The Owl and the Pussycat

Susan Rogers was a librarian with the Laurenval School Board (Adult Services), Deux Montagnes, Quebec.

This poem is often found stuck in the middle of an anthology graced, if the reader is lucky, with a single illustration. Ron Berg’s treatment, illustrating the one poem in picture book format, is a delight for younger readers and their parents. The pictures are excellent. They match the text but are interesting and imaginative. Miss Pussy, in a very fashionable pink gown, and Owl, certainly “most elegant” with his bow tie and straw hat, embark on a busy pea-green cruise ship. Added details, such as the pamphlet headed “Pea-Green Tours” tossed on a chair, are found in many of the illustrations. Pussy and Owl sail off in a smaller boat to find the pig with the ring on the end of his nose, a jeweller. They marry, and the banquet scene after the wedding is a treasure of detail. That Mr. Berg did not choose to illustrate the runcible spoon is a disappointment, but the only one in this very enjoyable rendition of this familiar poem.