The Owl and the Pussycat [Paperback]

Edward Lear (Author), Jan Brett (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Paperstar

Owl sets out to woo Pussycat in a boat laden with fruit and with a guitar at his side, ready for serenading. Pussycat sits looking elegant and demure, waiting to be courted. But as they sail off across the sea, another love story unfolds in the clear water beneath the boat. "Brett sets Lear's beloved poem of courtly nonsense in a lush, brilliantly lit Caribbean landscape."--Booklist, starred review. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Edward Lear's nonsense poem about two unlikely sweethearts--an elegant owl and a beautiful cat--has found a perfect match in artist Jan Brett. She traveled to the Caribbean (the land where the Bong-tree grows, perhaps?) to research her illustrations as well as the settings, costume details, plants, and fish native to the area. Readers can follow an illustrated subplot of two yellow fish who also fall in love under the pea-green boat. A charming treatment of a classic children's poem. (Ages 3 to 7) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Following her recent paeans to winter ( The Mitten ; The Wild Christmas Reindeer ), Brett irradiates her interpretation of the classic Lear nonsense verse with hues of tropical intensity. As the Owl and the Pussycat, both attired in madras plaids, set out from a Caribbean locale on their romantic voyage, Brett launches a series of lush seascapes, the colors for which might well have been inspired by exotic jungle birds. The artist's celebrated borders are almost fully integrated into the illustrations--there are no vertical borders, and each spread is divided into horizontal zones. The thin uppermost layer evokes Caribbean basketry or similar elements that impart an architectural weight, as if the story were being viewed from a window; the bottom zone reveals the action below sea-level, where a golden fish, emulating the Owl, wordlessly seeks its true love. Brett's customary attention to detail results in an extravagantly gorgeous book. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698113675
• ISBN-13: 978-0698113671
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Marriage & Divorce
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Divorce
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Humorous

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hand in hand, on the edge of the sand...., January 23, 2000

By 

P. D. "Paula" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Owl and the Pussycat (Hardcover)

Spectacularly beautiful illustrations make this book a joy. The familiar poem has a gently rocking rhythm, and the pictures have a flow of their own. My 18-month-old daughter likes to find the flower, the yellow fish, the cat and the owl on each page. The quiet familiarity of the poem calms her down during the nighttime crazies (that spurt of energy toddlers get just before they collapse into a puddle). I recommend this book for a soothing, visually delightful experience.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jan Brett's Illustrations Make this Edition, August 22, 2004

By 

D. Nugent "WestSideNYMom" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Owl and the Pussycat (Board book)

I have to speak out in favor of Jan Brett's illustrations, in light of the reviewer below who criticizes them. This book is one of my all-time favorites because of the illustrations. They are what makes the story. I don't like Brett's other illustrated books (The Mitten, and one other that escapes me) but not because of the illustrations, it's because of the stories. Brett's illustration of this time-honored nonsense poem invokes the 19th century on an unnamed carribean island. Each page is rich with color and contains such exquisite detail that with each reading you notice something new. (There is even a "sub-plot" which I will leave it to you to discover ...it took me months to notice it.) My daughter has been mesmerized by the drawings since we started reading it when she was 7 months old. I heartily recommend this version.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best, March 28, 2000

By 

A. Creech (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Owl and the Pussycat (Hardcover)

I have always loved this rhyme, and when I found a version illustrated by Jan Brett, I knew that for me this would be the definitive version. Jan Brett's illustrations bring the Caribbean Islands to life right in front of your eyes. The cat with her headscarf, the beautiful tropical fish in the borders, the lush vegetation, this is so richly illustrated that you can look at the pages over and over again. And if you tire of the Owl and the Pussycat, there's always the story told in the borders to provide a change.