Laurabelle's Blog

One wouldn't expect alphabet poems that are over 130 years old to be interesting and exciting today, but Edward Lear's alphabet book has stood the test of time. With Vladimir Radunsky's bright and vibrant illustrations, peppered with cartoonish depictions of Edward Lear himself, most of Lear's verses could have been written last year.

All the letters up to N are just as applicable today as in the nineteenth century, but it is likely that most children will not know some of the words chosen for less-common letters, for example quail and yew. Another word, pump, is illustrated by Radunsky as a style of women's shoe, whereas the original was almost surely a water pump. Radunsky's interpretation is not necessarily wrong, but it's interesting to consider how words and associations change over time, even in as simple a book.

Most of the reviews I read of Radunsky's alphabet book, including the Publishers Weekly review, focus on the timelessness of Lear's nonsense poetry and on the vibrant color of Radunsky's illustrations. Not unsurprisingly, Publishers Weekly is unequivocally positive about the picture book, but School Library Journal features a more critical review by Betty Teague.

Teague mentions the positive aspects of timelessness and color but gives prominence to the wording on the cover and title page: made up and colored by Vladimir Radunsky, which is confusing to children and adults alike. She also notes that Radunsky takes liberties with Lear's punctuation, even though the wording is true to the original. She concludes that the volume is a delight for any alphabet book collection in spite of the potential confusion about the credits.

An Edward Lear Alphabet. Publishers Weekly 246.17 (1999): 81.

Teague, Betty. An Edward Lear Alphabet. School Library Journal 45.6 (1999): 118.