Jennifer Adams (1)

This book claims to be "by Jennifer Adams", who's gone so far as to copyright the text.

For reference, I've included the full text of Lewis Carroll's public-domain Jabberwocky, and bolded the text of Adams' book.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in show more hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

The only other words that appear in this book are text bubbles saying "Mm" "Ooo" "Me" "Raa" and "Ths!" on the page about the mome raths.

I understand that it's possible to copyright text from the public domain, as long as you do something original with it. But... really?

I don't even think this is a good abridgement, cutting up verses to lose the rhyming scheme or throw off the flow. And while the Jabberwocky may be nonsense, it still has a plot, which is entirely lost here.

But mostly I'm bothered by the claim that Adams wrote this. Apparently "by" doesn't mean what I thought it did. show less

While I continue to profess my complete admiration for the BabyLit series, this one is my least favorite of the four I have read. Which is odd, because I love the novel that inspired the board book. Wuthering Heights is an intense, dark, atmospheric, and powerfully constructed novel. I was curious about how they would adapt it for toddlers, because this is one story that is definitely not child-friendly.

The board book is appropriate, however. The authors chose to focus on weather, which is show more a great decision because the original story is very linked with weather and atmosphere. Each two-page spread has a weather word on the first page and a quote from the book on the facing page. The accompanying illustrations show scenes from the book that match the weather. Also, as in previous installments in this series, the book is full of little details that conjure up the original. For instance, the date and initials on the door (I had to look up the book on Wikipedia to remember why these were important, and I've read the novel three times), Catherine riding to the Linton's in a carriage marked with an L, and so on. Children won't know what these touches refer to, but it won't detract from their enjoyment, either, because they are so organically incorporated into the illustrations.

The weather progresses from breezy and sunny to ever darker and more ominous weather, ending with a still black night. Considering the plot of Wuthering Heights, this is phenomenal. However, I love this book partly because the ending offers a ray of light in the hope of redemption, which washes away some of the bitterness of the story. Also, although Heathcliffe and Catherine are clearly in love, this is not a love story, and their love is not healthy. It bothers me when other sources emphasize their romantic love as the key to the story, as this ending does. These are admittedly personal inclinations, but they influence my rating, and are the reason this book doesn't compare as well for me. Even with these drawbacks, I still consider it a great board book. Don't overlook this series, it is wonderful. show less

I have read all of Jane Austen works, many biographies, nonfiction, and oodles of sequels — but an Austen-inspired children’s board book? Whoa! Curious? I was. Don’t ya just love the creativity that our Jane inspires?

When I first heard about Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen (BabyLit) by Jennifer Adams, the same author who wrote the lovely Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen, I was quite intrigued. Would this be a retelling of one of my favorite classic novels for show more very young readers? How would it translate into a children’s counting primer? And, how the heck would I review a children’s book – total virgin territory for me.

Once I had a copy of the book in hand, many of my concerns were immediately dispelled. It was indeed a board book, a small compact cardboard version of a book — easy for a child to hold, unrippable and chewable. (Yes. As a bookseller, I have seen many a toddler stick a board book in their mouth and gnaw on it like a teething ring.) At 22 pages, it was both compact and lightweight, but what will ultimately appeal to parent and child is the total Pride and Prejudice theme that author Jennifer Adams and illustrator Alison Oliver have embraced. From the bright and cheery front cover displaying an image of (one assumes) a wide eyed, and very young Miss Austen, to the 20 clever and striking illustrations inside, I was awed by the choice of characters, Regency clothing and objects used and the ease of the text.

As we progress through the book, each of the pages also moves through the opening chapters of Pride and Prejudice, ending at 10,000 pounds a year. Jennifer Adams has selected key points and characters admirably. Parents, grandparents and anyone who is an Austen fan will recognize their favorite characters and scenes, and children will be enchanted by the illustrations and the counting theme. Of course this board book format could not be a full retelling of the entire narrative, but it gives the very young reader an introduction to characters, images, and a bit of the story that they can remember when they watch the movie adaptation and later move into the full novel.

Charming, whimsical and historical accurate, Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen, offers the very young reader an early introduction to Jane Austen – planting seeds for her total world take-over!

Laurel Ann, Austenprose show less

Oh fun! A new Babylit book with a topic that hasn't been covered before. This one teaches sounds, and is based on the classic whodunit Hounds of the Baskervilles. As I have come to expect from the Babylit series, the illustrations are cute and quirky, match the style of the source material, and perfectly convey the theme of the book. The text is minimal in this board book. Each two page spread focuses on a sound, presented in different fonts that capture the meaning of the word, and pairs show more the sound with a noun. For example, the reader learns that a fire crackles and wheels clatter. The words are superimposed on the pictures, which are in dark blues and browns or vivid reds splashed against black, colors that are evocative of mystery stories. Towards the end of the book, we see Holmes and Watson cozily conversing in front of a fire. The book feels different in subject and pictures from earlier classic adaptations in the series, and it is based on one my favorite fictional detectives. Another winner for our early reader library. Oh, let's be honest - even if I didn't have children, I would still be buying these books. They are that cute and clever. show less