Herbert: Five stories

by Ivor Cutler

Each day is full of surprises for a young boy as he wakes up and turns into a new animal.

Genres: Picture Books

44 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme. He appeared in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film in 1967 and on Neil Innes' television programmes. Cutler also wrote books for children and adults and was a teacher at A. S. Neill's Summerhill School and for 30 years in inner-city schools in London.

In live performances Cutler would often accompany himself on a harmonium. Phyllis King appears on several of his records, and for a number of years was a part of his concerts. She usually read small phrases but also read a few short stories. The two starred in a BBC radio series, King Cutler, in which they performed their material jointly and singly. Cutler is known to have had a long term relationship with King, but they never married or set up home together. Cutler also collaborated with pianist Neil Ardley and singer Robert Wyatt.

Cutler was an anti-intellectual and noted eccentric, dressing in a distinctive style including plus-fours and hats adorned with many badges, travelling mainly by bicycle and often communicating by means of sticky labels printed with "Cutlerisms", one of which, "never knowingly understood" came to be summary applied by supporters and detractors alike. Others included "Kindly disregard", reserved for official correspondence, and "to remove this label take it off", designed to confuse pedants.

Many of Cutler's poems and songs involve conversations delivered as a monologue and, in these, one party is often Cutler as a child, a part of his intended "bypassing the intellect". Cutler describes poverty and neglect from his parents with great stoicism. He focuses on acceptance and gratitude for the basic elements of life, nature and love, which allows him to make points about mother-love in particular. The humour develops from the child's curiosity and the playful or self-serving lies the parent tells him to get, for example, a chore done or simply to stop the incessant questions. Cutler recited his poems in a gentle Scottish burr, and this, combined with the absurdity of the subject matter, is a mix that earned him a faithful cult following. John Peel once remarked that Cutler was probably the only performer whose work had been featured on Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cutler was a member of the Noise Abatement Society and the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. He retired from performing in 2004, and died on 3 March 2006. The reception room of his home contained a number of pieces of ivory cutlery, deliberately intended as a pun on his name.

Reviews

[Alexis Mraz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cutler has a large imagination with this story. Basically, everyday of the week a boy turns into a different animals, and has many different adventures with it. He first starts out a young man who has turned into a chicken, and still has to go to school. He finds a friend that falls in love with, and then he just get ups and leaves to play soccer. He's so good at it that the teams make him take turns playing on each. He can't eat normal but he doesn't seem to mind. Then the next day, which is a Tuesday he turns into an elephant, where he actually turns into a human, and has to have Annie (the love of his life) get him some human clothes. Wednesday, he turned in a kangaroo, where the principle makes him dust out the mats on the floor, and once again Herbert is up in time to be human and get a treat. Thursday he turns into an animal he nor his mother new. She took him to the zoo to figure out what he was, and found out that he was a South American Rodent. Finally, on Friday he turned into a Herbert (he got to stay human), while Annie turn into a anaconda.

This book really makes children think that they can change into different animals, and that nothing has to be the way that you think it is. It has detail illurstations that show what the animals look like, and what they do, by act as if they were one. It's a very real sensation. I think for children they understand, even though it's not the same story and doesn't really have a plot, they can put the characters together in order to create their own story.

[eleight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Herbert changes into different animals in the stories in this book. There are much better children's books, but this one is notable because it talks about capybaras, and you don't see them in print very often.

[Sheldon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a really good book. In face it's kind of bad. It was thankfully short and has a capybara in it. That's the one star.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stories about Herbert and animals.

[Ben Ballin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As whimsical and peculiar as one might hope. Somehow, Cutler seems to get inside a child's head in these stories, that I first read to my eldest son many years ago. Lovely!