Friday, August 6, 2010

A Book of Various Owls

A Book of Various Owls
John Hollander ~ Tomi Ungerer
W.W. Norton, 1963

Please shoot the person at eBay who invented the MAKE AN OFFER button... wherein I buy ridiculously-priced vintage books for a somewhat less ridiculous price. Case in point: Ungerer AND owls. How can I pass that up? Filled with quirky little poems about all sorts of imaginary birds (with proper names!) such as...

PROWL OWL
(Jack)

You usually hear him across a lake
Like the moan of a distant loon,
But then, in a moment, his shadow will break
The white face of the moon.
Before he's really left the sky
You hear him blow his beak
Under a nearby pine. His cry
Plays games of hide and seek.
Wherever you think his shadow may be
It's hidden behind your back:
Jack lurks about, too dark to see
When the green of the trees is black.Also by:
Crictor
The Hat
Zarelda's Ogre
Seeds and More Seeds
The Three Robbers
Moon Man
Orlando The Brave Vulture
Christmas Eve at the Mellops'
I Am Papa Snap and These Are My Favorite No Such Stories
The Beast of Monsieur Racine
Allumette
The Mellops Strike Oil
Emile
Rufus
Adelaide

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12 comments:

  1. beeAugust 6, 2010 at 7:26 AM

    Wow - this is gold! Fabulous illustrations... and who doesn't love an owl?! What on earth is that nasty butcher man doing to that owl?? Please tell me the owl gets away :S

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  2. Burgin StreetmanAugust 6, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Fear not... That would be the "Fowl Owl" but he gets away when the butcher figures out he won't taste good. :)

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  3. Julie FalatkoAugust 6, 2010 at 8:26 AM

    Oh my gracious! I want it! What a great score!

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  4. Dan MoynihanAugust 6, 2010 at 8:53 AM

    Great illustrations - thanks for the nice big images!

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  5. ahoi!August 6, 2010 at 9:50 AM

    Wow. This is great. This is my favorite period of his illustrations (early 60's: Rufus,Three Robbers...) Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Burgin StreetmanAugust 6, 2010 at 9:56 AM

    I added the "Vowel Owl" too. I forgot I scanned it.

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  7. babar ganeshAugust 6, 2010 at 10:25 AM

    i'm so glad YOU bought it so that you could share it with us.

    i wish i could get everything that tomi ungerer has ever done.

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  8. NanAugust 6, 2010 at 7:42 PM

    Whoot! I am officially jealous.

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  9. PaulaAugust 7, 2010 at 9:24 AM

    I am in love...sigh

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  10. Brimful CuriositiesAugust 7, 2010 at 3:46 PM

    I really, really love the illustrations in this book. My son is an owl fan and this book should be on his shelf.

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  11. Dawn D. LionAugust 14, 2010 at 11:19 AM

    I love this. It just highlights the fact that collecting picture books IS collecting art.

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  12. Laura OttinaSeptember 30, 2012 at 4:02 PM

    Your blog never fails to delight me!

    ReplyDelete