The Pelican Chorus: and Other Nonsense

by Edward Lear, Fred Marcellino (Illustrations)

Illustrations by a Caldecott Honor winner accompany three of the author's familiar nonsensical tales, including "The Pelican Chorus," "The Owl and the Pussycat," and " The New Vestments". Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised.
His principal areas of work as an artist were threefold: as a draughtsman employed to make illustrations of birds and animals; making coloured drawings during his journeys, which he reworked later, sometimes as plates for his travel books; and as a (minor) illustrator of Alfred Tennyson's poems.
As an author, he is known principally for his popular nonsense collections of poems, songs, short stories, botanical drawings, recipes and alphabets. He also composed and published twelve musical settings of Tennyson's poetry.

Reviews

[Christine]

Includes Lear's title poem as well as two others (including the owl and the pussy cat). Illustrations are great.

[Silvio111]

Truly the best poem ever.
35 years ago when my kids were small, I read them a version published by the Parents' Magazine Press. I am pretty sure it was written and illustrated by Edward Lear, but I could be wrong about the illustrations. (Lear was originally a landscape painter before he wrote children's poems. I think he was somewhat like Beatrix Potter in that he started writing nonsense to please young relations; his large Victorian family had been split up when his parents died.)

"The themes in this (rhyming) story of a young Pelican engaged to marry a Crane, with whom she will fly away to never again see her family is so poignant, and yet the words are so satisfying:
King and Queen of the Pelicans,We
No Other birds so grand we see
None like we have feet like fins
And lovely leathery throats and chins"


I ask you , who could resist that?

***UPDATE***
I found the edition I read:
It is illustrated by HAROLD BERSON, published by Parents Magazine Press in 1967. If you can ever find a copy of this edition, the pictures are wonderful. Subtle yet funny. Elegant yet true to ornithology.

http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-Chorus-...

[Monica]

Fun, reminds me a little of Shel Silverstein, and Alice in Wonderland somehow.. Lovely artwork by Fred Marcellino

[Melanie Gaum]

The pelican segment was my favorite.

[Jeanine]

Found in the kindergarten class. Several stuck it out, 2 even were fully engaged, but it was long and complicated without additional commentary. The images were very helpful though.

[Melinda Miller]

A book full of tales starting with the story of a man whose ridiculous outfit gets eaten right off of him.

[Cheryl]

Typical Lear with beautiful illustrations

[The Brothers]

Excellent collection of three silly, nonsensical poems. Both boys loved it.

The illustrations are fabulous.

[Robin]

Three of Lear's silly rhymes are illustrated. 'The New Vestments' is particularly funny.

[Daniel Joshua]

The best of the best when it comes to nonsense. The hilarity contain in these pages is not to be discounted, it is the real thing. The illustrations are a bonus.

[Rose]

E Lea