Product Description

The irresistible blend of romance and nonsense in Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" has made it a classic enjoyed by generations of young listeners. Now celebrated artist Hilary Knight wraps Lear's beloved verse in a richly imagined fantasy where two young listeners find themselves magically transformed and transported to the land where the Bong-tree grows.

Come sail away with them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216068 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Released on: 2001-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this gloriously madcap setting of Lear's classic, the famous nonsense poem of a nautical romance receives star treatment. Knight (Eloise) conceives of Lear's verses as a series of theatrical tableaux, with elaborate sets and exaggerated expressions big enough to be seen from the last row. He casts an eccentric old fellow who looks suspiciously like Lear (who appears as a bust on the title page) as Professor Comfort. The gentleman invites two schoolchildren (the boy bears an odd resemblance to an owl, the girl to a cat) in for tea and a little poetry. As he reads, the children morph magically into the animals in the poem, the walls of the cottage fall away and the pea-green window seat becomes the famous boat, adrift on a briny sea. The Owl and Pussy-cat court, marry and dance in the dazzling landscapes of the Land of Bong before turning back into children and running home for dinner. The illustrations reveal more delights with every inspection: hints of the animals to come can be detected in the children's clothing, earnest flying fish in the Land of Bong call the children's names as their mothers in the real world hunt for them, a replica of the professor's cottage constructed entirely of edibles appears in the Land of Bong. In Knight's hands, Lear's poem assumes a complete and memorable visual life of its own it is a ticket to the best sort of entertainment. All ages.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4-8. When Otto and Polly attend Professor Comfort's Story & Music Hour, they're in for a treat: a reading of Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," and unexpected adventure as they magically transform into the poem's main characters and enter the story. Then the poem ends and so must the dreamy experience. Originally published in 1983, this welcome reissue is a visual feast, both romantic and playful, with a charming animal cast and lavish, fantastical landscapes rendered in lovely pastel hues. Seek-and-find detail abounds, enhanced by larger page size. There are also subtle changes in font and artwork, including different cover art. For the musically inclined, there's a new score by Douglas Colby included on a foldout flyleaf. An affectionate homage, this illuminates the poem's timeless ability to transport readers and listeners to a wonderful fantasyland. An introduction and brief biographies of Lear and Colby are included. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Like Edward Lear, Hilary Knight is both an artist and an animal lover, and he fills each of the dazzling watercolors in this tribute to Lear with references to the great Victorian nonsense poet's life and works. With more than sixty books to his credit, Mr. Knight is probably best known for his illustrations in the phenomenally successful Eloise books and Where's Wallace?, which he wrote himself. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Amazing artwork!
I am not a huge fan of old "nursery rhyme" type poetry, but this book caught my eye and my 3 yr old boys and I love it! The illustrations are simply amazing as each page unfolds from 2 children visiting an eccentric, storytelling neighbor to the children becoming the owl and pussycat. My boys immediately noticed the firepole in the man's house among other curiosities. As the children enjoy a snack and the man reads the poem, the floor turns to water and the window seat to a pea green boat. The bespeckled little boy becomes an owl and girl becomes a cat. The poem is read a second time with them as the main characters and the illustrations cleary 'telling' the story. Just as fluidly, the children return to human form and their mothers call them for dinner as the poem winds down. This book would certainly be a wonderful addition to a classic nursery rhymes collection.

Another Great Entry in the Knight Revival
If you're a fan of Hilary Knight's artwork (and if you're not, you ought to be), you will definitely want this book. Those who are only familiar with Knight's wonderful pen and ink drawings for Eloise and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle will be amazed at the beauty of his full color illustrations. This book is good enough for either your child's/nephew's/niece's bookshelf, or (in my case) your own. The illustrations of a young boy and girl slowly becoming part of the tale are beautifully rendered. I am glad to see so many Knight books on the market again, and hope that i will get to see some more.

So lovely, so irreverent...
This is a wonderful rendition of Lear's poem. Knight's artwork is absolutely splendid, with glorious detail that will delight children and adults over and over again. I've been reading this book for ten years to my children, and I still linger over the drawings.

A must have.