(2) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Carlin. For the most part, this is a straightforward picture-book ­biography of poet, natural history artist, and landscape painter Edward Lear (1812–1888), focusing on all those aspects of his career (though his nonsense verse is ­perhaps best known). He was born in London; had a happy, ­imaginative childhood, though epilepsy was his “Demon”; took an interest in writing and drawing, especially animals; began drawing parrots at ­London Zoo. And here it gets fanciful: an exchange between Lear and a macaw he is drawing (shown larger than life -- and larger than Lear -- in the illustrations) turns into a conversation well beyond parroting. As Hill’s text details Lear’s growing artistic success, it emphasizes his chafing against the constraints of English society, his kinship with children, and his imagination. The illustrations begin in a muted palette but brighten as Lear embraces nonsense. For two spreads, the book mimics comic conventions while Lear tells children a story, with interjections from the youngsters filling some of the speech balloons. A “foolish biography,” maybe (with seemingly invented dialogue), but a book with plenty to pore over as readers get to know a curious character -- in every sense. Lear’s poem “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” opens the book; back matter includes some of Lear’s art, with information about images of his incorporated into Carlin’s illustrations; an author’s note; and a timeline.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) 4-6 Poetry for Young People series. Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. Beginning with a succinct, analytical introduction to the life of Lear, the volume then presents some of his best-known work, including the nonsense poems "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" and "The Jumblies," as well as a fistful of limericks that begin with the line "There was an Old Man...." Brightly colored, whimsical illustrations nicely complement the humor and energy of the poems.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Gary Kelley. Lewis proves himself a stellar student of Lear in an affectionate tribute to "that crazy old Englishman, oh!" Some poems are based on actual events from Lear's life; the introduction states that others are pure nonsense. Dark-hued illustrations provide a seemingly striking contrast to the verses' playfulness, reflecting the starchy world of Victorian England, but a closer look reveals they, too, contain drollery worthy of Lear. A chronology of Lear's life is included.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute