Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story [Hardcover]

Sam Lloyd (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2006 | Age Level: 4 and up

Mr. Pusskins doesn't want to play mouse games.

He thinks snuggling is for the birds.

Having his fur combed?

Listening to cozy bedtime stories?

Boring!

Mr. Pusskins goes in search of adventure.

But along the way he finds out how much love is waiting for him at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Phooey on unconditional love. That's the sentiment of the eponymous sourpuss, who can't stand the doting of his owner, a blissfully happy girl named Emily. "The girl's constant babbling, 'Blah-de-blah, blah, blah,' bored his whiskers off. He wanted more than this dull life." But when Mr. Pusskins finally seizes the opportunity to run away, he soon realizes that life on the streets is not what he bargained for. Dirty, cold and alone, he thinks, "Emily had given him everything a cat could ever dream of... but he had never been nice to her." In the book's funniest scene, Mr. Pusskins literally phones home, meows pitifully into the receiver, and is quickly reunited with his adoring human: "Now both Emily and Mr. Pusskins realize how lucky they are to have each other." Although the writing can be overly literal, Lloyd's astutely cartooned pictures more than make up for what her prose lacks in punch. Mr. Pusskins starts out as a fat, angry-looking oval of orange fur, with a tail that literally bristles with resentment, disgust and naughtiness; during his dark night of the soul, the tail shrivels up and falls behind him like a piece of furry seaweed. By book's end, the harsh black brushstrokes that detailed his coat have softened considerably, and his eyes are as wide and adoring as Emily's. Clearly, it's the beginning of a revitalized relationship. Ages 4-6. (Dec.)
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From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1—Mr. Pusskins is a cantankerous cat who doesn't appreciate his young owner. When Emily lovingly coos, "what a handsome boy you are!" all he hears is "Blah-de-blah, blah, blah." Feeling smothered and yearning for some "naughty fun," he runs away. He wreaks havoc in neighborhood gardens, rummages through garbage cans, and hangs out with the notorious "Pesky Cat Gang." However, he soon tires of his new life. He regrets his ill treatment of Emily, and when they are finally reunited, he changes his ungrateful ways. Humorous illustrations capture this fluffy, ginger-colored sourpuss in all of his grouchy glory, and his big, round eyes convey a range of expressions, from haughtiness to remorse. This sassy love story will be a storytime hit.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416925171
• ISBN-13: 978-1416925170
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

'Mr Pusskins', Sam's first hilarious book for Orchard, won the Booktrust Early Years Award for Best Pre-School Book, was a New York Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the V&A Illustration Award and Sheffield Book Prize. She also created the brilliant Whoops-a-Daisy World series of books for Orchard, which started with 'Doctor Miaow's Big Emergency'. Sam has written and illustrated a number of novelty books including the Richard and Judy prize-winning 'Calm Down, Boris' for Templar. In 2008 Sam was Highly Commended in the Big Picture Campaign's Best New Illustrator Awards. Sam lives in Brighton.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read-aloud, December 27, 2006

By 

H. Johnson "hilary" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story (Hardcover)

Despite the fact that one of my two kids can read by herself, they still love to listen to bedtime stories. Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story makes for an excellent read-aloud. The pictures are large and comical, and the story itself offers many opportunities for fun voices. It teaches a subtle lesson about appreciating what we have, but it's never preachy and always fun.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, absolutely wonderful., May 5, 2007

By 

J. kingman (new england) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story (Hardcover)

You can't help but fall in love with Mr. Pusskins. It's a lesson in love, and delivered with such humour as we watch him barely tolerating all the love and affection gleefully bestowed upon him by his owner Emily, who is a little girl. Mr. P is rather curmudgeonly and he sets out on his own. After initially enjoying his freedom, he finds that he didn't appreciate Emily, that life isn't very pleasant without her, and how lucky he had been to have her. Did Emily miss him? Would he find her? Would she take him back??? The suspenseful ending made me laugh and cry at the same time. (There are mountains in England and Emily knows how to drive a car.)

The drawings are wonderful. Mr. Pusskins' expression, as you can tell by the cover, is perfectly drawn.

As they said on NPR, it's a classic "cat loses girl, cat gets girl" story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Little Readers, November 21, 2009

By 

Talvi - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story (Hardcover)

Our family absolutely loves this book. It has all the fun elements that make it easy to read but also a joy to act out and emote. It has definitely been our favorite of all the children's books we have read. I can't recommend it enough for story time and bedtime reading. No heavy lectures, no overbearing storylines, just a fun little tale of a mean little kitty who learns to appreciate what he has.