{"product_id":"the-boy-who-became-a-parrot-a-foolish-biography-of-edward-lear-who-invented-nonsense-by-wolverton-hill","title":"The Boy Who Became a Parrot: A Foolish Biography of Edward Lear, Who Invented Nonsense by Wolverton Hill","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWritten with style and heart by Wolverton Hill and illustrated with whimsical art by Laura Carlin, this love letter to Edward Lear brings him wonderfully to life for young readers. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBest Children's Book of 2025!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected for \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e's Holiday Gift Guide and the Politics \u0026amp; Prose Holiday Book Guide!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e \/ \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Strategist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e's Best New Books for Kids Published in 2025!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Politics \u0026amp; Prose Children \u0026amp; Teen Favorite of 2025!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdward Lear popularized the limerick as we know it and invented the modern literary genre of nonsense, made famous by Lewis Carroll. But did you know that as a teenager, he was a natural history artist on par with John J. Audubon? He has a memorial in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, placing him among the UK's most important authors. Yet even still, Lear seems underappreciated. This picture-book biography will change all of that. Not only does it tell of what Lear did, it also shows who he was by conflating the naturalistic and nonsense, as Lear himself did, and by daring to be both fanciful and playful, for the facts of a life alone can never give you the full picture of a person.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLear liked children and children liked Lear, for they shared an innate sense of play and silliness, as well as a tolerance for the absurd and unusual. As Lear understood so well, being silly isn't just about having fun, as a sense of play is foundational to a resilient life. And of course, nonsense as practiced by Lear was a sharp weapon of satire against rigid Victorian conformity. Whether in his keenly observed work as a natural history painter or in his nonsense verse, Lear animated the world through a deep sense of empathy, and it is in this way that author Hill and illustrator Carlin deliver Lear to us. Rich backmatter includes some Lear poems and paintings, a chronology, and notes from the author and illustrator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' has delighted generations of children, and this thoroughgoing picture book biography carefully documents the life of its author, Edward Lear... In this extended, dreamlike examination of a creator who found ways to express his love of the unconventional, Carlin weaves Lear-like scribbles (and some of the artist's own work) in and around smudged, often ghostly figures, portrayed with various skin tones.\"-- \"Publishers Weekly\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hill makes a good case that Lear's most enduring gift was an ability to make people laugh... Thumbnails of his paintings and drawings are gathered at the end and also slipped into some of Carlin's free-spirited scenes of the young artist regaling a 'jumble-bumble' of children with limericks and other flights of fancy while diaphanous owls, scroobious pips, toeless pobbles, and more swirl around and overhead.\"-- \"Booklist\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"An absolute joy of a picture book--celebrating nonsense, play, art, storytelling and the life of the writer and artist Edward Lear... Wolverton Hill tells the story of Lear's life with a playfulness that echoes his subject's own writings. Likewise, the award-winning Laura Carlin's visual storytelling--a seamless mix of full illustrations and sketchy doodles, her art and Lear's--is not only exquisite but as exuberantly clever and goofy as that of the nonsense king himself.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--Jon Scieszka, the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature \"The New York Times\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hill's deep knowledge of and love for Lear transforms what could have been a static portrait into something vibrant and alive. Rather than presenting a distant historical figure, Hill invites us to walk alongside a man whose search for belonging feel startlingly contemporary... Carlin wields color like an emotional vocabulary--browns, blacks, and grays speak to melancholy and exclusion, while vibrant yellows, oranges, reds, and blues pulse with creative energy and connection.\"--Sophie Hoffer \"Warm as Toast\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Magazine \/ The Strategist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e's Best New Books for Kids Published in 2025! \u003c\/b\u003e\"Introduces kids to Lear, a lover of words, natural history, and all things playful and fanciful, and celebrates the story of a lesser-known creator.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--Youngna Park \"The Strategist\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Politics \u0026amp; Prose Children \u0026amp; Teen Favorite of 2025! \u003c\/b\u003e\"An enchanting tribute... Lear's sense of fun and fantasy is conveyed by the text, and Carlin's magical paintings with Lear-inspired pen work. This beautiful book is gentle, playful, and whimsical--everything that embodied Lear himself.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--András Goldinger, Buyer \"Politics \u0026amp; Prose (Washington, DC)\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured in the Politics \u0026amp; Prose Holiday Book Guide!\u003c\/b\u003e \"This enchanting book is the pertect union of subject, writer, and illustrator... Hill tunes in to Lear's sense of fun and fantasy, and to his sympathy with children and animals. Carlin's magical paintings combine powdery pastels, watercolor, and (Lear-inspired) pen work... This beautiful book is gentle, playful, and whimsical- everything that Mr. Lear himself embodied.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--András Goldinger \"Politics \u0026amp; Prose Holiday Book Guide\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fitting portrait of the creator of nonsensical foolishness... Hill's writing complements Carlin's ethereal illustrations, creating a fanciful world full of wonder and nonsensical imagery... A lovingly unique tribute to a master of whimsicality.\"-- \"Kirkus Reviews\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHIGHLY RECOMMENDED! \u003c\/b\u003e\"Surreal and beautiful illustrations help tell the story of Edward Lear. Literature and bird lovers alike will appreciate reading about his busy life.\"--Rebecca Roman, Librarian \"New York Public Library\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Edward Lear is probably most famous for his poem 'The Owl and the Pussy-cat, ' but Wolverton Hill and Laura Carlin give us a more expansive portrait of the artist in this clever and energetic picture book biography... Hill's text sometimes forays into Lear-like nonsense--when it describes an unusually chatty macaw at the zoo, for example--and Carlin's art is a fanciful homage to Lear's own.\"--Caroline Carlson \"Literary Hub\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The playful loquaciousness of the writing, the melding of fact and fiction (while also making it very clear which parts are fantasy) alongside Carlin's gorgeous art... This book is unlike anything that's come before.\"--Betsy Bird \"A Fuse #8 Production (A School Library Journal blog)\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"As Hill's text details Lear's growing artistic success, it emphasizes his chafing against the constraints of English society, his kinship with children, and his imagination. The illustrations begin in a muted palette but brighten as Lear embraces nonsense. For two spreads, the book mimics comic conventions while Lear tells children a story, with interjections from the youngsters filling some of the speech balloons... A book with plenty to pore over as readers get to know a curious character--in every sense.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- \"The Horn Book\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured in \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e's Holiday Gift Guide!\u003c\/b\u003e \"For artistic inspiration that isn't overly instructional, turn to ... my favorite children's book of 2025, \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Who Became a Parrot, \u003c\/i\u003e a stunningly beautiful illustrated biography of the great ornithological artist and bard of the limerick Edward Lear.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--Jessica Winter \"The New Yorker\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eBest Children's Book of 2025! \u003c\/b\u003e\"In this joy of a book, Hill tells the story of Edward Lear's life with a playfulness that echoes his subject's own writings. Carlin's seamless mix of illustrations and sketchy doodles, her art and Lear's, is not only exquisite but as exuberantly clever and goofy as the nonsense king himself.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--Jennifer Krauss, Children's Books Editor \"New York Times\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A rare biography of Edward Lear. \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Who Became a Parrot\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating picture book that not only delves into Lear's life but illustrates how his unique sense of nonsense and love of the unusual can create magic in our lives.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e--Raven Howell \"Story Monsters Ink\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWolverton Hill \u003c\/b\u003eis the nonsense twin of writer Barry Wolverton. He lives in the upper right hemisphere of Barry's brain, on a small island in the middle of the woods with two chairs, half a candle, and a jug without a handle. For more foolishness, visit him at www.wolvertonhill.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaura Carlin \u003c\/b\u003eis a graduate of London's Royal College of Art, where she won several awards, including the Sheila Robinson Drawing Prize, the Quentin Blake Award (twice), and the 2004 National Magazine Award. Her illustrations have been featured in \u003ci\u003eVogue, New Scientist\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eObserver, \u003c\/i\u003e the \u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eIndependent, \u003c\/i\u003e the \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker, \u003c\/i\u003eand the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times. \u003c\/i\u003eShe is the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eThe Promise\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKing of the Sky\u003c\/i\u003e, which were both named \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest Illustrated Children's Books of the Year, as well as several other picture books. She lives in London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTarget Age: 6 to 12\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnchanted Lion\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePub Date: July 29, 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISBN: 9781592704132\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.6\" H x 12.1\" L x 9.1\" W\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e84 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehardcover\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ingram","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45545140781242,"sku":"9781592704132","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0444\/2213\/5968\/files\/71ryHomMURL._SL1288.jpg?v=1769620856","url":"https:\/\/naturenurture.shop\/products\/the-boy-who-became-a-parrot-a-foolish-biography-of-edward-lear-who-invented-nonsense-by-wolverton-hill","provider":"nature+nurture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}