Edward Lear – Biography

Edward Lear lived from 1812 to 1888, in the Victorian period. He was good at all sorts of things. He illustrated books about birds and animals with beautiful drawings, and painted colourful pictures of all the places he travelled to in the world. He played the guitar and the flute and wrote lots of songs. He was also a well-known writer of stories and poems. He is most famous nowadays for writing ‘nonsense verse’ – quirky poems full of funny ideas and words that have a strong rhythm and lots of rhyming. Lear also liked writing a special kind of funny poem called a ‘limerick’.

Edward Lear - Five Facts

Because Edward Lear had so many brothers and sisters (twenty of them altogether!), he

was mainly looked-after by his big sister, Ann. His tired Mum

was too busy with all the other children!

Poor Edward was not a very healthy person. He suffered from a disease called epilepsy and he did not have very good eyesight. That is why most photographs or

drawings of Lear show him wearing little round

glasses.

Edward Lear was only 19 years old when he wrote his first book. Funnily enough, for

someone who became famous for nonsense verse and limericks, it was a

serious book about parrots.

When you mention limericks, everyone

thinks of Edward Lear. In fact, Lear did not invent limericks and he never even called his poems limericks,

preferring to say they were ‘nonsense

poems’.

Edward loved travelling. During his life he visited

Italy, Greece, Egypt, Switzerland and Malta. He did all his travelling before cars, aeroplanes

or coaches had been invented, so it took Lear weeks and weeks to get to these countries from

England.

The Owl and the Pussy-cat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to seaIn a beautiful pea-green boat,They took some honey and plenty of money,Wrapped up in a five-pound note.The Owl looked up to the stars above,And sang to a small guitar,“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy my love,What a beautiful Pussy you are,You are,You are!What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!How charmingly sweet you sing!O let us be married! Too long we have tarried:But what shall we do for a ring?”They sailed away, for a year and a day,To the land where the Bong-Tree growsAnd there in a wood a Piggy-wig stoodWith a ring at the end of his nose,His nose,His nose,With a ring at the end of his nose.

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shillingYour ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”So they took it away, and were married next dayBy the Turkey who lives on the hill.They dined on mince, and slices of quince,Which they ate with a runcible spoon;And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,They danced by the light of the moon,The moon,The moon,They danced by the light of the moon.

Edward Lear

Biography checklist

Used an interesting opening statement to hook the reader

Written in the past tense Written in the 3rd person (he/she/it/they) Written about the key events in the person’s life Summarised their personality Started sentences with adverbials – explaining

how/where/when something happened. (After some time, without warning, unfortunately, slowly, during, immediately)

Mentioned how he/she will be remembered

Example of a Biography

Mae Jemison: Space Star

Have you ever dreamed of flying freely through outer space, surrounded by a sea of stars? Mae Jemison fulfilled that dream. On September 12, 1992, aboard the spaceship Endeavour, she became the first African-American woman to blast into outer space. This wasn’t the only time, however, that Jemison had reached for the stars and realised her dreams.

Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, but she grew up in Chicago, Illinois. There weren’t many well-known African-American female role models while she was growing up, but she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals.

She was especially interested in anthropology (the study of mankind), archaeology (history) and astronomy (space). Luckily, her parents encouraged those interests. That encouragement drove her to success. She graduated from high school at only 16! Then she earned degrees in chemical engineering and African-American studies at Stanford University. Later, she graduated from Cornell University’s medical school. No challenge was too great for Jemison to take on.

Jemison’s accomplishments did not end there. In 1981, she joined NASA’s space program in Houston, Texas. A few years later in 1988, Jemison realised her biggest dream: She finally became an astronaut! Just four years later, she was named ‘Science Mission Specialist’ (another NASA first) on an Endeavour flight. Neil Armstrong quoted “I am so proud of Mae. She well and truly deserves this magnificent achievement for all her hard work in science.”

Today, Jamison encourages young people—especially women and girls—to study science. Her life example teaches us to follow our dreams, no matter how great they might seem.

Events

Cut out and sort or use numbers to show the order of events in the poem.

The Pig agrees to sell his nose ring for a shilling so that the Owl and the Pussycat can use it to get married.

The Owl and the Pussycat take some honey and some money and set off to sea in a pea-green boat.

They sail on and arrive in the land of the Bong-Tree, where they meet a Pig who has a ring on the end of his nose.

The Owl and the Pussycat are married by the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They decide to get married but realise that they do not actually have a wedding ring.

The Owl sings and plays his guitar and tells the Cat how very beautiful she is.

The pair finish their lovely evening by dancing together on the seashore by the light of the moon.

The two animals have a wedding feast at which they eat mince and slices of quince. They use a runcible spoon to eat their quince slices.

Vocabulary

Use a book dictionary or https://kids.wordsmyth.net/

elegant

fowl

tarried (or tarry)

shilling

quince

runcible

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy Cat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sleepBy the light of the moon so pale.

Their beautiful ring was tied with string In a bow round the Pussy-cat’s tail.

They dreamed of mice and raspberry iceWhile slumbering cheek to cheek.

But down flew a crow who unravelled the bow And flew off with the ring in his beak!

By Julia Donaldson and Charlotte Voake

Predictions

What will the owl and pussycat do?

Will they find the ring? How?

What will happen at the end?

Pictures Pictures Pictures

First Verse

On the top of the Crumpetty Tree The Quangle Wangle sat,But his face you could not see, On account of his Beaver Hat.For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,With ribbons and bibbons on every sideAnd bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,So that nobody ever could see the face Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.

From The Quangle Wangle’s Hat by Edward Lear

The Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear

IOn the top of the Crumpetty Tree The Quangle Wangle sat,But his face you could not see, On account of his Beaver Hat.For his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,With ribbons and bibbons on every sideAnd bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,So that nobody ever could see the face Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.

IIThe Quangle Wangle said To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, —"Jam; and jelly; and bread; Are the best of food for me!But the longer I live on this Crumpetty TreeThe plainer than ever it seems to meThat very few people come this wayAnd that life on the whole is far from gay!" Said the Quangle Wangle Quee.

IIIBut there came to the Crumpetty Tree, Mr. and Mrs. Canary;And they said, — "Did ever you see Any spot so charmingly airy?May we build a nest on your lovely Hat?Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that!O please let us come and build a nestOf whatever material suits you best, Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!"

IVAnd besides, to the Crumpetty Tree Came the Stork, the Duck, and the Owl;The Snail, and the Bumble-Bee, The Frog, and the Fimble Fowl;(The Fimble Fowl, with a corkscrew leg;)And all of them said, — "We humbly beg,We may build our homes on your lovely Hat, —Mr. Quangle Wangle, grant us that! Mr. Quangle Wangle Quee!"

VAnd the Golden Grouse came there, And the Pobble who has no toes, —And the small Olympian bear, — And the Dong with a luminous nose.And the Blue Baboon, who played the Flute, —And the Orient Calf from the Land of Tute, —And the Attery Squash, and the Bisky Bat, —All came and built on the lovely Hat Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.

VIAnd the Quangle Wangle said To himself on the Crumpetty Tree, —"When all these creatures move What a wonderful noise there'll be!"And at night by the light of the Mulberry moonThey danced to the Flute of the Blue Baboon,On the broad green leaves of the Crumpetty Tree,And all were as happy as happy could be, With the Quangle Wangle Quee.

By Edward Lear

Poetry QuestionsWhat do you like about the poem? Is there anything you dislike? What does it remind you of? What mood would you say this poem has?

What patterns can you find? Is there a regular rhyme? Can you find any examples of alliteration? What repetition is there? What purpose does it serve?

What interesting words or phrases can you find? What do they mean? Are there any vivid descriptions?