The Owl and the Pussycat (Jan Brett)

I was initially drawn to Jan Brett’s artwork for it’s Ukrainian and Eastern European flavour, but I love the fact that she explores other cultures for different books. Poems like Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat” do not focus on specific tropes or use culture-specific language, so they are the perfect literary medium to pair with an experimental style, which Brett does in this instance by choosing to place the Owl and the Pussycat in a decidedly South American setting. Even though Brett moves away from her signature detailed-border style with this book I still found that the artwork tells of the couple’s journey across the ocean very effectively. She uses the frame of the ocean to give montages of sea-life and really pushes show more the boundaries of composition to give Lear’s simplistic poem more depth, picturing the Owl catching dinner in the ocean and the Pussycat’s insistent attitude that they marry. The story may not have the unique draw of Brett’s Ukrainian folktales, but it is a charming addition to her oeuvre none-the-less! show less

I've read several illustrated versions of the Owl and the Pussycat, and hands-down, this one has the MOST GORGEOUS illustrations I've ever seen! My only complaint about this book is that it wasn't bigger, because the illustrations really do merit closer study (the dimensions of this book are relatively small, the pages are not paper, but cardboard, so this is a book designed to stand up to wear and tear from smaller kids, and these kinds of books usually tend to be smaller length and width-wise for easier handling by smaller hands)

There is not one single page that does not have beautiful illustrations. The feathers on the owl are individually-drawn, and the cat looks too adorable in her dress. The poem itself might be silly, but the show more illustrations really do bring the words to life. show less

Picture Book
This is an illustrated edition of Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat poem, in which the owl and cat fall in love and sail away into the sunset in search of happiness. I love Edward Lear's rhymes and nonsense stories, and the illustrations really fit well with the story and gave it new depth.
The theme or concept is love and simplicity. This is a great read-aloud for classrooms. The rhymes are easy and fun to say and the story is fast paced and engaging.

A beautifully illustrated book to go with the interesting silly poem of Edward Lear.

The poem is short, simple to read and simple to follow for any child. It can be considered a starter poem for children while it isn't that silly to turn away adults.

The main focus of this book is the illustrations done by fellow artist Jan Brett who is well known for her homey touches and beautiful details. The same details are brought to life in this book while removing from the snowy stretches to the sunny Caribbean touch.

What helps the pictures besides the bright colors, the beautiful details and the fascinating yet superb expressions of Ms. Pussy is the other story. For those that don't pay attention they may not catch it but this is two romances show more in one with the little yellow fish in the ocean seeking for the fish that is above him the whole time. And the beautiful ending will have the romantic sighing even as they close the book. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the bright and vivid illustrations enhance the story. The illustrations are extremely detailed and helps the audience follow along the pussycat and owl's romantic journey. Because the written text in the book does not go into much detail about the setting or the physical appearance of the characters, the illustrations help to enhance the story by providing a vivid drawing of these things. Each illustration has an extremely detailed backdrop, and has an obvious facial expression on each of the characters so the audience can follow along with the emotions in the story. I also liked this book because the language, while minimal, was descriptive with its few words. For example, the author writes, show more "The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat" (p.1). This descriptive language helps the audience envision the boat that the couple is taking out to sea. Because the book has few words, the author makes powerful decisions and uses descriptive language to help strengthen his book. The language is descriptive and works with the illustrations to create a story that is easy to visualize and follow along with. Overall, the big idea of this book is that true love will go to any lengths and will always be there for you. show less

I am rating "The Owl and the Pussycat" on the nursery fantasia of the original poem and not the fact that the board book I read to my son cuts off at the end of the first verse, confusing him greatly since we read him the full one a lot from the big nursery rhyme book.

I'm not sure I've ever seen an illustration of "The Owl and the Pussycat" that was awful -- they all tend toward the beautiful. The Jan Brett illustrations do not fail.