A Sporty Take on a Classic

published by amazon.com

Jabberwocky

Poem by Lewis Carroll

Reimagined and illustrated by Christopher Myers

Published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, NY, 2007

Summary: An interpretation of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky taking place on a basketball court.

Strengths: This fabulous interpretation of Jabberwocky has an interesting basis described in a note by the Myers. I think that the font and highlighting of certain words is excellent for this interpretation. The pictures are bright and exciting and bring the story to life in a way in which students can relate.

Concerns: If students are not introduced to this story and the concept of nonsense words, they may be very confused. I was also concerned by one of the illustrations that had a person with multiple arms, which made this realistic interpretation less realistic.

Classroom Use/ Other Comments: The students can read the poem without these illustrations, make their own interpretations, and then read this poem. Students could also read this book first and then look at the poem by itself without pictures to make it more clear. This book is an excellent introduction to nonsense words used in poetry. Children aged 8 and up would enjoy this interpretation and younger children may enjoy being read the book.