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124th out of 169 books
—
65 voters
The Man Who Lost His Head (Picture Puffins)
It’s bad news when you wake up in the morning and find you’ve lost your head, especially if it’s an especially agreeable and handsome head, but there you go, such things happen. In any case, the man who loses his head in The Man Who Lost His Head isn’t about to grin (that is, if he could grin) and bear it. No, he’ll make himself a new one, and starting with a pumpkin and m...more
Paperback, 64 pages
Published
March 30th 1989
by Puffin Books
(first published March 30th 1942)
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This was a delightful trip from my childhood and when I got my hands on another copy, I was eager to share with my children. They did NOT take well to it. Thus is the mystery of childhood maintained as grownups struggle to remember and children stare uncomprehending at adults. Well, at least we agreed on Narnia.
I think it was the dream sequence of it that put them off. The book doesn't even bother to explain this, which was purposeful in the least, and mischevious in the purpose. Well, it explai...more
I think it was the dream sequence of it that put them off. The book doesn't even bother to explain this, which was purposeful in the least, and mischevious in the purpose. Well, it explai...more
This is an example of a book illustrated by someone other than the author. However, the illustrations seemed to agree with the story. The book was originally published in 1942 and all of the illustrations are in black and white. The characters are fairly realistic looking, have a lot of personality and interact frequently with each other. The pictures are placed in a lot of different ways in relation to the text. The book starts with the text on one side, the drawing on the other, but later in t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I remember at age seven being freaked out by this story of a guy trying on various different head replacements before regaining his own. It was probably the illustrations that did it, more than the storyline. It's a book that I'm pretty curious to re-read after so many years. Maybe not my favorite Robert McCloskey book, but he is a classic childrens' book author/illustrator, and it's great to see NYRB reissuing it in their usual classy and attractive style.
Recently my library put together a display highlighting classic children's books. I brought home a few of them to share with my children, including The Man Who Lost His Head by Claire Huchet Bishop.
The illustrations are what make this book. They were done by the artist who did the pictures for Make Way For Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and Homer Price among others.
A man wakes up the day after a trip to the county fair to find his head missing. His last memory is of the fair and he figures he ha...more
The illustrations are what make this book. They were done by the artist who did the pictures for Make Way For Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and Homer Price among others.
A man wakes up the day after a trip to the county fair to find his head missing. His last memory is of the fair and he figures he ha...more
I had to create a "weird" shelf for this one. I associate Robert McCloskey's pictures with wholesome America of the '40s/'50s; Bishop's eponymous plot casts a new light on the illustrations. Kids will wonder, as did I, how the man managed to do all those carvings without having eyes. As with many NYRB classic children's books, this may appeal more to adults than kids (?)
I remember being a little creeped out, but fascinated, by these Robert McCloskey illustrations as a kid. A man wakes up one morning and finds his head is gone. He replaces it temporarily with a pumpkin, a parsnip, and a wooden head he carves himself. I see that the New York Review imprint has reissued this in its children's collection, which is nice.
I remember this book from my childhood. McClosky's illustrations are fantastic and the story, while a little strange, still resonates with me. My daughter loves it now and I have found her nestled away looking at it every since I brought it home. There is something about it that just appeals to kids.
Dec 30, 2009
Bookless00
added it
This is an odd story! I'm not sure what to make of it. As a child, I was a fan of Bishop's stories, but I wonder what I would have thought of this one. I really liked McCloskey's illustrations; especially when the main character has a parsnip for a head.
I guess I'm confused why some books are re-printed. This book wasn't terrible. But... it wasn't great. The illustrations weren't anything earth-shattering, and the story was fairly lame. Tricked by a PW review again!!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Robert McCloskey once again shows his amazing ability with pen and ink in the illustrations of this tale of a man in search of his head.
bonus points for use of parsnips.
Robert McCloskey can do no wrong, and this is a delightful story by Ms. Bishop to boot.
Robert McCloskey can do no wrong, and this is a delightful story by Ms. Bishop to boot.
A book I read long time ago and just found it again. Read it to my nephew and he like it. It's a cute book.
How did I miss this classic until today? Great story and I love McCloskey's drawings!
The illustrations in this book are almost as good as in Make Way for Ducklings.
Jan 06, 2011
Dan Parnell
added it
Every bit as awesome in story and imagery as I remember as a child.
Odd, interesting tale.
Zany and classic.
In retrospect, I don't know why this was re-released. Maybe the publisher had some kind of childhood affinity for it and thought it would be great to put out again. I just didn't see anything special about it, and I can't even see what prompted me in the PW review to request it.
May 05, 2013
Tania McCartney
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
Mar 19, 2013
Bosa Mora
marked it as to-read
Feb 21, 2013
Igraine
marked it as auf-gar-keinen-fall
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Claire Huchet Bishop (1899 – 13 March 1993) was a children's novelist and librarian, winner of the Newbery Honor for Pancakes-Paris and All Alone, and the Josette Frank Award for Twenty and Ten. The Five Chinese Brothers won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1959.
An American born in France or Geneva, Switzerland, Bishop attended the Sorbonne and started the first children's library in France. After...more
More about Claire Huchet Bishop...
An American born in France or Geneva, Switzerland, Bishop attended the Sorbonne and started the first children's library in France. After...more
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Jul 15, 2012 07:34am