Whiskers and Rhymes
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Cover Story
The poem on our front cover is taken from Figgie Hobbin by Charles Causley, with illustrations by Gerald Rose, re-issued by Macmillan (0 333 12078 7, £7.50) in May 1990. Figgie Hobbin was first published in 1970 and has remained in print ever since. We are grateful to Macmillan for help in using this illustration.
Whiskers and Rhymes
Feline characters grace the pages of Arnold Lobel's picture book of some 35 nonsense rhymes which are very much in the nursery rhyme tradition. There are verses featuring the likes of tongue twisting 'Friendly Frederick Fuddlestone Could fiddle on his funny bone.' and 'Polly in the parlour' to get the tongue round, but my favourite is the old woman of long ago: 'She sewed the wind against the clouds To stop the trees from bending. She stitched the sun to the highest hill To hold the day from ending.' Rooted in fairytale and nursery rhyme lore, Lobel's illustrations speak as loudly as the words and draw the reader or listener into the mood and metre of the rhymes.