I learned that Lear was responsible for The Owl and the Pussycat!

too long. tedious.

Somewhat like Thurber - suffers from age. But he was a unique talent that delighted many in the early 1900s.

A fascinating insight into the eccentric life of Edward Lear who was famous for his nonsensical works of verse and limericks which he wrote for children and adults alike. His illustrations were a true imagery that delighted all who saw them. Although on a personal level, he managed to keep himself apart from most folk, he nonetheless still had his finger on the pulse of man's humanity which allowed him to capture with daring the ineptness and subtleness of the many faces of man. His use of animal comedic style made it all the more acceptable his hilarious and yet sometimes cruel barbs on society in general. A much loved figure in his time and from generations after, Edward Lear's work is still highly regarded even now. Highly recommended.

My friend Jonathan gave me this book, and it was a god-send for several reasons: A welcome distraction from obsessing about the election, and a bit of cheer in the dreary days of COVID. Of course, I like good nonsense at any time, and was surprised to realize that the only Lear I knew before was the Owl and Pussycat, when there is so much more to enjoy! And of course, the great thing about this kind of nonsense is that I can read it over and over, and enjoy it every time. Special bonus, the author's illustrations! Sadly, they were colored in for this edition, but that's a small quibble.

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring.

I can hold my breath that long in real life, too. I was saying that as I typed it.

Timeless laugh-out-loud silliness. This was a childhood favourite and it's great to have found it again.

Very short, repetitive, and similar rhymes for children.
We didn't enjoy many of them and didn't want to finish.

Read with my 8yo to cross off the '1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up' list.

DNFd @ ~30%. Lear might have popularised limericks but the vast majority of these are dire: repetitive (>80% end with the same pattern), lazy (self-rhymes), and uninspired. Kids might like some of the illustrations but definitely not one I’ll be going back to. One to get from the library, if curious.

This was a fun and quick read ... I can remember my parents reading me "The Owl and the Pussycat" when I was little and I wanted to find out more about its author. The edition I read had lots of notes about when and where each set of stories, poems and songs was written. I still don't know what a 'runcible spoon' is though!!

Beautiful, thrilling, exquisite. Absolutely recommend. This is the best of the best.

Had to read this for my thesis and really enjoyed it!! It's quite repitious but that's part of Lear's work. The drawings were beautiful, and I liked how this edition included EVERYTHING from Lear. Even some original writings without editing the font. It also included some songs, recipes, and botany. Really enjoyed reading it and this version was the perfect one for analysing nonsense poems fod my thesis!