''Jabberwocky'' is an illustrated version of
Lewis Carroll's poem of the same name. The book is illustrated by Canadian artist
Stéphane Jorisch. It was published in 2004 by
Kids Can Press and won the 2004
Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language children's illustration.
Synopsis
''Jabberwocky'' is a
nonsense poem written by English poet Lewis Carroll in 1871 and first published in his 1872 novel ''
Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There''. The poem, about a boy and his encounter with a creature called the Jabberwock, was originally written backwards, and Alice used a looking glass to decode it. In this iteration, Jorisch illustrates the poem with original artwork, giving Carroll's work a new and unexpected dimension.
Awards
''Jabberwocky'' won the 2004
. The award is granted by the
Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...
and was presented by Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson ( zh, c=伍冰枝; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as the 26th governor general of Canada from 1999 to 2005.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 1941, as a refuge ...
at a ceremony held at
Rideau Hall
Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...
.
Reception
The book was generally well received. Author
Kenneth Oppel
Kenneth Oppel (born August 31, 1967) is a Canadian children's writer.
Biography
Oppel was born in Port Alberni, and spent his childhood in Victoria, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, England, ...
writes in the magazine
''Quill and Quire'', "Jorisch has radically reinterpreted Carroll’s mock heroic ballad as a subversive commentary on totalitarianism and thought control." He goes on to say, "This is thought-provoking and sophisticated stuff, appropriate for teen readers possibly, but certainly not the audience for whom Carroll intended his poem."
In ''CM Reviews'', writer and artist Lorraine Douglas believes, "Teachers could use this book to spark discussion on its themes and also for creative writing." In addition, Douglas also finds that "Lewis Carroll's strange word juxtapositions are perfectly matched by Jorisch's visual surrealism."
See also
*
Jabberwocky
"Jabberwocky" is a Nonsense verse, nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' ...
References
{{Governor General's English children's illustration, state=collapsed
2004 children's books
Canadian children's books
Governor General's Award–winning children's books