The Owl and the Pussycat

by Edward Lear, Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Overview

Owl sets out to woo Pussycat in a boat laden with fruit and with a guitar at his side, ready for serenading. Pussycat sits looking elegant and demure, waiting to be courted. But as they sail off across the sea, another love story unfolds in the clear water beneath the boat. "Brett sets Lear's beloved poem of courtly nonsense in a lush, brilliantly lit Caribbean landscape".--Booklist, starred review. Full color.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698113671
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/07/1996
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.38(h) x 0.15(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an author and illustrator who popularized limericks and is perhaps best known for his poem "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Anne Mortimer is the author and illustrator of Bunny's Easter Egg and Pumpkin Cat. She has illustrated many other children's books, including Santa's Snow Cat by Sue Stainton, A Pussycat's Christmas by Margaret Wise Brown, and The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. She lives in southwest England.

What People are Saying About This

Roger Ebert

“Anne Mortimer’s illustrations are a magical companion to Lear’s immortal whimsy.”

From the Publisher

"Galdone uses his imagination to extend Lear's ideas, creating a memorable version suitable for the youngest." Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Lear's pea-green boat sails again, this time with the inimitable James Marshall at the helm. Envisioned as the S.S. Dorabella, this cruise ship will escort the Owl and his fianc‚e, the profoundly clothes-conscious Pussycat, from Pier 23, laden with suitcases marked for ports of call around the world. On calm seas, tuxedoed Owl serenades the flapper-inspired Pussycat seated in her deck chair; in rougher waters, Owl braves the weather to photograph his windblown beloved. Owl and Pussycat join the legion of goofy original Marshall creations: in their grass skirts and leis, the exaggerated portly twosome (he with his signature wide-owl eyes; she with coy looks and rouge-dotted cheeks) highstep it by the light of the moon. At his wacky best, watercolorist Marshall limns a huge priestly turkey, all seriousness with his pince-nez glasses and preposterous wattle; outfitted with a regal purple headdress and matching scarf, the extravagant turkey marries the dapper couple. Lear's famous poem, here calligraphed in white and black crayon, receives an irreverent, gently playful rendition. In a deeply personal afterword, dear friend Maurice Sendak pays homage to Marshall, who shared with him the "sketches" that became Marshall's final largess to his devoted following. Sendak is exactly right when he pronounces that, with this last book, Marshall's "charming slap-happiness [is] now wed to an odd poignancy that conjure[s] a sweet new essence."

Horn Book Magazine

A new entry in the Visions in Poetry series offers readers a sophisticated reimagining of Lear's classic children's poem without losing any of its traditional whimsy in the doing, thanks to playful line-and-watercolor illustrations. This edition sets up the well-known romance with several wordless spreads that reveal Owl's privileged origins in a mansion overlooking the canals of an Old World city, his glimpsing the Bohemian Pussycat literally on the other side of the tracks at a subway stop and, most affectingly, their tete-a-tete at an outdoor cafe in the rain before they begin their famous voyage. Citing Fellini, Mir- and The Yellow Submarine as influences, Jorisch sprinkles startling images throughout, from the carnival masks worn as the lovers sail away, to the cross-dressing Piggy-wig who donates his ring, to the mermaid and other fantastical creatures who attend the wedding celebrations. Like others in this series, this volume offers older readers a new chance to revisit hoary classics and to indulge in the imaginative product of a unique artistic vision. The illustrations' worldliness does nothing to blunt the poem's good humor-just presents new possibilities. Delicious. (Picture book/poetry. 10+)

Kirkus Reviews

Anne Mortimer’s illustrations are a magical companion to Lear’s immortal whimsy.” — Roger Ebert

“This delightfully charming creation does, indeed, ‘dance by the light of the moon.’” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Lear’s poem is beautifully illustrated…A charming presentation.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Anne Mortimer’s illustrations are a magical companion to Lear’s immortal whimsy.

Roger Ebert