to keep their attention for longer than a cursory glance. One illustration particularly stands out. As the oysters approach shore to supposedly dine with the walrus and his friend, there is clear warning of their impending doom: a tin of oysterette crackers and a plump jar of oyster saucebut the oysters approach undaunted. A few sensitive children might cringe at a later page showing the empty oyster shells and the 11 pairs of shoes abandoned on the sand, but the total delights of this book should override this concern. Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School , Severna Park, Md.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holth & Co (J); 1st edition (September 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805000712
• ISBN-13: 978-0805000719
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,023,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the pen name of Oxford mathematician, logician, photographer and author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, is famous the world over for his fantastic classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Through the Looking Glass," "The Hunting of the Snark," "Jabberwocky," and "Sylvie and Bruno."