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Garibaldi's Biscuits
Wearing pizza buckles on their belts and wielding water balloons, Garibaldi and his army defeat the rascally French, and the world-famous Garibaldi's biscuits are born! Ralph Steadman's cast of quirky characters and witty cartoons bring this footnote of history to life.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2008
About the author
Ralph Steadman
157 books270 followersRalph Steadman (born Wallasey, May 15, 1936) is a British cartoonist and caricaturist.
Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and brought up in Towyn, North Wales, Steadman attended Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan (high school), Abergele, East Ham Technical College and the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts during the 1960s, doing freelance work for Punch, Private Eye, the Daily Telegraph, The New York Times and Rolling Stone during this time.
Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures and cartoons and also for illustrating a number of picture books. Awards that he has won for his work include the Francis Williams Book Illustration Award for Alice in Wonderland, the American Society of Illustrators' Certificate of Merit, the W H Smith Illustration Award for I Leonardo, the Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award for Inspector Mouse, the Italian Critica in Erba Prize for That's My Dad, the BBC Design Award for postage stamps, the Black Humour Award in France, and several Designers and Art Directors Association Awards. He was voted Illustrator of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1979.
Steadman had a long partnership with the American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, drawing pictures for several of his articles and books. He accompanied Thompson to the Kentucky Derby for an article for the magazine Scanlan's, to the Honolulu Marathon for the magazine Running, and illustrated both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Much of Steadman's artwork revolves around Raoul Duke-style caricatures of Thompson: bucket hats, cigarette holder and aviator sunglasses.
Steadman appears on the second disc of the Criterion Collection Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD set, in a documentary called "Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision", which was made by the BBC in 1978, of Thompson planning the tower and cannon that his ashes were later blasted out of. The cannon was atop a 153-ft. tower of Thompson's fist gripping a peyote button; Thompson demands that Steadman gives the fist two thumbs, "Right now."
As well as writing and illustrating his own books and Thompson's, Steadman has worked with writers including Ted Hughes and Brian Patten, and also illustrated editions of Alice In Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and most recently, Fahrenheit 451.
Among the British public, Steadman is well known for his illustrations for the catalogues of the off-licence chain Oddbins. He also designed the labels for Flying Dog beer and Cardinal 'Spiced' Zin', which was banned in Ohio for Steadman's "disturbing" interpretation of a Catholic cardinal on its label.
Steadman also illustrates Will Self's column in The Independent newspaper. Johnny Depp's anthology of songs, "Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys" (2006) surprisingly contains two contributions from Steadman. He sings lead on "Little Boy Billee", and sings backing vocals on Eliza Carthy's song "Rolling Sea". Depp played Raoul Duke in the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Steadman currently lives with his wife in Kent, England.
Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and brought up in Towyn, North Wales, Steadman attended Ysgol Emrys Ap Iwan (high school), Abergele, East Ham Technical College and the London College of Printing and Graphic Arts during the 1960s, doing freelance work for Punch, Private Eye, the Daily Telegraph, The New York Times and Rolling Stone during this time.
Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures and cartoons and also for illustrating a number of picture books. Awards that he has won for his work include the Francis Williams Book Illustration Award for Alice in Wonderland, the American Society of Illustrators' Certificate of Merit, the W H Smith Illustration Award for I Leonardo, the Dutch Silver Paintbrush Award for Inspector Mouse, the Italian Critica in Erba Prize for That's My Dad, the BBC Design Award for postage stamps, the Black Humour Award in France, and several Designers and Art Directors Association Awards. He was voted Illustrator of the Year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1979.
Steadman had a long partnership with the American journalist Hunter S. Thompson, drawing pictures for several of his articles and books. He accompanied Thompson to the Kentucky Derby for an article for the magazine Scanlan's, to the Honolulu Marathon for the magazine Running, and illustrated both Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Much of Steadman's artwork revolves around Raoul Duke-style caricatures of Thompson: bucket hats, cigarette holder and aviator sunglasses.
Steadman appears on the second disc of the Criterion Collection Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD set, in a documentary called "Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision", which was made by the BBC in 1978, of Thompson planning the tower and cannon that his ashes were later blasted out of. The cannon was atop a 153-ft. tower of Thompson's fist gripping a peyote button; Thompson demands that Steadman gives the fist two thumbs, "Right now."
As well as writing and illustrating his own books and Thompson's, Steadman has worked with writers including Ted Hughes and Brian Patten, and also illustrated editions of Alice In Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and most recently, Fahrenheit 451.
Among the British public, Steadman is well known for his illustrations for the catalogues of the off-licence chain Oddbins. He also designed the labels for Flying Dog beer and Cardinal 'Spiced' Zin', which was banned in Ohio for Steadman's "disturbing" interpretation of a Catholic cardinal on its label.
Steadman also illustrates Will Self's column in The Independent newspaper. Johnny Depp's anthology of songs, "Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys" (2006) surprisingly contains two contributions from Steadman. He sings lead on "Little Boy Billee", and sings backing vocals on Eliza Carthy's song "Rolling Sea". Depp played Raoul Duke in the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Steadman currently lives with his wife in Kent, England.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 1, 2014
I really enjoyed it, a picture book for adults, along with children with an interest in European history. Yes, the author takes liberties with the facts, i.e., his army had belt buckles made of pizza to eat when hungry, they wore bright red shirts "because they splashed tomato sauce everywhere when they ate their pizzas", and defeated the Bourbon army with water balloons. To other reviewers that stated they couldn't tell if this was a picture book for adults or children, since when is a book confined to a certain age group. If one can read it, or can be read to, and one understands, so what the age group. Another reviewer stated that only an English person would understand the story due to the subject of the biscuits. All I can say to that is after living in Italy for two years I learned about Garibaldi, his life in South America and Italy, willingness to fight in our Civil War, along with his gaining the respect of many other world countries. (No, none of that is covered in the book, I was just pointing out that others will understand the gist of the story, and even learn something new as I did, about the biscuits!
March 10, 2014
Ralph Steadman's Garibaldi's Biscuits is a playful account of how the famous General Garibaldi and his army forced the French Bourbon invaders to their knees in Italy.
Garibaldi's soldiers use pizzas for belt buckles to hold up their pantaloons and eat them when they're hungry. The Garibaldi army attacks with water balloons and sheer courage. The defeated army and the conquerors meet at grandparents' Garibaldi's home for a meal - and for special biscuits baked by grandmother Garibaldi.
Garibaldi's Biscuits is a fun, fanciful story with pictures to delight kids and adults.
Garibaldi's soldiers use pizzas for belt buckles to hold up their pantaloons and eat them when they're hungry. The Garibaldi army attacks with water balloons and sheer courage. The defeated army and the conquerors meet at grandparents' Garibaldi's home for a meal - and for special biscuits baked by grandmother Garibaldi.
Garibaldi's Biscuits is a fun, fanciful story with pictures to delight kids and adults.
December 9, 2011
Occasionally you come across a rather bizarre picture book- this is one of them. I'm not all that familiar with Ralph Steadman, but he does have an immediately recognisable style if you've seen any of the Hunter S. Thompson covers. A very odd tale, about Giuseppe Garibaldi, who is credited with unifying Italy in the 19th century, and has an enduring legacy in the eponymous Garibaldi biscuit. I can appreciate the book as an adult, but not sure I would chose to read it to a toddler.
July 25, 2014
Is this a strange book? Yes. That must be why my grandsons love it.
January 31, 2026
Didn't love it, but to each their own.
February 20, 2009
When a book this quirky comes along, you can’t help but notice. Check out the quote by Kurt Vonnegut on the front cover, describing author/illustrator Ralph Steadman:
“The most gifted and effective existentialist graphic artist of my time”
On the front of a picture book? That will make you do a double take. It also makes you wonder if this is aimed at Steadman’s adult fans more than kids. But then you read it. Pizza belt buckles, pet woodpeckers wearing overalls, and war with water balloons all mingle to create a tale that is definitely for kids, and thoroughly odd.
The events (and the biscuits) are real. After years fighting battles in South America with an army of Italian exiles, General Giuseppe Garibaldi returned to Italy. There he and his men temporarily fought back the invading French army (aka the Bourbons). The specifics are peculiar. The Bourbons kidnap Garibaldi’s grandparents to cook for them. Undaunted, our hero and his men wage water balloon war on the Bourbons. Garibaldi is victorious, but his sympathetic grandmother decides to make the defeated soldiers something to eat. The titular biscuits are born.
I found myself wondering “what is the truth here?” The mixture of fact and fiction may be difficult for some, who like things a bit more straightforward. An afterword is provided to help clarify matters.
Another hurdle is the fact that most American kids (or adults, for that matter) aren’t familiar with the Garibaldi biscuit. Originally published in the UK, this title may suffer from a cultural divide of cuisine.
Even if you don’t know him by name, you’re likely familiar with Steadman’s art through his association with Hunter S. Thompson. The scribbly ink and watercolor illustrations are indeed striking. Characters are rendered in a warped reality, where gravity and proportion are optional. I quite like these pictures, which remind me most in style and medium of a more maniacal version of Quentin Blake’s work.
Wild rides can be fun, but some are more worth taking than others. This one isn’t for every collection, but fans of the quirky (and the biscuit), be warned.
“The most gifted and effective existentialist graphic artist of my time”
On the front of a picture book? That will make you do a double take. It also makes you wonder if this is aimed at Steadman’s adult fans more than kids. But then you read it. Pizza belt buckles, pet woodpeckers wearing overalls, and war with water balloons all mingle to create a tale that is definitely for kids, and thoroughly odd.
The events (and the biscuits) are real. After years fighting battles in South America with an army of Italian exiles, General Giuseppe Garibaldi returned to Italy. There he and his men temporarily fought back the invading French army (aka the Bourbons). The specifics are peculiar. The Bourbons kidnap Garibaldi’s grandparents to cook for them. Undaunted, our hero and his men wage water balloon war on the Bourbons. Garibaldi is victorious, but his sympathetic grandmother decides to make the defeated soldiers something to eat. The titular biscuits are born.
I found myself wondering “what is the truth here?” The mixture of fact and fiction may be difficult for some, who like things a bit more straightforward. An afterword is provided to help clarify matters.
Another hurdle is the fact that most American kids (or adults, for that matter) aren’t familiar with the Garibaldi biscuit. Originally published in the UK, this title may suffer from a cultural divide of cuisine.
Even if you don’t know him by name, you’re likely familiar with Steadman’s art through his association with Hunter S. Thompson. The scribbly ink and watercolor illustrations are indeed striking. Characters are rendered in a warped reality, where gravity and proportion are optional. I quite like these pictures, which remind me most in style and medium of a more maniacal version of Quentin Blake’s work.
Wild rides can be fun, but some are more worth taking than others. This one isn’t for every collection, but fans of the quirky (and the biscuit), be warned.
January 26, 2010
Logan received this gift for Christmas from a friend who bought it in London. At first we thought it was for my husband because he is a huge fan of Ralph Steadman's illustrations. But reading it, it's clearly a kid's book. Funny though it was (Garibaldi is an Italian general whose men fight with water balloons and wear pizza belt-buckles which they eat when necessary), it required a lot of explanation. To begin with, the story is a supposed history of the source of Garibaldi Biscuits, a popular cookie in Britain for 150 years. I had to look that up on Wikipedia. Then there is the historical setting of the French and Italians at war. Anyway, Logan thought the water balloons were funny and also laughed at the soldiers fighting while holding up their trousers because they had to belt buckles, but he's never asked me to read the book again. I think you might have to be a Brit kid to begin to truly get this book.
May 24, 2009
Quirky and clever, but I have no idea who he thought the audience would be. Most of the humor will go right past American children, and only English children with a solid knowledge of cookies will get the bulk of the jokes. If he meant it for adults, he forgot to tell his publisher, who is trying quite desperately to market it as a children's book.
Still, the image of Garibaldi's Italian freedom fighters charging the French royalists while holding up their pants [after having consumed their edible belt buckles:] was truly awe-inspiring.
Steadman is right up there with Shel Silverstein and Daniel Pinkwater in terms of surreal children's literature, but I wish he had figured this one out a bit more clearly.
Still, the image of Garibaldi's Italian freedom fighters charging the French royalists while holding up their pants [after having consumed their edible belt buckles:] was truly awe-inspiring.
Steadman is right up there with Shel Silverstein and Daniel Pinkwater in terms of surreal children's literature, but I wish he had figured this one out a bit more clearly.
September 12, 2015
This book tries a little too hard - too hard to be funny, too hard to explain too many things. I disagree with the reviewer who feels this book is good for children interested in history. The history here is so loosely told that it bears little resemblance. It doesn't even get the history of the biscuits correct.
Steadman's drawing are always interesting, but never my favourites.
There are many, many picture books I would read (or read to someone else) before this one.
Steadman's drawing are always interesting, but never my favourites.
There are many, many picture books I would read (or read to someone else) before this one.
June 4, 2013
The bad-tempered titan of 'sixties satire, Ralph Steadman, takes liberties with the history of Italian unification in order to set up a lumbering joke about Peek Freans biscuits. He really is serious about never wanting to work with the likes of Hunter S. Thompson again then.
March 28, 2012
I'm still not entirely sure what I read or why Kurt Vonnegut blurbed this book. So many questions.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews