Put A Sock In It, Percy!

by Judy Corbalis, David Parkins (Illustrator)

Ever heard of a Self-Making Bed? A Flattering Footwiper? No? Then meet inventors, Mr and Mrs Fooby-Lartil and their cat, Percy. Percy's got some smart ideas of his own and he's a genius at minding everybody else's business. Life could have gone along happily for all of them if only Percy hadn't eaten Mr Fooby-Lartil's New-All-Purpose-Marvellous-Bodysafe-Stick-Anything-Anywhere-Anytime GLUE...

BE WARNED!

NEVER LET YOUR CATS NEAR IT!

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Judy Corbalis was born and grew up in New Zealand but now lives in London. A former Hawthornden Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Women Leaders at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, she has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and was the inaugural Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art where she currently holds the post of Academic Support Tutor.

She has adapted her own work for radio and has written and fronted television programmes for children. Her children's books have been published by Deutsch, Hodder and Scholastic — children love them for their humour and the fact that no character behaves as expected. Her new children's book, Get That Ball, illustrated by Korky Paul, will be published by Andersen Press in 2016. Her adult novels include Tapu, and Mortmain, shortlisted for the 2009 Encore Award.

She is married to the sculptor Phillip King, PPRA, and makes frequent visits to New Zealand.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a children’s book that was short-listed for the Children’s Book Award. An inventor couple, the Fooby-Lartil’s, become owners of Percy, an incredibly grumpy cat who talks because he slurped up Mr. Fooby-Lartils’s New All-Purpose-Marvelous-Bodysafe-Stick-Anything-Anywhere-Anytime Glue. It was a page turner to see what other hilarious, unexpected events would happen.
I was surprised to see that the author, Corbalis, did not write more about Percy and his owners. It would’ve make a good series.
Parents and children will enjoy this one.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book with humour but underlying important messages that would be great for a young reader.

Still have plenty of dry whit for the more mature reader too.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually don't remember when exactly I read this, but I remember it being one of my favorites as a kid.

Percy is a talking cat who lives with some eccentric inventors called the Looby-Fartils or something along those lines. They're on the brink of poverty, and if I remember correctly Percy manages to win them seventeen babies. Which sounds kind of hellish to me now.

I loved this book. Great kid's book. In fact I need to read it again. And the illustrations were good. Honestly, as a kid what more do you want than good illustrations?

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soobie a 13 anni:

Bel libro. Percy è un gatto che viene ritrovato mezzomorto (sic) dal signor Lartil, che dopo aver bevuto un intruglio preparato da quest'ultimo impara a parlare. Poi il gatto viene rapito di (sic) vicini e venduto al sindaco per parecchi soldi ma...

[Kylie Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

At little strange, but comical. Probably well suited to a child's sense of humour. I'm gifting this book on to my neice, I'm sure she will love it.