Runaway Opposites (Library Binding)

~ (Author), Henrik Drescher (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Drescher (The Boy Who Ate Around; Pat the Beastie) pays homage to Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Wilbur's verse and the result is equal parts silliness and wit, with the artist's playful grotesques populating every page. Wilbur's poems range from couplets to multiple stanzas, presenting puzzle-like proofs rather than standard opposites. The opposite of "doctor," he jokes, is "anyone who makes you sick"; "hat" is the reverse of "shoes/ For shoes and hat together/ Protect our two extremes from weather." Drescher assembles his collages on backgrounds of dark, textured paper, and forms the text by hand-lettering or cutting out newsprint, a la B-movie ransom notes. His raw, studiedly imperfect designs include metal trinkets attached with masking tape; canceled postage stamps; cartoon details and borders; and sepia-tone photo portraits, often given feathery arms and beaky noses. One memorable spread contrasts an armadillo with a pillow-the creature walks on four human feet (clad in black pumps), and feathers litter the page: "'Oh, don't talk nonsense!' you protest. / However, if you tried to rest/ Your head upon the creature, you / Would find that what I say is true." Kid-pleasingly silly and Generation X-pleasingly raffish. All ages.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?The jacket blurb says it all: "Henrick Drescher has run away with some of Richard Wilbur's favorite opposites." Here the artist supplies boisterous, challenging illustrations for 15 of the poet's Opposites and More Opposites (both Harcourt, 1991). The poems are wry and teasing: "The opposite of trunk could be/The taproot of a cedar tree./In terms of elephants, however,/The answer tail is rather clever." The artwork, photographed collages including tiny objects, stamps, large assembled objects, and black line as well as full-color water-based drawings, offer layers of meaning and a real interpretative challenge. Together, the text and art create an irresistible synergy for those willing to invest the time to appreciate the sophisticated pairing. People are surreal, portrayed with beaks and lurid multi-colored flesh. Text swarms over the pages. (In one case, flies do, too.) At times, the collage technique used on the individual letters makes it difficult to decipher the words. The endpapers are a riot of personal photos, correspondence among those involved in the production of the book, and miscellany. This book will have great appeal for a narrow audience, but its quirky sophistication may preclude a wide readership.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P; Library Binding edition (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152587225
• ISBN-13: 978-0152587222
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #861,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars runaway opposites, July 17, 2000

By	Susan Moore (Boise, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews

My children love this book. Richard Wilbur and Henrik Drescher filled a gap missing in childrens books, reaching out to the artsy, far-out, a bit wacky child who need humor and a bit of strangeness to succeed in enjoying books and especially poetry. Great for rhyming words and increasing a young ones vocabulary in a not so normal way. Thank you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Strange Poems=Great Fun!!, July 24, 2008

By	Kirara "dragonsonic4" (USA) - See all my reviews

"Runaway Opposites" is a book of poems written by Richard Wilbur and is humorously illustrated by the talented Henrik Drescher.

This book is about various poems that discuss the opposites of various objects and people. Richard Wilbur's poems are as strange as they are silly and prove to be extremely educating for kids who need to learn about conventional thinking.

Henrik Drescher's illustrations are the true highlights of this book as there are various creatures, such as people with painted beaks and multi-colored people, that dominant each page. My favorite poem is about the opposite of standing still is all types of motion and it has the picture of a blue man with many legs sticking out of his body running around the page along with a woman in red who looks likes she is falling in a swirl of words describing motion surrounding her.

"Runaway Opposites" is both a bizarre and funny book as Richard Wilbur makes his poems strange and Henrik Drescher's illustrations are both humorous and surreal at the same time.