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:

bee said...

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

Burgin Streetman said...

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

Julie Falatko said...

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

Dan Moynihan said...

Great illustrations - thanks for the nice big images!

ahoi! said...

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

Burgin Streetman said...

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

babar ganesh said...

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.

Nan said...

Whoot! I am officially jealous.

Paula said...

I am in love...sigh

Brimful Curiosities said...

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

Dawn D. Lion said...

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

Laura Ottina said...

Your blog never fails to delight me!

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