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Sir Nobonk and the Terrible, Awful, Dreadful, Naughty, Nasty Dragon
- GenresChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Spike Milligan
234 books273 followersTerence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan, known as Spike, was a comedian, writer and musician. He was of Irish descent, but spent most of his childhood in India and lived most of his later life in England, moving to Australia after retirement. He is famous for his work in The Goon Show, children's poetry and a series of comical autobiographical novels about his experiences serving in the British Army in WWII. Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to depression and frequent breakdowns, but he will be remembered as a comic genius. His tombstone reads 'I told you I was ill' in Gaelic.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2022
Read for school.
Was good fun and the children absolutely loved it... especially Little Willie!
Was good fun and the children absolutely loved it... especially Little Willie!
May 3, 2022
Whilst I've an extensive library of Milligan's books this 1982 children's book is not one that I own. So it was most pleasing to find it available via the Internet Archive, where I was able to read it for the first time. That this was a scanned copy of the book did take away some of the assumed charm of a physical version it still allowed me to engage with Spike's text and the illustrations by Carol Barker. Having now read 'Sir Nobonk...' I can assess it to be an interesting and at times amusing addition to Milligan's corpus, however it is not one of his best.
The issue that I had with the book is that the publishers erred in matching Milligan's whimsical and surrealistic children's tales with ornate, highly stylised art by the illustrator Carol Barker. The concept behind this decision is understandable, in that a dragon story with references to knights and kings in the story might call for illustrations that echo a medieval look. Barker's artwork is fine, however it doesn't match the spirit nor energy of Milligan's prose. Highly detailed and static, the images in 'Sir Nobonk...' are the opposite of the story that is ephemeral, suggestive and silly.
Other children's books by Spike Milligan such as 'Badjelly the Witch' and 'Dip the Puppy' were illustrated by Milligan himself and the combination of his words and drawings were far more appealing in those texts. Milligan's sense of humour, particularly when seen in his children's books, is all about uniting the imagination with the kind of nonsense that will appeal to receptive readers. 'Sir Nobonk...' doesn't quite achieve the same result because Barker's art impedes this unity.
It must also be said that 'Sir Nobonk...' is not quite the best of Spike's children's books because the story is not as funny as his earlier titles. There are some moments where the author is in good form, however the humour reads a little forced at times. It might also be argued that the second half of the book is not as effective as the first half. The conflict with Blackmange and his Witch-Way seems like it was tacked on and is a bit superfluous to the earlier part of the book where Sir Nobonk goes on his quest to capture a dragon.
On the other hand there is a positive message in Milligan's story regarding animal conservation, and how something supposedly evil or scary might be quite amiable after all. This fits in with Milligan's attitude towards the environment and his disavowal of cruelty. I suspect this moral aspect of 'Sir Nobonk...' will appeal to younger readers as well as older ones.
In conclusion 'Sir Nobonk and the Terrible, Awful, Dreadful, Naughty, Nasty Dragon' is not Spike Milligan's best children's book, however it still has significant merits and value for fans of his work. The publishers may have erred in how the book was designed and illustrated however that will not be a major impediment to those who enjoy Spike's sense of humour or his humane sensabilities.
The issue that I had with the book is that the publishers erred in matching Milligan's whimsical and surrealistic children's tales with ornate, highly stylised art by the illustrator Carol Barker. The concept behind this decision is understandable, in that a dragon story with references to knights and kings in the story might call for illustrations that echo a medieval look. Barker's artwork is fine, however it doesn't match the spirit nor energy of Milligan's prose. Highly detailed and static, the images in 'Sir Nobonk...' are the opposite of the story that is ephemeral, suggestive and silly.
Other children's books by Spike Milligan such as 'Badjelly the Witch' and 'Dip the Puppy' were illustrated by Milligan himself and the combination of his words and drawings were far more appealing in those texts. Milligan's sense of humour, particularly when seen in his children's books, is all about uniting the imagination with the kind of nonsense that will appeal to receptive readers. 'Sir Nobonk...' doesn't quite achieve the same result because Barker's art impedes this unity.
It must also be said that 'Sir Nobonk...' is not quite the best of Spike's children's books because the story is not as funny as his earlier titles. There are some moments where the author is in good form, however the humour reads a little forced at times. It might also be argued that the second half of the book is not as effective as the first half. The conflict with Blackmange and his Witch-Way seems like it was tacked on and is a bit superfluous to the earlier part of the book where Sir Nobonk goes on his quest to capture a dragon.
On the other hand there is a positive message in Milligan's story regarding animal conservation, and how something supposedly evil or scary might be quite amiable after all. This fits in with Milligan's attitude towards the environment and his disavowal of cruelty. I suspect this moral aspect of 'Sir Nobonk...' will appeal to younger readers as well as older ones.
In conclusion 'Sir Nobonk and the Terrible, Awful, Dreadful, Naughty, Nasty Dragon' is not Spike Milligan's best children's book, however it still has significant merits and value for fans of his work. The publishers may have erred in how the book was designed and illustrated however that will not be a major impediment to those who enjoy Spike's sense of humour or his humane sensabilities.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews