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The inventor of the limerick. In fact, his limericks are disappointing, not because they're rated G (they are), but because the last line is always a repeat of the first line. The one about the girl from Nantucket gives you a punch line instead of repeat. A little more vim that way.
Best known for The Owl and The PussyCat, Lear is at his best when he is that rarest of things, funny and sad at the same time. The Jumblies, The Dong with the Luminous Nose, The Pelican Chorus, are all heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time they are goofy childish fun.
Unlike Dr Seuss, who is superficially delightful but brutal to read night after night to cribsfulls of rabid infants, Lear remains fun to read. There's something lovely about a group of 2-5 year olds chanting along:
Far and few, far and few
Are the lands where the Jumblies live
Their heads are green, their hands are blue
And they went to sea in a sieve.
Highly recommended.
An update to this review:
I should mention, there is a lot of stuff in here that is not terribly interesting. A few of the limericks go a long way, and there's a lot of cutesy stuff that maybe worked 130 years ago in England that just seems like drivel now. The way to read this is to find the ballads, which are terrific.
Best known for The Owl and The PussyCat, Lear is at his best when he is that rarest of things, funny and sad at the same time. The Jumblies, The Dong with the Luminous Nose, The Pelican Chorus, are all heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time they are goofy childish fun.
Unlike Dr Seuss, who is superficially delightful but brutal to read night after night to cribsfulls of rabid infants, Lear remains fun to read. There's something lovely about a group of 2-5 year olds chanting along:
Far and few, far and few
Are the lands where the Jumblies live
Their heads are green, their hands are blue
And they went to sea in a sieve.
Highly recommended.
An update to this review:
I should mention, there is a lot of stuff in here that is not terribly interesting. A few of the limericks go a long way, and there's a lot of cutesy stuff that maybe worked 130 years ago in England that just seems like drivel now. The way to read this is to find the ballads, which are terrific.
