The Mousehole Cat [Paperback]

Antonia Barber (Author), Nicola Bayley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

An old fisherman named Tom and his cat, Mowzer, live in the little fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall, England. Life in Mousehole is comfortable until one terrible winter when the Great Storm-Cat comes clawing and snarling so fiercely that no boat can go out to fish. Tom and Mowzer set out to face the storm and save their village in this powerful and moving story. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PW praised equally the "exemplary prose" and the "glowing paintings" in this "captivating" story about a wise old cat and her "pet," a fisherman. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

In lilting and alliterative language, Barber tells the story of Mowzer the cat who saves a Cornish fishing village from starvation at Christmas. The Great Storm-Cat rages outside the snug little harbor and no boats can leave, so Mowzer agrees to accompany her own pet, the human fisherman old Tom, on a fishing venture "for he was only a man. . . and men were like mice in the paws of the Great Storm-Cat." The story is cleverly told from the cat's point of view, with the oceanic Storm-Cat personified both in the text and in the blue-green swirls of Bayley's luminous paintings, which capture nuance, detail, motion, and emotion with energy and rhythm. Narrow bars decorated with sea motifs neatly frame the text in this elegant offering.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689808372
• ISBN-13: 978-0689808371
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,995,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that transcends age, June 15, 1999

By 

Susan Byers (Willits, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mousehole Cat (Paperback)

This is one of those books that I can never read out loud to my children without weeping. There is something so touching about the devotion of Mowser, the cat, to Tom (her human); of Tom to the hungry children of his village; of his village to the old fisherman who risks his life to try to save them from starving. The depth of the pathos is probably most apparent to the adults reading this book; my kids always know I am going to cry, but I don't think they quite understand the sweetness of my tears. They appreciate the excitement of the story, and Mowser's pluck and skill. Bayley's illustrations are stunningly detailed and really elevate the story like a vividly remembered dream. This is a perfect book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most perfect children's books I know, June 1, 2000

By 

Mike Christie (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mousehole Cat (Paperback)

This is an extraordinary book. Antonia Barber has produced a superb story, based on the legend of the Cornish village of Mousehole. Tom is an old fisherman who lives with Mowzer, his cat, who is also aging gracefully. Their lives--organized around fish, firesides, milk, and scratching of ears--fill the first few pages, and then the Great Storm-Cat arrives, howling around the harbor and bottling up the fishing fleet. Food in the village starts to run low. Finally, the day before Christmas, Tom and Mowzer go out to fish together in the teeth of the storm, so that the children of the village should not be hungry on Christmas Day.

The text is powerful--remarkably so for a children's book. But Nicola Bayley's paintings are, if possible, even more astonishing. There is a gorgeous picture of the Great Storm-Cat and Mowzer at sea; fine, characterful pictures of Tom, Mowzer and the village of Mousehole; and among other treasures, one picture that always moves me to tears. Another reviewer said the book made them weep: I know the page they were talking about. It's where Tom and Mowzer sail back to the village, to discover that the villagers have realized they are gone, and are waiting for them.

Enough. It's a beautiful picture. Buy the book, even if you don't have kids, though you'll get far more pleasure from reading this to a child. The language is a little complex for a child under five, but you can simplify as you read. And you'll read it again and again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, stirring, my kids loved it!, April 23, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mousehole Cat (Paperback)

When my children were young, this was one of the bedtime stories they loved best. It's particularly good for cat lovers! The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story moves through suspense to a beautiful resolution -- a feast at the end of a storm-tossed fishing trip.