this picture book is so nostalgic! the illustrations are gorgeous, and the story stuck with me all this time

Reviewing for CLAU long list.
Honestly, I've heard this poem or pieces of it quite often in my life. And I never really got it. I suppose I knew it was nonsense, but I never tied it together with nonsense like Lewis Carroll poetry nonsense. So Julia Donaldson's foreword at the beginning was exactly what i needed to read to finally get this poem. And she was right--the illustrator did a fantastic job in bringing about a light, happy, sweet poem to life. This may be a great way to introduce a classic to children and help them get over the playground-laughing of one word that has unfortunately changed over time.

n  And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.n

The "nonsense" part must be largely related to the fact that the entire story is about a marriage taking place.
A decent poem, but I prefer this one (even though I would read "The guy with" to kids), so the rating is mostly based on Brett's magnificent illustrations.


Feb 16, 19
* Maybe later on my blog.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Chandra!!! :D

The illustrations really won me over! The book is a 'retelling' of the classic song. The lyrics haven't changed, but the illustrations tell a wonderful dual story!
Look closely, and you can see how the characters mimic each other visually! Fantastic!

Also, sheet music and lyrics for the song are included.

Definitely stellar for what it's meant to be!! :D

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are,
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
-Edward Lear

"Our mother was a Pussycat,
Our father was the Owl,
So we are partly little beasts
And partly little fowl . . . ."
-Edward Lear

The wording might be a bit dated but we must take into account that the lyrics were written in the 1800's. This classic is well worth reading.

The poem is fun and light hearted. It has a catchy tune that makes it almost song like – this makes it a fun poem for children to read. The poem tells a simple story of two imaginary animals on a small adventure at sea. The images that go with it are simple yet add to the story by giving the characters a face.
It is good poem to read aloud to a class as it is fun, light hearted and has a strong rhythm – the children could add to it by using percussion instruments to turn it into a song.

The illustrations with this version are lovely and really add the light-hearted nature of the poem

I had never read this book before we read it to my son. It is an odd book.

Owls and pussycats together, in love and taking to water in a boat. Then there is this stanza:
"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

And then,
"They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows..."

where one expects they may meet Cheech and Chong, but no,
"...there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose..."
whatever a Piggy-wig is.

Edward Lear makes Lewis Carroll look straight edge. I'm not sure this should be read to 16 month olds.

This is fun poetry. The poems have a great rhythm that engage the reader and listeners as if in a dance. This poetry takes everyone back to the skipping ages of a preteen.

This version offered in the Visions in Poetry edition beautifully illustrates and captures the essence of Edward Lear's nonsensical and whimsical relationship of the owl wooing the pussycat and their journey of discovery around the world to find the perfect ring.

I'm a senior citizen but I still enjoy nonsense poetry and picture books. The illustrations by Jan Brett are vivid and delightful.

Stephane Jorisch, amazing illustrations.

This ISBN is tied to multiple illustrators, because the books have the same author of the original poem.

21 Dec 2023: Charlotte Voake