Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-8. Hague offers an assortment of selections from Edward Lear's immortal compendium of nonsense, still as absurd and extravagant as ever. Among the poems are "The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo," "Calico Pie," and "The Duck and the Kangaroo," as well as a generous sampling of limericks. The task of illustrating Lear's poems would be daunting for any artist thanks to Lear's own inimitable sketches, but Hague's quaintly antiquated style fills the bill, and his trademark use of lavishly dark and murky colors, which can easily overwhelm certain subjects, is well matched to the words here. Hague plays off the sensual and grotesque elements of the poetry and uses rich texture and imagination to extend the text's foolishness. This is a worthy collection, as zany today as it was when Victorian critic John Ruskin first included it in his list of the best hundred books ever written. (Reviewed December 1, 1995)1558584676Shelley Townsend-Hudson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 4-The Owl and the Pussycat has been illustrated by artists such as L. Leslie Brooke, Barbara Cooney, Michael Hague, Tomi Ungerer, Jan Brett, and Janet Stevens. None of the previous versions achieves such a perfect match to the lighthearted nonsense as Marshall's captivating, droll artwork. The hand-lettered cursive text adds immensely to the design. The double-page spreads offer watercolor illustrations in an amazing variety of warm and cool colors with a clarity that makes them visible at a distance for group reading; all of the pictures expand the humor of the story. In early 20th-century style, a jowly, self-important owl takes charge of a fussily dressed and suitcase-laden pussycat as they speed away in their chauffeur-driven roadster to a pea-green ocean liner. Dressed to the nines throughout the voyage and even when arriving in "the land where the bong tree grows," they are married by a turkey remarkably outfitted in full ecclesiastical garb. They loosen up a little during their wedding feast and finally succumb to the lunacy of the light of the moon, dancing on the beach in hula skirts to the accompaniment of a three-piece dog and chicken combo floating offshore. This nonsense verse has set the standard for the genre and has delighted generations. Marshall's talent has improved upon perfection. A moving tribute to the artist in an afterword by Maurice Sendak adds poignancy to this important book.-Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) 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+e, 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."" s.p.b. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Surprisingly, there isn't a "beautiful pea-green boat[ful]" of illustrated renditions of Lear's most famous and favorite verse, making Mortimer's version with her signature style of handsome, whisker-realistic cat images a perfect marriage to the tale. Her delicate lines, tactile textures of feathers and fur, engaging composition and fascinating borders infused with flowers, ferns, insects and butterflies breathe life into the rhyme. Two styles of borders play off each other effectively; round insets appear like portholes while rectangular ones nicely frame a scroll-like message with text. Other illustrated depictions are less elegant: Hilary Knight's and Michael Hague's are typically wry and darkly fanciful; Jan Brett also relies on brightly colored borders, but Mortimer's palette is richer, more refined and dreamy in atmosphere. Like the title characters, the art walks "hand in hand" with the 22-line poetic romance as this delightfully charming creation does, indeed, "dance by the light of the moon." (Picture book/poetry. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
