The Owl and the Pussycat

        The Owl and the Pussy Cat by Edward Lear

 Illustrator: Jan Brett

Publication: Putnam Juvenile

Date of Publication: August 4, 1997

ISBN #: 9780399219252

Pages: 18

Theme: Juvenile Poetry, Animals

Format: Print, Picture Book, Poetry

Age: 1-3

After a long sea voyage, a hopelessly romantic owl and his pussy cat are finally able to buy a ring and celebrate and enjoy their wedding.

The Owl and the Pussy Cat is a classic when it comes to Children’s Literature. Written by Edward Lear, this nonsense poem tells a whimsical story about an owl and a cat as lovers. There are many fantastic retellings and editions of this story but the Jan Brett illustrated version is one of the better versions in my opinion. Jan Brett is a personal favorite having grown up reading many of her works, this particular edition has become an instant favorite with children due to her visually rich illustrations.

Most of the story takes place out at sea, and is told in nonsense verse but with mix of poetry and the vibrant colors and illustrations, this retelling of the story has become one of the better known versions of this story. A classic for decades, The Owl and the Pussycat tells an enchanting story of star crossed lovers in the shape of an Owl and a Cat. An odd pairing but an instant success with children, this story ends arriving to an island where Owl, Cat and friends celebrate the marriage between the lovers.

Edward Lear was known for his wit and telling fantastical stories about animals and imaginary creatures replacing human characters. With a love for poetry and making up silly poems, Lear became a favorite and master at telling silly little stories featuring very interesting characters and creating collections of poems/stories that would become favorites for years to come. What he did with this story was create easy rhyming verses that were both lyrical and easy to understand for children. This would be a great story to include in a story time that focuses on poetry, love, or animals. It can be used in an array of different themed story times.

Poetry is an easy way to win the hearts of children, when rhyming and nonsense comes into play, this grabs the attention and hooks kids into reading and listening to poems. Perhaps, the main reason why I love this story so much is because of the memories I have of the illustrations. If I had to guess, Jan Brett has to be the reigning queen of children illustrators. Her imagery and detail in this edition is fantastic and lovely all at the same time.

(images via google)