| Title | : | The Dong with a Luminous Nose |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0915361469 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780915361465 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 44 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1968 |
As it turns out, the Jumblies made at least one stop during their long journey, and there, on the Hills of the Chankly Bore, a passionate relationship was born--between a Jumbly girl and the Dong. The end of the story is sad but sweet, and it stars a nose that can light up a forest, light up the sky! The Dong is some kind of hero, certainly, and he can't help but win our hearts with that protuberant proboscis of his.
The Dong with a Luminous Nose and The Jumblies (also published by Pomegranate Communications) present two of the most finely rendered suites of drawings ever created by Edward Gorey. With Edward Lear's irresistible verses, the books are timeless classics to be enjoyed through generations, by children of all ages, four to eighty-four.
Text by Edward Lear; illustrated by Edward Gorey. 48 pages with 22 black-and-white illustrations. Smyth-sewn casebound book with jacket. Size: 8.5 x 6 inches.
The Dong with a Luminous Nose Reviews
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You must have a child's heart of silliness for maximum enjoyment. The poem lies under the category "nonsense," and the nonsense would make a child laugh. A man meets a girl with blue hands and green hair, a "Jumbly" girl. She goes away on a ship and with a broken heart the dong puts on a strap-on red nose, a long one, and hangs a lamp at the end in hopes of a search and find.
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And since that day he wanders still
By lake and forest, marsh and hill,
Singing—'O somewhere, in valley or plain
'Might I find my Jumbly Girl again!
'For ever I'll seek by lake and shore
'Till I find my Jumbly Girl once more!'
The sadness of the story is heavier than the nonsense of the rhymes.
As ever, beautiful artwork by Gorey.
Feb 16, 19 -
Oh Gorey, Gorey - where would we be without you? Your love of words, your sense of humanity's ridiculousness? You mock everything with exactitude and art. You make us laugh at ourselves. And you are a dang-fine poet - you and Lear both.
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Poor Dong - forever searching for his Jumbly girl. 😢 😢 😢 😢
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Okay, but something about this writing makes me wary. Can't really picture reading this to a kid in this day and age ('dong' is far too antiquated a slang term with too much loaded meaning now.)
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"Then, through the vast and gloomy dark,
There moves what seems a fiery spark,
A lonely spark with silvery rays
Piercing the coal0black night,-
A meteor strange and bright:-
Hither and thither the vision stays,
A single lurid light." -
When awful darkness and silence reign
Over the great Gromboolian plain,
Through the long, long wintry nights;–
When the angry breakers roar
As they beat on the rocky shore;–
When Storm-clouds brood on the towering heights
Of the Hills of the Chankly Bore:–
This is a beautifully illustrated version of the classic nonsense poem by
Edward Lear, who also wrote
The Owl and the Pussycat. The illustrations are typical
Edward Gorey pen and ink grayscale and they bring the love story between between a Jumbly girl and the Dong to life.
However, reader beware, this love story doesn't necessarily come with a happy ending! -
This is a weird, sad poem about a man/creature/Dong who lost a love. Jumblies arrived where the Dong lived, and he fell in love with a girl, but she left, so he was left trying to find her. That is where the sense of it is, as the rest is basically nonsense. The artwork is fantastic, the rhymes are fun, but I don't think I can really appreciate its value until I read it to my daughter one day. As it stands now, it's a silly nonsense poem that was only somewhat cute and interesting.
And just to say, I am not against nonsense. I loved the nonsense of the Alice in Wonderland books, I love the nonsense of Dr. Seuss, and I love nonsense in lots of other things I have come across. This just didn't really tickle me. -
This story of love and loss is wonderful. Right when I started reading it I kept thinking of Edward Gorey. I continuously kept looking between the story and the cover to make sure I wasn't mistaken in the author. Finally I saw that it was illustrated by Gorey! If you are a fan of Gorey's work you will enjoy this book by Lear.
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A really great set of poems for children to read. I particularly love this book as although each poem in itself is individual, they all interrelate in some way either through different landmarks on the mysterious island or through objects such as the Bong-tree. Would definitely recommend, though may not be suitable for very young children as some of the words are fairly tricky.
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He and Rudolf must have been best of friends - eventually
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For school.
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the Gorey illustrations are excellent.
