W. Nikola-Lisa

Welcome

Primary Grades

America Land of Opposites

Bein' With You This Way

Can You Top That?

Hallelujah

Night Is Coming

One Hole in the Road

Shake Dem Halloween Bones

Storm

Summer Sun Risin'

Intermediate Grades

Folk Stories

Gaya Lives in Blue House

How We Are Smart

Magic in the Margins

Tangletalk

Year with Grandma Moses

Middle School

Shark Man

Dear Frank

Dragonfly

Young Adults and Beyond

Dog Eared

Men Who Made the Yankees

 



Background and Description

Modeled after British "nonsense verse" (which British fantasy authors are so good at), Tangletalk is just that—couplets that are tangled, twisted, upside down, and just plain mixed up...

At the corner an onion cleared tables.
Two cucumbers scraped the grill.
The sink chased a load of dishes
Out the door and up the hill.

A cabbie cooed and cackled
while three pigeons drove his car.
A fireman watched in wonder
as rats doused a huge cigar.




 



Reviews

Inspired by verses from Peter and Iona Opie's The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, the author describes a day in Old Boston where everything is topsy-turvy....The meticulous watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings are flavored with intricate Victorian details. An enjoyable trip through a very strange day. —Library School Journal

An agreeably nonsensical, prettily illustrated tale in verse....No one and nothing does what is expected in this romp as the hero, attired in tails, vest, and pocketwatch, finds nannies in the birdbath, police officers hiding acorns while squirrels are on parade, and socks simmering in a pot while lunch is hung out to dry. The clear pastel illustrations give the tale a Victorian setting and include a truly improbable number of cats. A pleasant diversion. —Kirkus Reviews





 



The Nuts and Bolts

Title: Tangletalk
Author: W. Nikola-Lisa
Illustrator: Jessica Clerk
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Release Date: May 1997
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Age Level: 6-9
Page Count: 32

To purchase a copy, please click here—
available in the following formats:

ISBN: 0-525-45399-7 (hardcover)




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