Llamas in the Laundry

Have you ever wondered if porcupines are ticklish, if fish wash, or how to say Rhinosterous? Do you know how to make a child-high sandwich? How porridge gets on the ceiling? What happens when your favourite aunt wears a wig? Why uncles wear plaid? William New's rhyming verse enacts all these situations, ranging from the madcap to the mysterious. The poems are complemented by Vivian Bevis's full page, full colour illustrations which capture the high-spirited and impetuous qualities of the verse. A companion volume to their highly successful Vanilla Gorilla of 1998, this sturdy, hardcover picture book will delight both the early reader and the many adults who enjoy introducing children to the sound and rhythm of verse.

William New is one of Canada’s outstanding men of letters. He is University Killam Professor in English Literature at the University of British Columbia and is the author and editor of over thirty volumes in the field of Canadian and postcolonial literature. For many years he was editor of the journal Canadian Literature. He is on the editorial board of the New Canadian Library and the editor of the monumental Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada (U of Toronto Press). He is also a poet and a writer of children’s books.

Vivian Bevis is the illustrator of Vanilla Gorilla(Ronsdale, 1998), Llamas in the Laundry (Ronsdale, 2002) and Dream Helmet (Ronsdale, 2005) . She was chosen by the Canadian Children’s Book Center to tour Ontario during Canadian Children’s Book Week. She lives in Vancouver, BC.