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Jabberwocky
This presentation of the classic nonsense poem from "Alice in Wonderland" features Disney illustrations
1 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1872
36 people are currently reading
1705 people want to read
About the author
Lewis Carroll
6,146 books8,416 followersThe Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer.
His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.
Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.
He also has works published under his real name.
His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.
Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.
He also has works published under his real name.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews
June 6, 2022
This has been a firm favourite of mine throughout the years. Instead of a bedtime story from my Mum or Dad (especially Dad) I requested The Jabberwocky. It never got old, it never got tiresome. Sure, it's essentially a lot of nonsense, but that is what makes it so evocatively wonderful.
February 3, 2016
Review of this particular edition, GOODREADS, yes, different editions are not interchangeable; why do you have such difficulty grasping that?
(If anyone wondered, no, I did not listen to the Bible in Spanish on audiobook.)
The text is the poem "Jabberwocky"; I'm sure you know it, but I'll post the text in a spoiler fold just in case.
The illustrations, on the other hand, are an Orwellian future of surveillance and propaganda depicted in a style reminiscent of Otto Dix's war veterans.
In Jorisch's version the son sets out on his mission of violence to please his elderly veteran father.
September 23, 2019
Stephane Jorisch’s imaginative interpretative illustrations brings the nonsensical poem to a higher level.
January 30, 2023
✩ 4.75 stars
~
obsessed with this poem as a child <3
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obsessed with this poem as a child <3
May 4, 2020
Sometimes you just want a quick light easy read... umm... quick yes... but this one leaves you a bit tongue tied. 😜
October 13, 2019
"Jabberwocky"
By Lewis Carroll
"’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
By Lewis Carroll
"’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."
December 28, 2025
3.75⭐️
The jabberwocky ‘poem’ with fun illustrations
The jabberwocky ‘poem’ with fun illustrations
May 24, 2020
I love Lewis Carroll, and I love Graeme Base, so the two together? A must-have for my collection. I'm greedy like that.
Read
March 13, 2024sometimes, i confuse the jabberwocky with the gruffalo from the british children's book.
sometimes, i confuse the jabberwocky with those random creatures that worship max in the "where the wild things are".
sometimes, i confuse the jabberwocky with myself; babbling, nonsensical at times, and full of meaningless words
sometimes, i confuse the jabberwocky with those random creatures that worship max in the "where the wild things are".
sometimes, i confuse the jabberwocky with myself; babbling, nonsensical at times, and full of meaningless words
June 17, 2022
This was ok. Literally waiting for someone to do something and until they move I simply have to keep reading so let's see how long this goddamn takes.
February 23, 2022
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll is a brilliant nonsense poem that famously appears in the novel Through the Looking Glass It tells the story of one person’s quest to slay the Jabberwock and the incredible creatures they meet along the way.
I found the following explanation in deciphering the poem very helpful.
'' Jabberwocky Syntax
To begin with, consider the syntax of some of the invented words in the poem. This means identifying which part of speech they are – noun, verb, or adjective, for instance. The syntax can help readers understand what is happening in the work, even if the specific meanings of words are not clear. For example, here is a breakdown of the first and last stanza's nonsense words:
Word Part of Speech
Brillig Noun
Slithy Adjective
Toves Plural noun
Gyre Verb
Gimble Verb
Wabe Noun
Mimsy Adjective
Borogroves Plural noun
Mome Adjective
Raths Plural noun
Outgrabe Verb
'Twas brillig implies that brillig refers to a time of day. Slithy toves are a kind of creature, perhaps, and to gyre and gimble sounds like a kind of movement. Wabe may be a place or time. Mimsy borogroves are probably also a kind of creature. The last three words in this stanza are the most unclear; what are mome raths, and how do they outgrabe? To understand the meaning of these words it's necessary to look at the semantics.
The rest of the nonsense words in the poem are much clearer because the syntax provides more context. For instance, a Jubjub bird is a kind of bird, same as how a Tumtum tree must be a kind of tree." Well, you get the idea. But this poem will leave you definitely chucklingly tongue tied! 🥴
https://study.com/learn/lesson/jabber...
I found the following explanation in deciphering the poem very helpful.
'' Jabberwocky Syntax
To begin with, consider the syntax of some of the invented words in the poem. This means identifying which part of speech they are – noun, verb, or adjective, for instance. The syntax can help readers understand what is happening in the work, even if the specific meanings of words are not clear. For example, here is a breakdown of the first and last stanza's nonsense words:
Word Part of Speech
Brillig Noun
Slithy Adjective
Toves Plural noun
Gyre Verb
Gimble Verb
Wabe Noun
Mimsy Adjective
Borogroves Plural noun
Mome Adjective
Raths Plural noun
Outgrabe Verb
'Twas brillig implies that brillig refers to a time of day. Slithy toves are a kind of creature, perhaps, and to gyre and gimble sounds like a kind of movement. Wabe may be a place or time. Mimsy borogroves are probably also a kind of creature. The last three words in this stanza are the most unclear; what are mome raths, and how do they outgrabe? To understand the meaning of these words it's necessary to look at the semantics.
The rest of the nonsense words in the poem are much clearer because the syntax provides more context. For instance, a Jubjub bird is a kind of bird, same as how a Tumtum tree must be a kind of tree." Well, you get the idea. But this poem will leave you definitely chucklingly tongue tied! 🥴
https://study.com/learn/lesson/jabber...
June 28, 2017
I really liked the poem, I thought it was nonsense but really nice.
My complaint is specific to this audiobook that I was listening to, and that was the background effects. They fit with the poem but they were rather distracting and for how short the poem actually is, I don't feel that it needed them at all.
My complaint is specific to this audiobook that I was listening to, and that was the background effects. They fit with the poem but they were rather distracting and for how short the poem actually is, I don't feel that it needed them at all.
September 8, 2017
I've always loved this poem and I spotted this at the library today. There are some fantastic (in many senses of the word) drawings. This helped bring out the poem's charm, even if things weren't quite as I envisioned them in my head. Awesome edition of this classic poem!
November 15, 2025
A classic and really great
poem, if rather incomprehensible.
poem, if rather incomprehensible.
May 18, 2024
Great illustrations, including fold-out pages.
February 24, 2022
Twas brillig in the slithy toves
And the momraths outgrabe...
I may not be spelling this correctly but I remember parts of Jabberwocky by heart from my childhood.
My mother used to read this to me. I will never forget the glee and delight in her eyes and voice as she read Carroll's classic to this young, imaginative girl.
I have loved poetry all of my life and trace it back to this wonderful, nonsense poem.
And the momraths outgrabe...
I may not be spelling this correctly but I remember parts of Jabberwocky by heart from my childhood.
My mother used to read this to me. I will never forget the glee and delight in her eyes and voice as she read Carroll's classic to this young, imaginative girl.
I have loved poetry all of my life and trace it back to this wonderful, nonsense poem.
October 27, 2019
An Orwellian vision of Jabberwocky illustrated in this edition for young readers. The Orwellian vision would be understood by many angst-filled young people. Well illustrated for the intended audience.
March 20, 2015
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
This classic poem is printed throughout the book with stunning illustrations by Stephane Jorisch that helps the visualizations come to life. This interactive book helps grab the interest of 3-5 grade students although quite gruesome. This poem is filled with non-sense words which allow for interpretation from the audience. These gibberish words allow for participation from the reader.
My personal interpretation of the poem through the pictures and words:
The monster that is the Jabberwocky comes to live throughout the book which strikes fear in the characters and the reader. The illustrations lead the reader to believe that there is a war against the Jabberwocky. There are images with veterans and military propaganda on the TVs. The mother in the story warns her son “Beware of the Jabberwocky” multiple times. The son gets a special sword and ends up murdering the Jabberwocky in a bloody scene. There continues to be a lengthy recessional for the funeral of the dreaded Jabberwocky. At the very end of the book, the last picture leads the reader to believe that this was the active imagination of a young boy and two of his friends acting out the sense with make-believe toys and swords.
Interestingly enough, when I picked this book I talked about it with the librarian. I had asked her if the pictures helped understand the story with the nonsense words. She responded no because she already had experiences with this poem from Alice in Wonderland and read the story through that particular lens. I think this could be a cool talking point for people who read this particular book or read this poem published by different companies and discuss the interpretations of the intriguing poem with the support of different illustrators and themes. This could even be a challenge book for a book club to find different versions of this book and then discuss their interpretation of the poem.
I think this book could be used in a variety of ways in the elementary classroom. My favorite idea of how this book could be used in the classroom is this book could be the start to a study on language. Looking at the nonsense words and discovering why these words have interpretations and that reader of this book can understand the flow of the story even with the addition of these gibberish words. This book can allow for the study of the origins of language and the creation of the English language with the different base or root words scattered throughout the language.
Another exciting way to use this book in the classroom is to explain how the poem evokes emotion without many words and some nonsense words. The discussion could focus on how through illustration, text font, and concise wordings the effect of the story can still be portrayed. I think that some times that these words, without deep thought of the specific gibberish words can allow the imaginations of the reader to change or alter the readers’ experience.
Naturally this book can be used on a unit of poetry. The way the words are printed, each page has a different rhyming scheme or none at all. This lesson could discuss the variety and flexibility that poets have when writing. This poem also shows that one could make up words to convey an emotion or get their point across in a unique and memorable way.
I think this poem could be used in the 3-5 classroom with relative ease and quality instruction and comprehension.
This classic poem is printed throughout the book with stunning illustrations by Stephane Jorisch that helps the visualizations come to life. This interactive book helps grab the interest of 3-5 grade students although quite gruesome. This poem is filled with non-sense words which allow for interpretation from the audience. These gibberish words allow for participation from the reader.
My personal interpretation of the poem through the pictures and words:
The monster that is the Jabberwocky comes to live throughout the book which strikes fear in the characters and the reader. The illustrations lead the reader to believe that there is a war against the Jabberwocky. There are images with veterans and military propaganda on the TVs. The mother in the story warns her son “Beware of the Jabberwocky” multiple times. The son gets a special sword and ends up murdering the Jabberwocky in a bloody scene. There continues to be a lengthy recessional for the funeral of the dreaded Jabberwocky. At the very end of the book, the last picture leads the reader to believe that this was the active imagination of a young boy and two of his friends acting out the sense with make-believe toys and swords.
Interestingly enough, when I picked this book I talked about it with the librarian. I had asked her if the pictures helped understand the story with the nonsense words. She responded no because she already had experiences with this poem from Alice in Wonderland and read the story through that particular lens. I think this could be a cool talking point for people who read this particular book or read this poem published by different companies and discuss the interpretations of the intriguing poem with the support of different illustrators and themes. This could even be a challenge book for a book club to find different versions of this book and then discuss their interpretation of the poem.
I think this book could be used in a variety of ways in the elementary classroom. My favorite idea of how this book could be used in the classroom is this book could be the start to a study on language. Looking at the nonsense words and discovering why these words have interpretations and that reader of this book can understand the flow of the story even with the addition of these gibberish words. This book can allow for the study of the origins of language and the creation of the English language with the different base or root words scattered throughout the language.
Another exciting way to use this book in the classroom is to explain how the poem evokes emotion without many words and some nonsense words. The discussion could focus on how through illustration, text font, and concise wordings the effect of the story can still be portrayed. I think that some times that these words, without deep thought of the specific gibberish words can allow the imaginations of the reader to change or alter the readers’ experience.
Naturally this book can be used on a unit of poetry. The way the words are printed, each page has a different rhyming scheme or none at all. This lesson could discuss the variety and flexibility that poets have when writing. This poem also shows that one could make up words to convey an emotion or get their point across in a unique and memorable way.
I think this poem could be used in the 3-5 classroom with relative ease and quality instruction and comprehension.
Read
July 25, 2011Ah, Graeme Base and Lewis Carroll. Over a frumious Bandersnatch they would have become great friends, I think, had they lived in the same century.
I stumbled on this book while exploring Jabberwocky. I remembered Base's The Eleventh Hour (my favorite book as a kid), so picked it up.
The book was in the library's children section. This makes sense, but it's also sad. Carroll's poem and Base's illustration marry into a rich story for even the curious adult.
Two pages in particular caught me: The illustration of the son waiting at the Tumtum tree with the background emerging foot of the Jabberwock. And Base's final picture of the Jabberwock's head mounted amongst others. They each put a twist on Carroll's poem. Was the Jabberwocky just one amongst others...?
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" Both poem and artwork here are beautiful. It stirs a creative chord in me. Recommended for all.
I stumbled on this book while exploring Jabberwocky. I remembered Base's The Eleventh Hour (my favorite book as a kid), so picked it up.
The book was in the library's children section. This makes sense, but it's also sad. Carroll's poem and Base's illustration marry into a rich story for even the curious adult.
Two pages in particular caught me: The illustration of the son waiting at the Tumtum tree with the background emerging foot of the Jabberwock. And Base's final picture of the Jabberwock's head mounted amongst others. They each put a twist on Carroll's poem. Was the Jabberwocky just one amongst others...?
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" Both poem and artwork here are beautiful. It stirs a creative chord in me. Recommended for all.
November 19, 2009
One of the cool things about poems is the idea that everyone hears or sees something different in them. In this version of the Jabberwocky, the illustrator envisions the clash as a one on one basketball game between to extremely unmatched opponents. The illustrations and colors used in this book are phenomenal and may just entice even the most reluctant of poets (or poetry readers) to take a chance on an "old" poem redux. Useful with grades 3 and up (maybe even high school???).
August 27, 2017
I bought this for the illustration, having discovered it during a Pinterest trawl. Graeme Base is an Australian artist, and brings an exoticism to the poem which works well with the verbal inventiveness of the text. Strange beasts and birds frolic through the pages (gyring and gimbling in the wabe?), while the beamish young knight sets forth on his charger, eventually to encounter the Jabberwock.
What more can I say? If you love this poem as much as I do, then I think you'll enjoy the colour and vivacity of the artwork, and if you've already got multiple versions, I'm sure you won't mind adding another. If you don't know the poem - well then, you ought to. Go and find it.
What more can I say? If you love this poem as much as I do, then I think you'll enjoy the colour and vivacity of the artwork, and if you've already got multiple versions, I'm sure you won't mind adding another. If you don't know the poem - well then, you ought to. Go and find it.
July 25, 2018
This is my favorite pop-up by Bantock. I used this book when I taught music to third graders and we even made a music program including it. My book is so worn from years of use. It's time to get a new one.
I still have the poem memorized:
T'was brillig and the slithy tothes did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves and the momraths out grabe
Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that clutch!
Beware the jub jub bird and the frumious bandersnatch
He took his vorpal sword in hand, longtime the maxim foe he sought
So rested he by Tumtum tree and stood awhile in thought
And as in uffish thought he stood, the Jaberwock with eyes of flame
Came whiffling through the torbal wood and burble as it came.
One two, one two and through and though his vorpal blade went snicker snack
He left it dead and with his head he went galumphing back
And hast thou slain the Jaberwock? Come to my arms my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day, callou callay! He chortled in his joy.
That was by memory and I don't guarantee the spelling, but since Lewis Carroll no doubt made up those words, I can make up the spelling. Maybe. (wink)
I still have the poem memorized:
T'was brillig and the slithy tothes did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves and the momraths out grabe
Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that clutch!
Beware the jub jub bird and the frumious bandersnatch
He took his vorpal sword in hand, longtime the maxim foe he sought
So rested he by Tumtum tree and stood awhile in thought
And as in uffish thought he stood, the Jaberwock with eyes of flame
Came whiffling through the torbal wood and burble as it came.
One two, one two and through and though his vorpal blade went snicker snack
He left it dead and with his head he went galumphing back
And hast thou slain the Jaberwock? Come to my arms my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day, callou callay! He chortled in his joy.
That was by memory and I don't guarantee the spelling, but since Lewis Carroll no doubt made up those words, I can make up the spelling. Maybe. (wink)
November 14, 2025
Jabberwocky is the first book in a classic poetry series illustrated by some of today’s most talented and imaginative artists. Newly re-imagined by the artist Stéphane Jorisch, this Jabberwocky becomes a treatise on warfare, gender roles, rigid expectations by those considered our elders and the self-serving babble spoken by those in authority. The true end of the Jabberwock exposes how monsters can be blown out of all proportion. Jorisch’s illustrations show a childlike simplicity with an adult message.
January 7, 2011
I've been reading my four-year-old all the editions of Jabberwocky I can get my hands on, because he loves the poem. I found this one in the teen section and it should definitely stay there. :)
The illustrations seem to depict some sort of futuristic, fantastic military society and I didn't really get it. Of course, I was turning the pages a bit fast in places to keep my son from the blood. Whoops.
The illustrations seem to depict some sort of futuristic, fantastic military society and I didn't really get it. Of course, I was turning the pages a bit fast in places to keep my son from the blood. Whoops.
November 11, 2011
Jabberwocky is, of course, one of the really great nonsense poems in the English language, and Stephane Jorisch's visual treatment of the poem is something highly original. I'm not sure that all of the artist's interpretations of the writer's source material are in any way true to Lewis Carroll's intent (whatever that may have been), but nonetheless, this is an entertaining and thought-provoking way to re-visit a certified literary classic.
January 1, 2025
A very strange poem but one you will enjoy reading for that strangeness.
February 22, 2019
This was such a fun reimagining of a well-known poem! Christopher Myers is so incredibly creative and talented, and I applaud him for coming up with a hugely relatable version of this that makes the poem accessible for many other audiences. The poem remains exactly the same, but Myers' illustrations are not mimetic in any sense. Instead, he depicts a basketball game between a protagonist and a huge, six-fingered basketball player. This is a must-have for your bookshelf, for its illustrations, design, and reimagining.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
December 7, 2019
Carroll's Jabberwocky is brought to life with wonderfully dark illustrations from Base. Some pages feature no text and richly detailed illustrations, while others feature both. Readers will enjoy the slightly surreal version of Carroll's nonsense poem and the world Base creates so effectively.
For: fractured fairy tale fans; readers looking for a book with poetry and surreal illustrations.
Possible red flags: beheading; characters in peril.
For: fractured fairy tale fans; readers looking for a book with poetry and surreal illustrations.
Possible red flags: beheading; characters in peril.
December 30, 2021
The two stars was for the illustrations--they were /okay/ but didn't quite fit with the aesthetic of the words of the Jabberwocky poem to me, nor did they feel like they belonged in the Alice and Wonderland story universe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 256 reviews