I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book

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Overview

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That's what children chant when they are being teased; it's what their parents chanted, and probably their grandparents before them. Collected in this invaluable book are the wit and wisdom of generations of schoolchildren—more than 170 selections ranging from insults and riddles to jeers and jump-rope rhymes. With Iona Opie's introduction and detailed notes and Maurice Sendak's remarkable pictures—vignettes, sequences, and full-page paintings both wickedly funny and comically

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Overview

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That's what children chant when they are being teased; it's what their parents chanted, and probably their grandparents before them. Collected in this invaluable book are the wit and wisdom of generations of schoolchildren—more than 170 selections ranging from insults and riddles to jeers and jump-rope rhymes. With Iona Opie's introduction and detailed notes and Maurice Sendak's remarkable pictures—vignettes, sequences, and full-page paintings both wickedly funny and comically sad—it offers knowledge and entertainment to all who open it.

Renowned for their collections of children’s rhymes, the Opies have gathered here a sophisticated anthology of comebacks, riddles, and joke poems—all decorated with Sendak’s wickedly humorous illustrations. Appropriate for adults as well as children, this saucy handbook is invaluable for use in the schoolyard, especially for those who tend to be shy, or for those seeking recognition for being clever.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This inspired collaboration marries the earliest work of the Opies--British folklorists who for four decades charted the territory of childhood through schoolchildren's language--with new illustrations that show Sendak at his finest. With the shape and heft of a handbook, the volume is, in effect, a primer of children's humor and lore. Many rhymes are instantly familiar; others are less so--especially those with a British tinge. Merely perusing the Contents page, with such tantalizing listings as ``Guile-Malicious'' and ``Guile-Innocent,'' is a delectable exercise. Because the Opies' particular genius lay in mapping the verbal turf of children themselves--and not adults' often sanitized versions--the rhymes they collected portray not only the playfulness of childhood but its occasional crudeness and cruelty as well. For the same reason, they exude spontaneity and energy. Sendak's illustrations pick up this energy and add their own. His characters are, variously, mischievous, sprightly, gnarly and spectral, and possessed of a seemingly endless array of expressions. Appealing and immediately accessible, they are drawn in simple, clean lines that recall his early work and painted with a broad palette that ranges from rich russets to soft indigos. The text and art are seamlessly interactive: small figures chase each other around the type; larger illustrations mingle images from several verses. And Sendak's ability to create provocative psychological dimension is in full evidence as well. The sequence illustrating the ubiquitous ``Rain, rain, go away'' is accompanied by a series showing a child's mother gradually transformed into a protective tree; the figure pelted in ``Sticks and stones'' is a skeleton itself. The republication of these rhymes brings the Opies' work full circle; the book seems a satisfying culmination of Sendak's gifts as well. Ages 5-up. (June)
School Library Journal
K Up-- This is a new edition, with some few alterations in the text, of the earliest of the Opies' many books, and the one that initiated their lifelong research into children's games and verses. With a new introduction by Iona Opie, and the addition of brilliantly conceived illustrations by Sendak, the book is a delight for all ages. A section of ``notes'' explains the origins and some alternate versions of the brief rhymes, chants, and riddles that the Opies collected from children's sayings, taunts, counting rhymes, and schoolyard games. It is the voices of children echoing over the generations with the same banter, the same gross humor, and the same defiance of adult authority that gives the collection its universal quality. Sendak's drawings decorate the pages, with adults and children gliding and leaping through the book. Some of his figures are framed in more formal pictures, and all glow with color and energy, giving life and fuller understanding to the often cryptic comic verses. He captures the essence of childhood with its silliness, its love of action and violence, its secret delight in whatever adults think is rude and impolite. The combination of the Opies' work with Sendak's mastery of illustration for children, plus the fine quality of the printing and book production, make this volume a notable event in book publishing. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781564020468
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press
  • Publication date: 6/28/1992
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 160
  • Sales rank: 910,648
  • Age range: 3 months - 18 years
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 7.75 (h) x 1.12 (d)

Meet the Author

Iona and Peter Opie were married in 1943 and worked together for nearly forty years, studying and writing about children’s lore and literature until Peter’s death in 1982. Among their collaborations is The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. Iona Opie lives in England.

Maurice Sendak has created texts and illustrations for more than seventy books, which have sold millions of copies around the world. He has won numerous awards, including a Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his body of work. He lives in New England.

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