More Beasts cover

More Beasts

Rating 3.8
Word count
7.1K words
Chapters
1

Tags

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.More Beasts (For Worse Children) by Hilaire BellocAuthor: Belloc, Hilaire, 1870-1953,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Nov 6, 2008

Editor's review

Hilaire Belloc's More Beasts is a humorous verse work for children, its subtitle "For Worse Children" signaling a continuation of the method of describing animals with exaggeration and creating absurd comedy. Belloc was himself an English writer and illustrator, and such works often use short verse lines and a witty tone, ostensibly about animals while actually teasing children's behavior and adult regimentation. This public-domain eBook is released by Project Gutenberg; it is short and suited to light browsing. When reading, note its rhythm and ironic humor, and it can also serve as introductory material for understanding the tradition of English children's humorous literature. Because the original is English verse, understanding the jokes requires some language foundation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who enjoy English humorous verse
  • Readers interested in children's literature and illustration traditions
  • Readers wanting light, short public-domain books
  • People interested in irony in English literature

Not a good fit for

  • Child readers needing a Chinese translation
  • Readers expecting serious animal science
  • English beginners unused to reading verse

Reading tips

  1. Read aloud to catch the rhythm and humorous tone of the verse.
  2. No need to finish in one sitting; it suits light browsing in sections.
  3. Note the exaggeration and irony, and consider whom the teasing targets.
  4. Read alongside other children's verse for comparison.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1

FAQ

Is this book for children?
It is nominally for children but has clear irony and adult humor, so it actually suits readers who can appreciate English verse humor; young children may need guidance.
Does the book teach real animal facts?
No. It uses animals as material for exaggerated, humorous verse, focusing on jokes and irony rather than providing real zoological knowledge.
Is it long, and when is it suitable to read?
It is short, suited to light browsing in spare moments, and also useful as material for practicing English verse reading aloud.
What English level is needed?
Middle-level English reading ability is advisable. The rhyme and irony in the verse require some language feel, and English beginners will find the jokes hard to understand.

Comments

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About the author

Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) was an English writer whose prolific output spanned poetry, history, and travel writing. The library holds 26 of his works, covering a wide range of subjects: travel essays such as The Path to Rome, which records the sights and reflections of a walking pilgrimage; humorous verse for children, including Cautionary Tales for Children, The Bad Child's Book of Beasts, and A Moral Alphabet, known for their playful language and sharp satire; and historical studies of battles such as Crécy, Poitiers, Malplaquet, and Tourcoing, which emphasize narrative and detail. His style is distinctive, often blending humor, epigram, and personal judgment. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted, yet these works already show his ease across genres and the enduring appeal of his writing.

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