Owl and the Pussy Cat, The [Hardcover]

E. Lear (Author), M. Hague (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Lear's nonsense classic about the unlikely romance between a pussycat and an owl. "Galdone uses his imagination to extend Lear's ideas, creating a memorable version suitable for the youngest." -- Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hague gives free rein to dark whimsy in this eclectic sampling of Lear's verse, which includes such favorites as the title poem as well as "The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo," "The Cummerbund" and a host of limericks. Lear's menagerie of odd creatures and peculiar persons (e.g., the "Young Lady whose eyes/ Were unique as to color and size") provide rich material for Hague to work with, and he exploits it with robust comic grotesqueries. Saturated earth tones mix with fiery flashes of red and orange in a combination that's instantly identifiable as pure Hague, as is the profusion of detail. Ending, tongue firmly in cheek, with the limerick "There Was an Old Man of the Hague," the artist includes what just might be a sly self-portrait. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-With this collection of 24 limericks and poems, Hague joins scores of other illustrators who have interpreted the poet's comic vision. Unfortunately, his busy and carefully autographed paintings, whose dark tones and stylized people and landscapes echo the styles of illustrators like N. C. Wyeth and Arthur Rackham, seem too ponderous for Lear's dancing rhymes. The illustration for "There Was a Young Lady whose Eyes" is more grotesque than funny; the image of a young boy wrapped in a turban that accompanies "The Cummerbund" evokes racial stereotypes. These poems and limericks cry for the light touch of someone like Fred Marcellino (The Pelican Chorus and Other Nonsense [HarperCollins, 1995]).?Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, C.
-).?Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: North-South (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558584676
• ISBN-13: 978-1558584679
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,827,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lear is so cool!, January 21, 2002

By 

Juniper (Gulf Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Owl and the Pussy Cat, The (Hardcover)

I owned a lovely illustrated Little Golden Book version of The Owl and the Pussycat as a toddler. My mother read it to me countless times. After it had been put away in a safe place for 7 years, it somehow came up in a conversation between my mother and me, and we found we could still recite the whole thing. It's a great, highly rhythmic poem that MUST be read aloud.
Now that I own an anthology of Edward Lear's work, my siblings and I have discovered the joy of Lear. We particularly enjoy the Jumblies ("their heads are green and their hands are blue and they went to see in a sieve"). Lear's work must be read aloud, with an audience, to be fully appreciated.
However, note that, while Lear has some really delightful poems, much of his work for children consists of limericks, many of which are not particularly clever. After pages and pages of "there once was a somebody from somewhere who did something odd, that silly old somebody from somewhere", it gets a little old. However, they are silly, and younger children might enjoy them more than my brothers and sisters and I (age range 12 to 18) did.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for children, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Owl and the Pussy Cat, The (Hardcover)

Wonderful beginning book for children to spark an interest in poetry. I actually had this poem (the owl and the pussycat) read at my wedding... everyone enjoyed it.