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The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo
Contains seventeen poems and short stories: The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo / The Astonishing Story of the Caliph's Clock / Ye Lily Maiden and Ye Lyttel Taylor-Boye / The Story of the Fool Who Was Willing / The Proud Miss O'Haggin / Abijah's Fourth of July / Little Peter and the Giant / A Jest of Little John / The Land of the Impossible / The Cat, the Cow, the Dog, and the Dairymaid / The Persian Columbus / The Barber of Sari-Ann / Fritz the Master-Fiddler / Ben Ali the Egyptian / Granger Grind and Farmer Mellow / How Cats Came to Purr / Ye Ballad of Scullion Jack / Hans the Otherwise / Ye Olde Tyme Tayle / The Merry Pieman and the Don's Daughter / The Basket / How It All Ended.
- GenresJuvenile
298 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1928
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146 people want to read
About the author
John Bennett
27 books5 followersJohn Bennett wrote and illustrated children's books. He was born in Chillicothe, Ohio. He wrote The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo with Seventeen other Laughable Tales and 200 Comical Silhouettes, which won the Newbery Honor in 1929.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John^^^Bennett
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John^^^Bennett
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 14, 2019
One of six titles chosen as a Newbery Honor book in 1929, The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo - a collection of seventeen poems and short stories - is an example of what I like to think of as a "Wonder Book," in honor of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1852 retelling of the classical myths,
A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys
. Quite popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these collections often presented fantastic stories, as well as both traditional and original fairy-tales - the latter often set in an imaginary Far and Middle East - as light-hearted bedtime fare. Such is certainly the case here, with selections set in China (the titular poem, The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo), and the imaginary Persian city of Chunder-abad-dad (The Astonishing Story of the Caliph’s Clock and The Persian Columbus) - apparently first (?) invented by Elizabeth Gaskell, in her nineteenth-century novel,
Cranford
.
These selections would undoubtedly fall under the rubric of "Orientalism," as conceived by scholar Edward Said, as they rely on a heavily stereotyped view of Asian and Persian peoples, although it must be said that, with a few notable exceptions, the characters found in the more "western" tales are no less silly. Indeed, these tales, and the two hundred "comical silhouettes" that accompany them, are obviously intended as humorous nonsense. The Caliph, in The Astonishing Story of the Caliph’s Clock, attempts to remake time with a western clock, forbidding the use of more traditional methods, while the king in The Barber of Sari-Ann, outlaws all shaving, after he himself has an accident.
But although Bennett's intent is clear enough, I found myself mostly unamused by, and uninterested in his poems and tales. They struck me as either vaguely racist - albeit more in the manner of unconscious condenscension than overt prejudice - or tired and overdone. His poems didn't read very well, and his language in general was larded with purposefully anachronist vocabulary (lots of "Ye Olde" this and that) which I found rather irritating. The only selection I found genuinely enjoyable was the poem, A Jest of Little John, in which Little John of Sherwood entertains the young daughter of the Sheriff of Nottingham one May day, but then, I've always had a weakness for anything Robin Hood related.
Despite this notable exception, my overall reaction to the text of The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo was less than enthusiastic, and I cannot imagine it will have much interest, other than to the children's literature scholar or Newbery completist. Judged on this basis alone, I probably would have awarded it two stars. What saved the experience for me, were the many delightful silhouettes, which were genuinely entertaining. Fans of this style of art might want to track this one down, as it contains many fine examples.
These selections would undoubtedly fall under the rubric of "Orientalism," as conceived by scholar Edward Said, as they rely on a heavily stereotyped view of Asian and Persian peoples, although it must be said that, with a few notable exceptions, the characters found in the more "western" tales are no less silly. Indeed, these tales, and the two hundred "comical silhouettes" that accompany them, are obviously intended as humorous nonsense. The Caliph, in The Astonishing Story of the Caliph’s Clock, attempts to remake time with a western clock, forbidding the use of more traditional methods, while the king in The Barber of Sari-Ann, outlaws all shaving, after he himself has an accident.
But although Bennett's intent is clear enough, I found myself mostly unamused by, and uninterested in his poems and tales. They struck me as either vaguely racist - albeit more in the manner of unconscious condenscension than overt prejudice - or tired and overdone. His poems didn't read very well, and his language in general was larded with purposefully anachronist vocabulary (lots of "Ye Olde" this and that) which I found rather irritating. The only selection I found genuinely enjoyable was the poem, A Jest of Little John, in which Little John of Sherwood entertains the young daughter of the Sheriff of Nottingham one May day, but then, I've always had a weakness for anything Robin Hood related.
Despite this notable exception, my overall reaction to the text of The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo was less than enthusiastic, and I cannot imagine it will have much interest, other than to the children's literature scholar or Newbery completist. Judged on this basis alone, I probably would have awarded it two stars. What saved the experience for me, were the many delightful silhouettes, which were genuinely entertaining. Fans of this style of art might want to track this one down, as it contains many fine examples.
December 18, 2018
Well, that was interesting. Most of the stories were funny but derogatory. However, while the stereotypes could be a bit much, the author did make fun of people of all colors and cultures. I liked the poems better than the stories. Also, the silhouette artwork was the real stand out.
February 2, 2022
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this title but it was not as bad as it could have been. Flowery language, has our vocabulary really left so many words behind or did this author have a preference for six syllable words? Found myself skimming at times. Artwork was outstanding.
October 17, 2017
Spoilers ahead.
"The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo, with seventeen laughable tales" is a Newbery Honor book from 1929 and I'm not really sure HOW to begin -hint: I'm not laughing. Going into my Newbery Challenge I suspected that I'd find several of the books problematic by today's politically correct (I should add that I love some of these incorrect books/stories, case in point "Little Black Sambo") standards and that more than a few probably wouldn't find publication today (for a multitude of reasons). The 2nd caveat doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the book, but the first does. This book, I think, falls under both. This book contains seventeen short stories intermingled with several poems; I thought most of them problematic and found little to like let alone love. Here they are.
1) The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo - Chinese laundryman with very long pigail (on which he dries laundry) falls in love with the baker's beautiful daughter Ting-a-Ling. Look at the bloody names!
2) The Astonishing Story of the Caliph's Clock - set in the kingdom of Chunder-abad-dad this one has a Yankee peddler selling clocks (and daylight savings time) to the gullible caliph
3) Ye Lily Maiden and Ye Lyttel Taylor-Boye - do we really have to do this to English?
4) The Story of the Fool Who Was Willing - this is one of the good tales; the fool is named Willing and he happens to be willing (I like puns and wordplay).
5) The Proud Miss O'Haggin - very short pointless poem
6) Abijah's Fourth of July - another short poem which is funny because a boy blows himself to bits.
7) Little Peter and the Giant - a small man journeys with a poet and uses his wits to win himself a kingdom and the poet a wife - another good one.
8) A Jest of Little John - poem in which Little John entertains the daughter of the Nottingham's sheriff and then collects the reward for her rescue
9) The Land of the Impossible - a judge who is also a robber is too good at both; not funny.
10) The Cat, the Cow, the Dog, and the Dairymaid - poem involving spilt milk and a trial to determine damages to the cow, maid, and milk.
11) The Persian Columbus - we return to the caliphate of Chunder-abad-dad, learn the caliph's name is Haroun Al Huck el-Berri, and find him verifying that the earth is round
12) The Barber of Sari-Ann - poem about barber who due to royal edict may not shave so contrives a plan to remove beards without a razor.
13) Fritz the Master-Fiddler - Fritz's broken fiddle earns him a royal wife.
14) Ben Ali the Egyptian -another tale of tricking the ruler out of his money
15) Granger Grind and Farmer Mellow - short pointless poem
16) How Cats Came to Purr - cat swallows a coffee grinder
17) Ye Ballad of Scullion Jack - yet another poem telling how a nobody won a royal wife
18) Hans the Otherwise - young man wins himself a fortune by his wits
19) Ye Olde Tyme Tayle - written in fake Middle English
20) The Merry Pieman and the Don's Daughter - baker wins a wife
21) The Basket - short play whose moral seems to be to bear your lot in life without aspiration.
22) How It All Ended - story in pictural silhouettes that involves two knights chopping themselves into pieces.
I read this for my 2017 Reading Challenge and for my Newbery Challenge.
"The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo, with seventeen laughable tales" is a Newbery Honor book from 1929 and I'm not really sure HOW to begin -hint: I'm not laughing. Going into my Newbery Challenge I suspected that I'd find several of the books problematic by today's politically correct (I should add that I love some of these incorrect books/stories, case in point "Little Black Sambo") standards and that more than a few probably wouldn't find publication today (for a multitude of reasons). The 2nd caveat doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the book, but the first does. This book, I think, falls under both. This book contains seventeen short stories intermingled with several poems; I thought most of them problematic and found little to like let alone love. Here they are.
1) The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo - Chinese laundryman with very long pigail (on which he dries laundry) falls in love with the baker's beautiful daughter Ting-a-Ling. Look at the bloody names!
2) The Astonishing Story of the Caliph's Clock - set in the kingdom of Chunder-abad-dad this one has a Yankee peddler selling clocks (and daylight savings time) to the gullible caliph
3) Ye Lily Maiden and Ye Lyttel Taylor-Boye - do we really have to do this to English?
4) The Story of the Fool Who Was Willing - this is one of the good tales; the fool is named Willing and he happens to be willing (I like puns and wordplay).
5) The Proud Miss O'Haggin - very short pointless poem
6) Abijah's Fourth of July - another short poem which is funny because a boy blows himself to bits.
7) Little Peter and the Giant - a small man journeys with a poet and uses his wits to win himself a kingdom and the poet a wife - another good one.
8) A Jest of Little John - poem in which Little John entertains the daughter of the Nottingham's sheriff and then collects the reward for her rescue
9) The Land of the Impossible - a judge who is also a robber is too good at both; not funny.
10) The Cat, the Cow, the Dog, and the Dairymaid - poem involving spilt milk and a trial to determine damages to the cow, maid, and milk.
11) The Persian Columbus - we return to the caliphate of Chunder-abad-dad, learn the caliph's name is Haroun Al Huck el-Berri, and find him verifying that the earth is round
12) The Barber of Sari-Ann - poem about barber who due to royal edict may not shave so contrives a plan to remove beards without a razor.
13) Fritz the Master-Fiddler - Fritz's broken fiddle earns him a royal wife.
14) Ben Ali the Egyptian -another tale of tricking the ruler out of his money
15) Granger Grind and Farmer Mellow - short pointless poem
16) How Cats Came to Purr - cat swallows a coffee grinder
17) Ye Ballad of Scullion Jack - yet another poem telling how a nobody won a royal wife
18) Hans the Otherwise - young man wins himself a fortune by his wits
19) Ye Olde Tyme Tayle - written in fake Middle English
20) The Merry Pieman and the Don's Daughter - baker wins a wife
21) The Basket - short play whose moral seems to be to bear your lot in life without aspiration.
22) How It All Ended - story in pictural silhouettes that involves two knights chopping themselves into pieces.
I read this for my 2017 Reading Challenge and for my Newbery Challenge.
March 18, 2024
This is an interesting collection of poetry and short stories. Some made me laugh out loud; while others made me scratch my head. The style reminded me a little of a slightly modern version of The Arabian Nights, with the exception that the stories were set in locations all over Europe and Asia with a few fictional locations thrown in. The stories also felt more accessible than those told in the Arabian Nights. Personally I enjoyed it, but I don't think I will read it again.
July 21, 2023
Meh. I enjoyed "The Ballad of Scullion Jack," and a few of the other stories or poems were fine, but none excited me. There were several, like the titular piece, that employed casual racism as a comedic device, along the lines of blackface, but with Asian or Arab cultures instead.
August 18, 2018
A collection of stories and fables that won a Newbery Honor, but has not aged very well.
Want to read
June 12, 20251929 Newbery honor book
June 6, 2014
If this were written 20+ years later it would be called "The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo and Other Stories." However, if it were written that much later it wouldn't have won an award and would likely not have been published. The first story is quite racist and throws huge misrepresentations on important aspects of the Chinese language and culture. The fact that the lady was named 'Ting a'Ling' says it all.
About 1/2 of the stories are poems, and the author is good at rhyming, and most of the rest are just regular stories. There is near the end a story which is actually written in the form of a play, and one of the stories is just pictures.
All the pictures are silhouettes, and all of the stories are stupid. Some are very prejudice, and all are very inaccurate. One of the stories was also way too hard to read considering the maturity is about the level of 2nd grade while the words were in middle English, no kidding. Yuck.
About 1/2 of the stories are poems, and the author is good at rhyming, and most of the rest are just regular stories. There is near the end a story which is actually written in the form of a play, and one of the stories is just pictures.
All the pictures are silhouettes, and all of the stories are stupid. Some are very prejudice, and all are very inaccurate. One of the stories was also way too hard to read considering the maturity is about the level of 2nd grade while the words were in middle English, no kidding. Yuck.
October 18, 2022
A collection of stories of many different cultures, a few of which are: a man who buys a clock instead of using a sundial, but the clock runs way too fast, but he makes the entire village follow the clock anyway. A man wants to go around the world in one night, but falls asleep, so the people who work for him circle around the city and fool him into thinking they went around the world. And a pastry chef blackmails a don into letting him marry the don's daughter.
I just could not get into this. Going back and forth between stories and poetry sounds like an interesting idea, but the poetry was very difficult for me to understand what was going on. And the stories just seemed to promote a lack of morality and doing things the right way even when it's hard.
I just could not get into this. Going back and forth between stories and poetry sounds like an interesting idea, but the poetry was very difficult for me to understand what was going on. And the stories just seemed to promote a lack of morality and doing things the right way even when it's hard.
February 16, 2018
I quite liked this one. It was nonsensical fairy tales in all the right ways. A decent number of lines were laugh-worthy, and I loved the roundabout logic that most of the characters used. (For example, if a clock is THAT expensive, CLEARLY it must tell proper time. Case closed.) The stories alternated between using poetry and not. I was able to enjoy the poetry as well (I'm not a poetry person), but it was nice to get breaks. I do think the stories were where the author really shined in wit. I'm very fond of that kind of whimsy.
November 11, 2007
Fairy tales and poems. A Newbery Award honor book for 1929.
I wish it was still in print!
I wish it was still in print!
Want to read
April 16, 2010Now if only I could actually track down a copy of this out of print book. So far have tried 4 libraries and inter-library loan with no luck.
March 26, 2011
A collection of very funny stories and poems. Not for every child, but some parents and children would get a kick out of this one. I would love to own a copy.
Want to read
July 15, 20121929 Newbery Honor Book
Read
October 22, 2014ce0befb6-7b78-4cec-aa03-df554c5428ff
October 25, 2016
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-m...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews