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163rd out of 210 books
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25 voters
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I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book
by
Iona Opie ,
Peter Opie , Maurice Sendak
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That's what children chant when they are being teased; it's what their parents chanted, and probably their grandparents before them. Collected in this invaluable book are the wit and wisdom of generations of schoolchildren—more than 170 selections ranging from insults and riddles to jeers and jump-rope...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
October 2nd 2000
by Candlewick Press
(first published 1947)
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I found this to be a neat collection of schoolyard poetry but at most I would find it interesting to reminisce over. The rhymes are not the same on every playground, so most were minimally similar to anything I could relate to.
Also, each piece seemed like it was just listed carelessly. And with the starting and stopping of so many new ideas it was easy to loose interest in the book.
I cannot imagine a child enjoying this. They may find humor in the insults or taunts, but I'...more
Also, each piece seemed like it was just listed carelessly. And with the starting and stopping of so many new ideas it was easy to loose interest in the book.
I cannot imagine a child enjoying this. They may find humor in the insults or taunts, but I'...more
As a child I appreciated the scandalous nature of the rhymes and illustrations; as a grown-up I love reading about the sources, many of which are detailed by the editor. All in all, though inappropriate for younger children (I got in trouble one year at Thanksgiving for saying grace from it), I credit it as a huge influence on my sense of humor and appreciation for history, and it's still one of my most favorite books of all time. There's something smart about it, in spite of its raunchiness.
Lisa Rathbun
added it
A strange collection of childish rhymes and couplets, arranged under titles like Nonsense, Insults, Characters, and Retaliation. They have a very old fashioned sound to them; it's hard to imagine any child using these in the last fifty years, at least not American children! The weird illustrations by Sendak are fascinating and often creepy. While some are innocent, a lot are very rude.
A great weird batch. Some more kid appropriate than others. Depends on the age I would guess. Sort of the perfect collection on some level. Kind of like the unedited Grimm. Creepy. Inappropriately appropriate. I like popping through them and reading random ones to my grade school boys. Sendak really hits too close to the text on more than one creepy occasion.
At work there is a Maurice Sendak display. I thought this might work since all the illustrations were his...The rhymes might belong to children but some of the illustrations could be questionable. Some of the rhymes remind me of childhood and those that I knew sometimes had different stanzas or there were extra lines. Enjoyed it!
This is a wonderful collection of rhymes, riddles and poems from schoolchildren of old. They are a hilarious read for anyone who would appreciate a good laugh and are always quotable. The collection is wide-ranging and will bring a smile or a chuckle to anyone who reads it.
More of a rhyme book, some I remember from my school days, others seem to come from a much earlier date. I love the illustrations. Many are connected to school life: stining reply, comic complaints, and just clever rhymes to know by heart.
Heather
added it
didn't love it.
I remembered some of the childhood rhymes: Sticks and Stones..., Brothers & sisters I have none..., It's raining it's pouring, railroad crossing, woodchuck chuck, etc.
I remembered some of the childhood rhymes: Sticks and Stones..., Brothers & sisters I have none..., It's raining it's pouring, railroad crossing, woodchuck chuck, etc.
So many fun and classic verses and illustrations you will surely go mad with memories of your childhood (and don't call my surely)!
Love that Maurice!!!
Love that Maurice!!!
This hardcover, with notes, looks scholarly - and is. However, if it were presented in a cheap mm Scholastic pb, children would appreciate it more. It's fun!
A collection of children's traditional rhymes. Illustrations by Maurice Sendak. I hadn't heard most of the rhymes. A bit boring.
This is a great little book. Many of the rhymes had a working class British feel to them that I especially loved.
Beautiful illustrations by Maurice Sendak.170 rhymes by Iona & Peter Opie.
poems, i am not a big poem lover. to me it wasn't that good.:(
My grandfather gave me this book a few years ago and I rediscovered it the other day while cleaning out the shelves. It has nice classic short traditional rhymes. And some, um, kind of bawdy ones. The Sendak drawings are nice.
This book is on the bibliography of books challenged, restricted, removed or banned in 2007-2008 put out by Robert P. Doyle and the American Library Association. More info at http://www.ila.org/pdf/2008banned.pdf
i found this book in a bargin bin, and though it's illustrated by sendek, it's not a super super gotta have great book. actually it's pretty lame....
This book is hilarious and fabulous. A gem.
dirty little gem of a book...
A charming and horrible book.
Carol
marked it as to-read
Gina
marked it as to-read
guiltlessreader
marked it as to-read
Suep
marked it as to-read
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