Thursday, August 19, 2010

19th August Ogden Nash (1902 - 1971)









Ogden Nash is the American poet responsible for two of my favourite poems, The Adventures of Isabel and The Tale of Custard the Dragon. Read with vigour and plenty of animation these two poems are failproof. Both poems exist as stand alone picture books, but they are also in many anthologies. Isabel, the unflappable heroine of the first poem is good value as a character..."Isabel, Isabel didn't worry, Isabel didn't scream or scurry"..."she quietly ate the bear up." The Bridget Taylor illustrated version of the poem comes with a CD read by Ogden Nash, but I wouldn't recommend the reading. It is flat and undramatic. You can do a better job of reciting the poem, and exciting your audience to get involved. The second poem about Custard the "realio, trulio, little pet dragon" and Belinda who lived in a little white house is illustrated by Lynn Munsinger in her two picture books.



Ogden Nash is witty and irreverent. He is the master of brevity...see his poem Fleas!

Adam
Had-em.

The master of observation, humorously stated...
Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,
and that's what parents were created for.

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