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The Owl and the Pussycat

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Edward Lear's classic poem has delighted listeners of all ages for generations.

While at sea in a pea-green boat the Owl and Pussy-cat decide to get married.
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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 2, 1998
      If there is a slightly sketchy, unfinished quality to Marshall's exuberant watercolors in this enchanting interpretation of the classic poem, it's because the gifted artist never lived to complete them. In true Marshall fashion, the artist lifts Lear's quirky duo to new heights, retaining the characters' eccentricities while endowing their relationship with human dynamics. In a preview to the book's title page, dapper Owl appears--with the look of one long accustomed to such scenarios--in jacket, tie, vest and spats showing a still-primping Pussycat his pocketwatch. He then dons a bowler and Pussycat sports a wide-brimmed chapeau as the two, chauffeured by a diminutive dog, depart in a roadster pulling a wagon stacked with no fewer than 19 valises and hat boxes. Marshall's inventive take on the "beautiful pea-green boat" is the S.S. Dorabella, an appropriately hued cruise ship that puts the QE II to shame. Despite the other implied guests aboard, Marshall retains an intimate focus on the romantic couple. A tux-clad Owl serenades his "lovely Pussy" on deck as his beloved reclines in a lounge chair, and they come ashore alone together in "the land where the bong tree grows." Marshall's supporting cast is as nattily and humorously turned out as these principals (e.g., the portly Piggywig, who supplies the wedding ring, is resplendent in grass skirt and a colorful lei). Maurice Sendak, as friend and colleague, pays eloquent tribute to Marshall's talent in an afterword. It would be difficult for readers to imagine a better couple to set sail with than Marshall's Owl and Pussycat. All ages.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 1, 1986
      In her version of Lear's classic poem, accomplished artist Rutherford uses bold, Matisse-like blocks of color to create a sensuous, almost abstract interpretation. It's a very personal vision and a valid approach, but this may not be the version of the poem that is most likely to attract young readers. For one thing, these moody illustrations undermine the poem's humorlines like "They took some honey, and plenty of money/ Wrapped up in a five pound note'' are wasted. Children coming across the poem for the first time may be put off by the picturesit is often difficult to make out exactly what is going on. Nevertheless, the paintings have artistic merit in their own right; this could prove a popular gift book.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 10, 2003
      The blissful pairing of the owl and the pussycat isn't the only marriage made in heaven here—Wilson's (The Beautiful World that God Made) punchy collage art proves an exuberant partner to Lear's classic nonsense verse. Combining patterned papers printed with rich inks, the artist concocts a beguilingly off-kilter setting that, like the text, up-ends convention. The starring characters have a surface simplicity, but in fact each is highly stylized. Bronze and copper circles and curves adorn the paper from which Pussy is cut, while Owl is more complicated: gold squiggles thinly drawn on orange suggest the feathers for his head and wings, an orange oval printed with an open-weave-type design creates the texture on his breast and his face is a streamlined assemblage of simple solid shapes. However elaborate the components, the illustrations are remarkably harmonious, unified by subtly geometric motifs. When, for instance, the loving couple sails away, "for a year and a day," Wilson shows the two in their peapod-like craft ascending a circular horizon; the half-oval of sea they cross to reach "the land where the Bong-tree grows" is echoed in the ovoid shapes of those trees, each of which boasts detailed, bright designs. Elsewhere, curved lines of type reinforce the structure of the composition. Witty, fresh and rhythmic, Wilson's illustrations mirror Lear's whimsy and capture his musicality. Ages 3-7.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 16, 2012
      Timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Lear’s birth, this collection gathers several of Lear’s poems, including “The Jumblies,” “The Duck and the Kangaroo,” and “Calico Pie.” Ingpen contributes lush paintings throughout—broccoli-haired Jumblies float in a sieve in the pale sea, and a nude old man runs for cover after animals devour his pork chop trousers and pancake coat in “The New Vestments.” By the time readers reach the final poem, they’ll be in agreement with its sentiment:
      “ ‘How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!’/ Who has written such volumes of stuff!/ Some think him ill-tempered and queer,/ But a few think him pleasant enough.” Ages 7–9.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:2.5
  • Lexile® Measure:420
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:1-2

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