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Toad to a Nightingale
A charming illustrated collection of light verse ― witty and worldly featuring animals, plants, and objects.
The subjects ― grouped under the headings, Plant Creatures, Four from the Forest Floor, Periodic Riddles, Furnishings of the Moon, Cosmogonies, and Creature Creatures ― range from the lyrical but lowly (discounted cantaloupes of “ ‘$1 Each, 3 for $2’”) to the utterly unexpected (“An Alarm Clock Powered by AAA Batteries”). Framing this catalogue of surprises is a spirited exchange between the toad and nightingale, suggesting that a soiled toad can sometimes outdo the celestial songbird.
The subjects ― grouped under the headings, Plant Creatures, Four from the Forest Floor, Periodic Riddles, Furnishings of the Moon, Cosmogonies, and Creature Creatures ― range from the lyrical but lowly (discounted cantaloupes of “ ‘$1 Each, 3 for $2’”) to the utterly unexpected (“An Alarm Clock Powered by AAA Batteries”). Framing this catalogue of surprises is a spirited exchange between the toad and nightingale, suggesting that a soiled toad can sometimes outdo the celestial songbird.
- GenresPoetry
Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
6 people want to read
About the author
Brad Leithauser
55 books64 followersBRAD LEITHAUSER is a widely acclaimed poet and novelist and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship. This is his seventeenth book. He is a professor in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and divides his time between Baltimore and Amherst.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 4, 2016
Sometimes I purchase a book based solely on its beauty. This is such a book. The Leithauser brothers combine their poetry and art to create a rewarding volume for anyone who wants to enjoy some cream (illustrations) with their tea (verse).
The book's framework is a conversation between a Toad and a Nightingale. They bookend the story with their competitive taunts, while poetry on nature, the solar system, and even furnaces fill in the middle.
You'll never fly,
With neither wings
Nor song to lift
Your squatting heart.
The Nightingale lets loose first, hitting the mud squatter with some zings. Then the rest of the poetry begins, and I can't even name a favorite, as I enjoyed each and every one. Since this is a Godine publication, it's a book that belongs on a bookshelf and should be considered a privilege, meaning a warning should be sounded if grubby hands even dare to approach. It's not specifically a children's book, but what a pleasure it is to go over one poem per night, providing the young'un with anticipation.
Let no word come to me tonight
From anyone out there.
Book Season = Winter (curled up under the covers)
The book's framework is a conversation between a Toad and a Nightingale. They bookend the story with their competitive taunts, while poetry on nature, the solar system, and even furnaces fill in the middle.
You'll never fly,
With neither wings
Nor song to lift
Your squatting heart.
The Nightingale lets loose first, hitting the mud squatter with some zings. Then the rest of the poetry begins, and I can't even name a favorite, as I enjoyed each and every one. Since this is a Godine publication, it's a book that belongs on a bookshelf and should be considered a privilege, meaning a warning should be sounded if grubby hands even dare to approach. It's not specifically a children's book, but what a pleasure it is to go over one poem per night, providing the young'un with anticipation.
Let no word come to me tonight
From anyone out there.
Book Season = Winter (curled up under the covers)
February 7, 2011
The Leithauser brothers are at it again, which is cause for considerable celebration. The author and illustrator duo of Lettered Creatures have once more collaborated to produce another witty and worldly confection of light verse and delicate drawings. Toad to a Nightingale is a fantastic catalogue of creatures – plant, animal, and object – on whom poet Brad Leithauser has bestowed song and spirit and his brother Mark beauty and bodily form. The subjects, grouped under the headings – Plant Creatures, Four from the Forest Floor, Periodic Riddles, Furnishings of the Moon, Cosmogonies, and Creature Creatures – range from the lyrical but lowly (discounted cantaloupes of "Cantaloupes: '$1 Each, 3 for $2'") to the utterly unexpected ("An Alarm Clock Powered by AAA Batteries").
The verse is clear and charming, the drawings of extraordinary precision and invention. Framing this catalogue of surprises is a spirited exchange between the toad and nightingale, suggesting that a soiled toad can sometimes trump the celestial songbird. With the lightness and lyricism of Mozart and the fantasy and invention of Dalí, these verses and their figurations prove that sibling collaborations can certainly provide their rewards, especially for the reader.
The verse is clear and charming, the drawings of extraordinary precision and invention. Framing this catalogue of surprises is a spirited exchange between the toad and nightingale, suggesting that a soiled toad can sometimes trump the celestial songbird. With the lightness and lyricism of Mozart and the fantasy and invention of Dalí, these verses and their figurations prove that sibling collaborations can certainly provide their rewards, especially for the reader.
March 3, 2016
a delight both for verse and illustration
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews