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)


From Publishers Weekly
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 appearsAwith the look of one long accustomed to such scenariosAin 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. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3 Cauley's pastels are a loving tribute to the 19th-Century humorist and complement the poem with a lyrical quality of their own. The illustrations are full-color, double-page, and since only a line (or less) of the verse is highlighted on each page, the artist has ample room to convey her unique version of the images called to mind by Lear's lilting verse. This she does to wonderful effect. Each page is a delight of detail and care. The "pea-green" of the boat is exactly that; the illustration of the proposal by pussycat to owl is especially alluringthe two stand hand in hand under a star-filled, moonlit sky, witnessed by a pair of jumping silver fish and gray-white gulls; the piggy, purveyor of the ring, is wonderfully drawn, as are all the animals. Each page is so carefully planned that readers are forced to pause to slowly examine the background details. This nonsense verse can certainly stand on its own, but Lear's audience will greatly increase among both children and appreciative adults with this spectacular rendition. There are other good versions still in printBarbara Cooney's (Atlantic, 1969; o.p.), Janet Steven's (Holiday, 1983) and Hilary Knight's (Macmillan, 1983). The first two books lack the warm humor and exquisite detail of Cauley's version. Knight's book, however, is a delight, and libraries should own both versions. Neither will disappoint. Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School Media Center, Severna Park, Md.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
PreS-Gr.1. As a picture-book text, Lear's poem "The Owl and the Pussycat" works remarkably well, as many illustrators (and by extension, librarians and teachers) have discovered though a dozen or more editions. Wilson's artwork looks a bit quirkier and more modern than most, with a jaunty mix of colors and patterns pulled together in sweeping compositions on broad double-page spreads. Combining paper collage with painting and printing, the art creates a feeling of dreamlike spontaneity. The overall effect is fantastic, but then so is this charming nonsense poem to children hearing it for the first time. Libraries seeking new editions should consider this nontraditional interpretation. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
?Suitable for very young children whose eyes will respond to the striking design.?
?Booklist

ANNOTATION

After a courtship voyage of a year and a day, Owl and Pussy finally buy a ring from Piggy and are blissfully married.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Lear's nonsense classic about the unlikely romance between a pussycat and an owl.

FROM THE CRITICS

Horn Book Magazine

Lear's pea-green boat sails again, this time with the inimitable James Marshall at the helm. Envisioned as the S.S. Dorabella, this cruise ship will escort the Owl and his fianc￯﾿ﾽe, the profoundly clothes-conscious Pussycat, from Pier 23, laden with suitcases marked for ports of call around the world. On calm seas, tuxedoed Owl serenades the flapper-inspired Pussycat seated in her deck chair; in rougher waters, Owl braves the weather to photograph his windblown beloved. Owl and Pussycat join the legion of goofy original Marshall creations: in their grass skirts and leis, the exaggerated portly twosome (he with his signature wide-owl eyes; she with coy looks and rouge-dotted cheeks) highstep it by the light of the moon. At his wacky best, watercolorist Marshall limns a huge priestly turkey, all seriousness with his pince-nez glasses and preposterous wattle; outfitted with a regal purple headdress and matching scarf, the extravagant turkey marries the dapper couple. Lear's famous poem, here calligraphed in white and black crayon, receives an irreverent, gently playful rendition. In a deeply personal afterword, dear friend Maurice Sendak pays homage to Marshall, who shared with him the "sketches" that became Marshall's final largess to his devoted following. Sendak is exactly right when he pronounces that, with this last book, Marshall's "charming slap-happiness [is] now wed to an odd poignancy that conjure[s] a sweet new essence."

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. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

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. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

"Galdone uses his imagination to extend Lear's ideas, creating a memorable version suitable for the youngest."

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr