Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycat
Author: Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussycat of Lear's ballad are truly made for each other, as depicted by James Marshall in these poignant, slaphappy illustrations. Only Marshall could have shown us the Owl serenading the pampered Pussycat on the deck of the S.S. Dorabella, or the Pussycat posing for travel photographs, or the happy couple's goofy wedding ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780062050106
ISBN-10: 0062050109
Publication Date: 11/30/1998
Pages: 32
Edition: [1st ed.]
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Rating:
  ?

0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

annalovesbooks avatar reviewed The Owl and the Pussycat on
Helpful Score: 1
ISBN 0399231935 - A quick glance through the pages of the board book edition from G. P. Putnam's Sons didn't give me high hopes for this book, but I have - once again - been surprised by what can work in a board book!

The owl and the pussycat hop in a boat and head out to sea, where Owl proposes in song. They buy a ring from a pig and are married by a turkey... and that, you have to know, hardly tells the tale at all.

In few, very well-chosen, words, Lear's story can hardly be done justice in a simple recap. Jan Brett's illustrations are just slightly less difficult to put into words - the detail initially seemed to me to be a negative: young children tend to like simpler, less busy, illustrations. I think this is one time they will happily learn to love the busy-ness. The remarkable detail of everything, from Owl's feathers to the individual fronds on the palm trees, adds gorgeous depth to the book.

In addition, a second love story - told only in pictures - takes place, courtesy of Brett. Pussycat carries a yellow fish (we're going to call that one a girl) in a bowl onto the boat and the fish is seen on every page. Underwater, another yellow fish is seen "talking" to other underwater animals and each one he talks to joins him as he follows his trapped-in-a-bowl love, until Owl and Pussycat unknowingly have an underwater parade following them. Is everyone eventually with the one they love? Of course they are! Very well-worth picking up for your short person!!

- AnnaLovesBooks
Read All 5 Book Reviews of "The Owl and the Pussycat"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

Victorian1887 avatar reviewed The Owl and the Pussycat on
A favorite poem from my childhood, I now read this to my young foster siblings. I pointed out to them that Jan Brett almost always has a second storyline in the pictures she paints, and they love following the story of the yellow fish while listening to the poem.
SusanofGreenGables avatar reviewed The Owl and the Pussycat on + 618 more book reviews
This is a beautifully illustrated book by Jan Brett.
reviewed The Owl and the Pussycat on
Cute book
leenaanneli avatar reviewed The Owl and the Pussycat on + 6 more book reviews
The poem, of course, is a classic. While these illustrations are colorful and whimsical, I prefer a slightly more realistic style and Jan Brett's illustration of this poem remains my favorite.


Genres: