The Adventures of the Owl & the Pussycat by Coral Rumble

Illustrated by: Charlotte Cooke

Series: N/A (Based on the original poem by Edward Lear)

Published: Parragon Books, October 2013

Edition: Paperback

Length: 24 pages

Genre: Children’s Fiction, Poetry, Children’s Poetry, Picture Book

Where Did I Get It? Kindly received for review as part of the Parragon BookBuddies scheme

Summary (from back cover of book): Join two curious children on a quirky adventure, based on the classic Edward Lear poem, The Owl and the Pussycat.

Opening Line(s):

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea

In a box on the living room floor,

They sailed away for a year and a day

And these are the things that they saw…

~

My Review: I love the original Owl and the Pussycat poem and although this book doesn’t have the same lyrical charm, the fantastic illustrations still make it a delight to share with my children.

A cute story of two children who have clearly fallen in love with the magic of the Owl and the Pussycat’s adventures and make themselves a boat (and owl and pussycat costumes) to sail away and have their own adventures.

From pirates fighting swordfish to naughty seagulls and crabs there is such a multitude of things going on that sometimes it can take forever to read the story because there is just so much to talk about and look at.

The illustrations are utterly gorgeous, textured and fun with just enough detail to immerse the reader without swamping them. Tori and Arthur love spotting the octopus (or opplusses as Arthur calls it) and the sharks and laugh when the cheeky seagull pinches the Owl’s glasses.

I love the little details, such as how their boat is called Petit Pois in homage to the beautiful pea-green boat in the original poem. All in all a sweet rhyming picture book that appeals to both of my children despite their gap in ages (T is 4, A is 2.5).

My Rating: 4/5*