Customer Reviews

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, by Chris Riddell of Edge Chronicles fame, is the kind of book you might imagine if Roald Dahl and Brian Selznick had teamed up on a graphic novel. Ottoline is a young girl whose parents travel the world and leave her home in the family townhouse in the care of a friendly, hairy creature-person named Mr. Monroe.

I loved the characters in this book. Ottoline's a little like Pippi Longstocking -- brave and funny and always up for an adventure. And Mr. Monroe.... well, he was so cute I want to adopt him and keep him as a lap dog. Ottoline and Mr. Monroe team up to solve the mystery of a string of neighborhood burglaries -- a plot that is brought to life by the abundant and amazing illustrations.

Chris Riddell has humour and style. My son read this book in one evening, he is waiting for the next one, "Ottoline goes to school". I liked Riddell's work in 'Edge Chronicles', "Far Flung Adventures" and "Muddle Earth" (with Paul Stewart). "Ottoline" is for younger kids (7-8 years); both girls and boys will enjoy it.

"Ottoline and the Yellow Cat" by Chris Riddell is an extremely entertaining book that reads more like a comic book than a novel due to the authors wonderful illustrations. My 5-year-old son love reading this and laughed at the crazy antics of the characters. This book is pretty short, but there is no lack of material, again due to the wonderful illustrations by Mr Riddell.

When I looked up the reviews for my daughter's favorite book, I was surprised to see only a handful of reviews posted for this imaginative and delightful book. Unlike other reviewers, I don't see the comparisons with Pippi Longstocking or Eloise at all, with the exception that all of these girls have parents who are away from home or absent in their lives. Ottoline is, in fact, quite a refreshing heroine after the recent wave of brash and so-called "spunky" protagonists of girls' books. While Pippi Longstocking and Eloise are applauded for their attention-grabbing naughtiness and bravado (which I didn't care for), Ottoline is a more reserved and thoughtful heroine who likes jumping in rain puddles and maintaining her odd collections when she's not jotting down new ideas in her notebook. Ottoline carries out her adventure with the help of her friends and a "clever plan" in a mystery that is a little complex for those younger than 5, but perfect for the 5-10 age group. Even those too young to understand the mystery will still be eager to see the illustrations.

As to the reviewer who was unhappy about the reference to gas in the book, a dog is briefly mentioned for having "terrible gas" in his sleep. These are the exact words used by the author, so you can decide for yourself if this is too crude for your children, but it was rather well-received by our young audience. The story is humorous and fun to read (over and over as my daughter will attest) and the illustrations are perfection! Please don't overlook this book based on lack of reviews here or the shortage of marketing here in the states...we are buying a second copy because ours is getting so worn from re-reading and lending to friends!

I read Ottoline and the Yellow Cat because I like comic books (although this is more of an illustrated story book). The book dragged a little for me as an adult, but I can see how some of the quirks I ignored would really appeal to children. The book has a lot of cross references. For example, when one of the characters wears a disguise to infiltrate the cat burglar's hideout, note in the margin indicate where each piece of clothing in the disguise has appeared before (and, if you look up the references, one of these notes tells you who the person in disguise is). This means reading a little deeper gives a payoff, and also allows someone to read the book multiple times in different ways.

The story follows Ottoline, a little girl who lives alone with Mr. Munroe, a small hairball-looking person from Norway. Ottoline's parents are professors who travel out of the country. They send Ottoline postcards which always seem to refer to something which happened in Ottoline's life just before the post card arrived. Meanwhile, Ottoline lives alone in a huge apartment with her parent's exotic and visually interesting collections of lampshades, eastern clothing, four-spigot teapots, emperor's hats, etc. This means she is always wearing a fancy quirky dressing gown and always walking past something interesting. It makes for neato visual, and is one of the reasons I kept reading.

Ottoline lives in a small city which has recently been plagued by a plague of lost dogs and a series of cat burglaries. Ottoline, Mr. Munroe, and an out-of-town friend seek to solve the mystery behind the burglaries. This involves disguises, quirkiness, and happy endings.

Overall, this is a quirky read for young children. The illustrations have many details and different parts of the story tie-in together, so that this is a story which could be reread. If you are looking for a solid illustrated story for an elementary school aged child, then this is a good option.

This book is one of a kind. Our whole family loves this book - each of us finding some new detail with each read. I have given this as a birthday or holiday gift to 20+ 4 - 8 year olds and have create a whole Ottoline cult :)

To my mind, Chris Riddell is the most talented children's book illustrator today, bar none. He is the current generation's John R. O'Neill -- just as O'Neill brought the fabulous Oz books (all but the first) to life with his lively, engaging and beautiful characterizations, Riddell draws his readers into every story with fantastic, profuse illustration.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is a fun, light-hearted story about a little girl who is brave, responsible, and full of clever plans. Little girls (and boys) everywhere will enjoy this delicious bridge between picture books and chapter books. Parents will enjoy reading this book with their children, too.

Highly, highly recommended!!

What a treat! As a parent of a 5 year old boy and 6 year old girl, I'm always on the look out for "wide appeal" bedtime stories with that element of mystery, which they love...without being scary. And this one was absolutely fun fun fun to read aloud, and to hear them sharing in the reading. Both kids kept begging for "just one more chapter" and they actually hopped into their beds a little faster at night, knowing Ottoline and Mr. Monroe would be waiting for them. My kids are starting to keep their own notebooks now and were enthralled with Ottoline's maps. The smallest of details, like which shoes Ottoline chose each day, were of great interest to them. My son said, "I wish I had a Mr. Monroe." Well done, Mr. Riddell. I see the third book will be available in Britain soon. Wish it was here already. Keep 'em coming. My kids have finally found a fantastic motivator to keep reading.

This is simply one of the finest recent children's books out there: the illustrations are wonderfully thoughtful and clever as is the story. Bravo!

A bit like Pippi Longstocking, Ottoline Brown is left alone while her parents are off on their own adventures. Actually she is not alone but tended to by Mr. Munroe, a mysterious creature rescued from a Norwegian bog. Her apartment on the 24th floor of the P.W. Huffledinck Tower (also known as the Pepperpot Building) is cared for by a team of housekeepers, leaving young Ottoline free to pursue her interests: splashing in puddles and working out tricky problems. When Mr. Munroe brings to her attention a lost dog flyer, Ottoline gets busy with a clever plan to solve this particularly tricky problem that has the police stumped.

Ottoline Brown is the charming heroine of Chris Riddell's strange and lovely book, OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT. The story is a simple mystery, neatly and smartly solved by Ottoline and Mr. Munroe. Someone has been stealing the lap dogs of the society women of the neighborhood, or so it seems. But Ottoline and her hairy, silent companion uncover a canine crime ring led by a sneaky yellow cat. Mr. Munroe must go undercover to break up the ring and return the dogs back to their worried owners.

The mystery is nicely interrupted here and there, bringing readers details about the collections of Professor Brown (emperors' hats, meteorites and "mysterious objects of various kinds") and Ottoline (odd shoes and postcards from her parents --- the postcards are on these pages as well), the housecleaning and cooking teams, and a bear living in the building's basement. All of this contributes to a wonderful and fantastic tale.

But for kids and grown-ups alike, the real wonder of this book may well be its illustrations. Riddell's line drawings, in black and white with interspersed red, are whimsical and full of amazing, surprising details. From the floor plan of Ottoline's apartment to the alley behind her building, from her eccentric outfits to the cartoonish dog owners, his illustrations are fun and accomplished and the best thing about OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT.

Although the book is recommended for readers 8 to 12 years old, children much younger and even older will enjoy it a great deal. It will also appeal to adults, who will surely appreciate the creative Ottoline, not to mention the imagination of her creator. OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT is entertaining to read, beautiful to look at, and a funky bridge from picture books to chapter books.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman