A TIME Magazine Top 10 Children’s Book of 2015!
Ducks growing out of bananas?A mouse catching a cat?What’s wrong with this book from the creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar?
Yes, there’s something strange, somethingfunny and even downright preposterous onevery page of this book.But it’s not a mistake -it’s nonsense! And it’s also surrealism.Nonsense lies at the heart of manybeloved nursery rhymes. Children readilyaccept odd statements like the cowjumped over the moon and the dish ranaway with the spoon. This fanciful bendingof reality is also basic to surrealism.
In this book, nonsense and surrealismcombine to spark creativity and imagination. What’s true? What’s impossible? What’s absolutelyabsurd?From Eric Carle, creator of the classic, TheVery Hungry Caterpillar, comes a book to makechildren laugh and think, preparing them for alifetime of loving both words and art.
Following on the heels ofThe Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse(an homage to the artist Franz Marc and expressionism) andFriends, with its semi-abstract artwork,The Nonsense Showforms a trilogy of sorts, dedicated to introducing young readers to different styles of artwork without ever overlooking the need to, first and foremost, appeal to children and their love of play. One of the true legends and pioneers of picture book making continues to expand and challenge the genre.
Praise for The Nonsense Show
* Carle creates fun and laughter in thishomage to the surrealist artist Rene Magritte. P erfect for storytimesand silly times all round. Carle hits it out of the nonsense park! -Booklist, starred review
* A sure hit as a read-aloud and a definite purchase for picture book collections. -School Library Journal, starred review * A picture book made to incite pleasure and joy. -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
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The Nonsense Show , with its cleanly designed white pages, makes the unexpected elements of the imagery stand out and prompts questions and wonder. -Horn Book, starred review
