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.

What the Ladybird Heard - Live on Stage

When Culturebaby was really young, one of the first pieces of childrens' theatre we went to see was the stage production of What the Ladybird Heard based on the modern classic by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Lydia Monks. It was therefore particularly lovely to revisit this all singing, dancing, rhyming celebration of brilliant writing for children.

The energetic cast of just four brings the book to life splendidly with catchy tunes, musical instruments and clever puppetry. Here we join a farmer and his yard of creatively crafted animals, including a prized cow who is frankly rather pleased with her own credentials. Using items from around the farm, the cast cleverly brings a host of animals to life. A horse emerges from a bath and a bike, a sheep from handlebars and a rug, a hog from a barrel and cart, a dog from a brush... Farmhands and theatre stewards double up as the crooks Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len who are determined to steal the farmer's prize cow and retire on the proceeds.

"Once upon a farm lived a fat red hen, a duck in a pond and a goose in a pen, a woolly sheep, a hairy hog, a handsome horse and a dainty dog, a cat that miaowed and a cat that purred, a fine prize cow... and a ladybird.

And the cow said, ‘MOO!’, and the hen said ‘CLUCK!’, ‘HISS!’ said the goose and ‘QUACK’ said the duck. ‘NEIGH!’ said the horse. ‘OINK!’ said the hog. “BAA!” said the sheep and “WOOF!” said the dog. One cat miaowed whilst the other one purred… And the ladybird said never a word."

Hugh and Len plan their great robbery meticulously - planning to follow the sound of the animals as they creep around in the dead of night - but with the help of an extremely talented ladybird, the animals are determined to protect their friend and foil the thieves' plan.

Julia Donaldson herself describes What the Ladybird Heard as one of her favourites amongst all the books she has written (she has since produced sequels including What the Ladybird Heard Next and What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday). She notes: "The germ of the idea was born when my youngest son, Jerry, had just started primary school and couldn't read yet fluently. The teacher asked the class to match up some animal words with their sounds. In Jerry's case the result was quite comical: a hen hisses, a dog moos, and so on. I couldn't help laughing (though not in front of my son) when I saw his piece of work, but I had no idea that many years later it would inspire me to write What the Ladybird Heard."

Donaldson has said how wonderful it is to see her characters come to life on stage and illustrator Lydia Monks has been involved in the development of the live show - which certainly captures the essence of her adorable illustrations. The challenge was to stray true to the short story, whilst extending it to an hour of theatre. The songs and audience participation achieve this in a seemingly effortless manner and the jolly cast managed to get everyone up dancing by the coda.

When we posted about our trip to see the show this half term at the wonderful Rose Theatre in Kingston, so many of our friends who have seen it agreed what a fantasic production it is. There are performances tomorrow in Kingston and then Ladybird will be touring the country. You can find a performance near you here.

"At the dead of night the two bad men (Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len) opened the gate while the farmer slept and tiptoe into the farm they crept. Then the goose said, “NEIGH!” with all her might. And Len said, “That’s the horse — turn right." And the dainty dog began to QUACK. “The duck!” said Hugh. “We’re right on track.” "OINK,” said the cats. “There goes the hog! Be careful not to wake the dog.” “BAA BAA BAA,” said the fat red hen. “The sheep! We’re nearly there,” said Len. Then the duck on the pond said, “MOO MOO MOO!” “Two more steps to go!” said Hugh. And they both stepped into the duck pond — SPLOSH!"

Disclaimer: We received tickets to the performance for the purposes of review. As always all views are very much our own. Images and quotes courtesy of the Rose Theatre Kingston and Ladybird Live. For more great family programming at the Rose Theatre see their website here. For more Donaldson, the Gruffalo's Child will be playing in October.

The Owl and The Pussycat Went to Sea...

In October, we headed over to the Lilian Baylis Sudio at Sadlers Wells for a perfectly pitched little production of The Owl and the Pussycat. Designed by Let's All Dance, and performed in an intimate space, it was as if a pair of ballet dancers had come to dance just for us in our own front room.

With thanks to the brilliant album, Funkey Rhymes (see here), the girls have grown up with a really catchy composition that has put Lear's famous poem to music, so they know it very well. The ballet featured just two dancers - an owl, who entered the studio from the back introducing himself to the excited audience, and the sophisticated and rather more aloof cat, with her stunning white tutu.

As we all know, this unlikely pair sailed off for a year and a day in a pea-green boat, persuading pigs to part with prized posessions and turkeys to become ministers. The year on the boat was perhaps less of an issue for owl, who could always stretch his wings, but the cat must have been rather impatient for the sight of land, and a long promised wedding. The dancers brought the iconic poem to life so well with selected props, engaging the audience (and even begging for the ring until they spotted the pig...) At the end every child was invited to have their picture taken with the characters in the pea green boat. It was a perfect length and beautifully created.

Some of the most effective productions are also those that tap into things children already love, and offer the possibility of follow-on activities and books to read. We have various versions of the Owl and the Pussycat, but favourites include two recently published celebrations of Lear's most famous couple. First comes a stunningly illustrated gift version of the original, with drawings by Charlotte Voake and a foreword by Julia Donaldson, then an original sequel from 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 it is perfect for this age. 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 gift for any child (the sequel even comes with a CD of Donaldson narrating the poem).

My very clever and arty friend Natasha, who came to see the show with us also produced a stunning pair of felted animals. These are apparently rather easy to make with wool. She'll be guest posting some instructions soon so watch this space... 

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

   And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

    What a beautiful Pussy you are,

         You are,

         You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

II

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!

   How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

   But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

   To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

   With a ring at the end of his nose,

             His nose,

             His nose,

   With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day

   By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

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.

 

You can follow Let's All Dance on their website here: https://www.lets-all-dance.co.uk/watch/ The Princess and The Frog will be performed in February, followed by The Magic Word in May. We received tickets to the performance in exchange for a review and the books mentioned featured in a previous post and were kindly provided by Puffin Books. Photographs Courtesy of Let's All Dance.