THE CAMEL’S LAMENT
by Charles Edward Carryl & illustrated by Charles Santore
Santore illuminates this late-19th-century nonsense rhyme to pay a droll, if not luminous, tribute to the humble camel. Verse and illustrations compare the poor camel’s practical palate, habitat, utility, and physique with that of other creatures. Poodles may lunch on chicken and cream, but camels get grass. Pigs may live in pens, but camels get sand. No one rides a rabbit, but everyone loads the camel’s back. Weasels are sleek, but camels are all lumps, bumps, and humps. However sad the camel’s lament, Santore’s realistic, brilliantly detailed and textured signature drawings provide this whining forgotten beast of burden with unforgettable humor and dignity. Take a good look into the eyes of this camel. (Picture book. 3-6)