A Cat For All Seasons

Today was international cat day, and it’s been rather a fun exercise to meander through the many shelves to pull out some of our brilliant picture book odes to the feline. Here's a miaow to our favourite classic cats, with new cats on the block and some marvellously arty cats to follow. We'd love to know your favourites too.

Some of my favourite illustrators of all time seem to harbour a penchant for the fabulous feline. My collection of Nicola Bayley's tales have been a treasured possession since childhood. The Patchwork Cat, by Nicola Bailey and William Mayne is a gloriously illustrated and lyrically written tale of a cat whose beloved blanket is disposed of for a newer version. But she loves her old rag and sets off in pursuit, finding herself lost and consigned to a dump... will she ever see her home again? Bayley also teamed up with Richard Adams (of Watership Down fame) to produce another catty classic - the poetic The Tyger Voyage about two adventurous feline brothers who set off to explore the world. Think Jules Verne for Tigers... Finally she worked with Antonia Barber on the classic Cornish tale of Mousehole fame about Mowzer the cat and her owner Tom who brave the Great Storm Cat to save their village and bring in some fish.

In a similar vein Richard Adams has also written a beautiful volume The Ship's Cat with Alan Aldridge which follows the swashbuckling adventures of another adventurous moggy - a thoroughly English cat, risking perils of the seas for Queen Elizabeth I against the Spanish threat; and Helen Cooper's The House Cat is a sumptuously illustrated and warmtale about a cat who is moved away from the place he really considers his home with owners who do not really appreciate him. We follow his harrowing journey home, all the way back to his little girl from the flat upstairs and the place he really belongs.


Another little beauty is A Dark Dark Tale by Ruth Brown "Once upon a time there was a dark, dark moor. On the moor there was a dark, dark wood. In the wood there was a dark, dark house..." A black cat creeps her way through the night following a trail through a mysterious old house. I used to love the creepiness of her journey, the suspense and the surprising coda.
  
Other treasured classic tales need little introduction , The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter, Judith Kerr's Mog, Dr Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, and various Ladybird classic versions of Puss In Boots and Dick Whittington.

Next, we have an appropriate marriage of two recently published celebrations of Edward Lear's most famous couple The Owl and The Pussy-Cat. Firstly a stunningly illustrated gift version of the original, then a sequel from the wonderful Julia Donaldson, herself a devotee of Lear and his talent for nonsense poetry. Lear originally wrote the illustrated poem for the poorly three year old daughter of a friend, and I've found it is one of the best first poems to introduce to a child. The girls particularly love the poem set to music as part of the fantastic Funkey Rhymes CD. Charlotte Voake's illustrations are simple yet dynamic. They convey movement, lightheartedness and a splash of childhood joy. I love how they look like watercolours and you can see some of the brushstrokes - a great inspiration for budding artists to emulate. Donaldson's sequel The Further Adventures of the Owl and The Pussy-Cat is also illustrated by Voake, and with Donaldson's seemingly effortless genius with rhyme, the tale continues in seamless form with the honeymoon of the unlikely couple. Following the loss of their wedding ring, the two are thrust on new adventures where they meet many others of Lear's colourful creations - The Pobble who has no toes, the Chankly Bore, even the Jumblies. It's brilliant. A wonderful Christmas gift for any child (the sequel even comes with a CD of Donaldson narrating the poem).

Finally, a couple of new offerings from classic authors.  Last year Quentin Blake was invited to illustrate an unpublished story by Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Kitty in Boots, rediscovered after 100 years. Potter said in letters that she had wanted to finish the story but "interruptions began", including the First World War, her marriage and illness. Her tale as she describes it is about "a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life". Beloved classic characters also make cameo appearances, but Blake's illustrations give the book a more modern feel.  

Meg and Mog by Jan Pienkowski and Helen Nicholl were also solid childhood friends. In 2016 Jan brought out a third title in a collaboration with David Walser. The illustrations are iconic - bold blocks of colour and distinctive soundbubbles. My edition of Meg and Mog is just about still in one piece...

Finally a huge success is Judith Kerr's latest feline picture book. 47 years ago Kerr wrote about her cat Mog, mentioned above as a true classic selling over 3 million copies. Mog has long since passed away - controversially perhaps Kerr even wrote about this in a lovely book about the loss of a pet. Last year Kerr, at 93 and having had 9 cats through her lifetime, brought out a stunning book with a new feline character (her latest cat Katinka) entitled Katinka's Tail - described by the author as "a white cat with a tabby's tail that doesn't belong". When people point out the incongruent markings, we are told she is a perfectly ordinary pussy cat... except for her (rather magical) tail. Culturetot immediately fell in love with this beautiful book, and so did my mum. At 93 Kerr's work is still exquisite, long may she continue to create. (For more on her background and inspiration see this post on The Tiger who Came to Tea).



Disclaimer: Most of the books discussed we own and several copies are being passed down the generations, but thanks go to Harper Collins, Warne and Puffin for review copies of recent editions.

It doesn't happen every day, that a Tiger comes around to play...

It doesn't happen every day that a Tiger comes around to play...

Sometimes it is the longeivity of a memory, months and months on, that points to the success of a childhood experience. As we ambled past the poster outside Richmond Theatre for the 2017 tour, the girls started to sing the theme and to talk about their memories of visiting Cadogan Hall last summer to watch the performance - requesting to book again this year.

We have seen so much wonderful theatre over the last few years, but there is little better than seeing much loved characters come alive on stage. Judith Kerr's 50 year old classic seems to hold an enduring fascination for children, with a formula and illustrative style so successful, that I can imagine few children would fail to recount the tale.

Its genesis is equally interesting. Judith used to enjoy trips to the library with her young daughter Tacy, but reported her ongoing disppointment that there was very little for children between "here is a horse" and long and dull stories with unfamiliar words (happily due to the legacy of these intrepid early picture book pioneers this problem no longer exists). Kerr noted that it seemed extraordinary that there were so few books with proper stories in simple words that a two year old could understand.

Keeping themselves occupied with trips to the zoo whilst her husband was away filming, and meanwhile hoping for visitors and "that something would happen", between mother and daughter the story of a Tiger who came calling at the house was born. It was Tacy's favourite and soon it was retold by heart. Later her son also loved the story, but it wasn't until both children were at school and work was able to resume in earnest that Judith finally started to turn it into a picture book.

On the advice of a friend from Central St Martins (art school) she experimented with inks to give a layering and richness, and she observed and sketched tigers live at the Zoo. She based the book on her own kitchen and on Tom (her husband), Tacy and herself. Following some re-working with the editor (and Tacy being re-christened Sophie) - though it seems Judith won the battle on the Tiger (improbably) drinking all the water in the tap (her son's favourite) - it was published to encouraging reviews in 1968. Little could she have known its consequent impact.

I was perhaps surprised that such a simple tale could be turned into a 55 minute musical but Olivier Award Winner David Wood OBE, a leading writer and director of plays and musicals for children, has done so successfully. With genuinely memorable tunes and humour, the stage show also retains much of the magic of the classic book with its '60s decoration, clothes and routine - and crucially the original story.

In the gorgeous book "Creatures", Kerr's autobiography, she describes the approach from producer Nick Brooke, who wanted to turn the three minute book into a one hour play... "At first I just thought it was ridiculous, but then I thought, why not, and made an appointment to go and see him. He was clearly very professional, and totally serious...." After a further tea and discussion with David Wood, she agreed to give it a go. At a visit to an early rehearsal Kerr notes that she was "brought up short by the set, which looked exactly like the drawing in the book. There were two young actresses playing Sophie and her mother, and a very good young actor called Alan Atkins playing the tiger, the father and three other characters, and the whole thing just felt effortlessly right." It opened to immediate success at the Bloomsbury in 2011 and was later nominated for an Olivier Award.

As Kerr herself observes

"It is oddly moving to see a theatre full of three year olds spellbound by this singing and dancing version of a bedtime story I once told my little daughter so many years ago." 

In the words of The Times "It's the Cat's Miaow", as is Kerr, who with her family fleed the rising Nazi party in Germany due to her writer father's liberal, anti-Hitler work. Whilst Tiger is no work of political criticism (though some have argued it is), it has demonstrably endowed many a young mind with a love for the arts and literature. As writer Ann Patchett notes: “Reading fiction not only develops our imagination and creativity, it gives us the skills to be alone. It gives us the ability to feel empathy for people we've never met, living lives we couldn't possibly experience for ourselves, because the book puts us inside the character's skin.” With training such as this for all of our children, 80 years on from Kerr's experience, the forces of bigotry and intolerence would have a far tougher fight ahead.

This year's tour details can be found here:

Dislaimer: We received tickets to the performance in exchange for an honest review. We are very grateful to Cadogan Hall for the opportunity. You can view their fantastic programme of family events here.

Letting the Wild In: Barrowland Ballet's Tiger Tale

Photograph courtesy of Sadlers Wells

It's been a while since I've last been able to blog; an unfortunate hangover from the heady cocktail of moving house, internet deprivation and the classical-sounding but thoroughly unpleasant labyrinthitis. At least marginally recovered from the former (we are still box-city), and set on extricating the Minotaur rumbling around in my inner ear, I'm planning on catching up a little.

Photograph courtesy of Sadlers Wells

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited along to Barrowland Ballet's captivating, multi-sensory, immersive and utterly surprising Tiger Tale. Culturebaby is ever singleminded in her desire to be a Prima Ballerina, and Culturetot is tiptoeing along in her wake, so I thought it would a great opportunity to show them a contemporary ballet, designed for families. It's not all about the tutus and sugar plums...

Tiger Tale is a simple story, told with movement. Although it can be read on a number of levels and was deeply thought provoking for adults, it was also strikingly accessible -  Culturetot at almost two seemed to understand the plot. A family, seemingly unhappy and suffering the mundanity of everyday life, continually and mechanically go through the motions of co-existence. Little love is displayed and the child in particular is driven to frustration and resentment.

Photograph courtesy of Sadlers Wells

Photograph courtesy of Sadlers Wells

Then, alarming yet ultimately delivering salvation, a tiger arrives to turn their home upside down, break down barriers, release their true nature and teach them to love again. Both heartwarming and disturbing (in a positive way), but also funny (the cheeky tiger doesn't stop at the family - he rampages through the audience causing chaos, stealing handbags and curling up on knees), the performance was ideal for the girls. At an hour long it kept them gripped. Their senses were engaged by everything from live music and innovative dance to explosions of colour (splashes of orange to represent the wild breaking through and destroying the sterility of grey space), smells (oranges everywhere!) sudden surprise sounds or arrivals, and ultimately the opportunity to explore the set and become part of the performance.

Photograph courtesy of Sadlers Wells

At the end, the wonderful dancers remained in character and drew in all the children from the audience to play, explore and experience the stage from the inside-out. I couldn't persuade the girls to leave; they even stayed to tidy up. It's hard to do justice to the intimate environment and the joy of participation experienced by all the children in the audience, but I've captured some of this with the photographs. Barrowland will be touring again next year and I'd highly recommend it for all children - toddlers upwards. The Sadlers Wells family programme was a new discovery for us last year, and this is only one of a diverse wealth of other interactive and exciting events for children.

 

To accompany the show, there's a trio of great picture books to share with younger children. The obvious choice, of course, is The Tiger who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr. A perennial, and probably eternal, children's favourite, this classic needs little introduction. Though rather gentler in his occupation of home, the effect of Kerr's Tiger is not dissimilar to Barrowland's. Life and routine is turned on its head, the cupboards are laid bare, bathtime is cancelled and dinner becomes an exciting experience. Another quirky classic and favourite in our household is Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are. Written in 1963, I don't particularly remember this as a child, but Culturebaby received it as a present and immediately loved it. Young Max - clad in wolf costume - is sent to his room for wreaking havoc. From there he is transported to an island inhabited by ferocious beasts, which he intimidates and goes on to rule. It's a wonderful comment on the toddler's ability to behave in an entirely impulsive and feral way, and moments later return as if nothing happened to sanity and a hot meal.

Finally, we've recently discovered the gorgeous illustrations of Emily Hughes in her original picture book Wild, about a child brought up by nature and its many beasts. With teachers such as birds and bears, the child when 'rescued' by well meaning adults, cannot let go of her instinct for the wild and cannot comprehend the odd behaviour of civilized society. She returns to her roots and takes the family pets with her. It's a stunningly illustrated and thought provoking book from the brilliant British Indie publisher Flying Eye Books. I love what Brain Pickings wrote about it:

" Emanating from the playful and poetic story is a clarion call to shake off the external should’s that shackle us and stop keeping ourselves small by trying to please others, to celebrate what John Steinbeck called “the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected”. It is an invitation, at once tender and mischievous, to pause and ask, as Mary Oliver memorably did: “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

 Disclaimer: We were offered tickets to the performance in exchange for an honest review. We all thought the whole experience was simply brilliant! We also received a copy of Wild for review purposes.