Amazon.com Review
Oh, what's a poor miller's son to do? Bequeathed nothing but a cat when his father dies, Jacques is baffled. "'The cat?' said Jacques. 'Father's left me the cat?' He was a fine cat, but not much use when it came to earning a living." Of course, this is before Jacques realizes that what he has is a "most enterprising" cat that will bring him fame, fortune, and a princess.
Philip Pullman, Carnegie Medal-winning author of many remarkable children's books, including I Was a Rat!, Count Karlstein, and the His Dark Materials trilogy, turns his pen to a fairy tale retelling with great comic success. Puss has a dry, sneaky wit, which balances nicely with Jacques's trusting nature and the Ogre's mean-spirited, spoiled-kid manner. Ian Beck's big, funny, crosshatch ink and watercolor illustrations tell their own story, with wry asides from the characters in cartoon bubbles over their heads. This is a laugh-out-loud classic that loses absolutely nothing--perhaps even gains a little--in the retelling. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter
From Publishers Weekly
ullman sets a pleasingly flip tone from the start as he retells the tale with gusto. After the miller's death, his property is divided among his three sons; "As for the youngest son, Jacques, all he got was `The cat?' said Jacques. `Father's left me the cat?' " How Puss takes charge ("I've got the wit, if you'll supply the courage," he tells his new master) and helps secure Jacques's future by passing him off as the Marquis of Carabas, makes for a rollicking read. The two encounter a cast of colorful characters, including their landlord, Monsieur Ogre; solve a trio of mysteries; and save the King of France's daughter from the ogre's clutches (she, of course, marries Jacques). Pullman packs his irreverent prose with sly asides ("O mighty and fragrant Ogre," gushes Puss) and lively asides ("In his foul and filthy castle, the ogre was getting peckish"). Beck's crosshatch pen-and-watercolor illustrations, primarily framed as panel vignettes with speech and thought bubbles, keep things percolating visually. He gussies up Puss in an outfit that would do D'Artagnan proud and adds numerous droll touches, including a quartet of hilarious portraits of the Ogre's prospective brides. A fun frolic. Ages 5-8.
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