The Cat, the Owl and the Fresh Fish

by Nadine Robert, Sang Miao (Illustrator)

Overview

A cunning owl and a distracted cat attempt to outsmart each other in this charming, timeless fable

One day, Grey Cat stumbles upon a surprise in one of his usual fishing spots: a small wooden rowboat containing a bucket of fresh fish sitting idly. Curious and eager to snatch it up, Grey Cat seeks the help of a nearby owl, who is willing to lend a hand if Grey Cat helps him free his claw from under a log. But will Grey Cat choose to help the owl—or is he too eager to reach the rowboat and grab his newfound treasure?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781990252174
Publisher:	Milky Way Picture Books
Publication date:	02/14/2023
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	801,611
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nadine Robert began her career as a video-game designer and director of animated films. As the founder of the publishing house Comme des géants, she has always had a strong passion for illustrated children’s books that have a powerfully built narrative approach combined with strong images. Her most recent book, On the Other Side of the Forest, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus and a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book. She lives in Montréal with her family. Sang Miao is a freelance illustrator who graduated from the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom and has since worked on numerous fiction and children’s book projects. Her most recent picture book, The Immortal Jellyfish, was a finalist for the Children’s Book Council’s Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards. Her work is inspired by nature, different cultures, and daily life. She currently lives in China.

Editorial Reviews

2022-12-14
This owl and pussycat won’t be sailing away together anytime soon, and readers wouldn’t have it any other way.

Anchored in the center of a small pond sits a rowboat with a basket of fish. When hungry Gray Cat comes along, a nearby owl offers to make a deal: If Gray Cat will only remove the log trapping the owl’s claw, the owl will tell the cat who owns the boat and fish. Alas, the covetous kitty has eyes only for the delicious prize, so the owl starts telling tall tales. When the owl says it saw a rock “moving toward the pond as if it had legs,” Gray Cat decides to use a rock as a steppingstone. Next the owl claims to have seen both a bucket and then a crate moving toward the boat, and Gray Cat uses them to get closer. And when the owl mentions a log, the cat unthinkingly frees the bird’s claw…and finally the true owner of the fish is revealed. Gouache, watercolor, and pencil give this tale, translated from French, a classic, almost old-fashioned look in the vein of the early Little Golden Books, albeit with some heady design choices. Meanwhile, the smartly led storytelling eschews moralizing in favor of letting actions speak for themselves. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Aesop himself would be pleased with this original parable of brains outsmarting greed. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews