Prowlpuss

by Gina Wilson

Prowlpuss, a king-size cat with one ear and one eye, stalks the night but comes home at dawn, forsaken by one love but with another awaiting his return

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 1995

About the author

Born Gina Jones in Abergele, North Wales, in 1943, Wilson was educated at the Manchester High School for Girls from 1955-1961, before going on to study English at Edinburgh University. She worked as an assistant editor for the Scottish National Dictionary from 1967-1973, and published her first book, Ricky's Birthday, in 1973.

-information from The Wee Web.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Prowlpuss the tomcat roams the streets, he’s judged everywhere he goes. People think he’s a rough and gruff street cat, missing one ear and one eye. No one knows why he yells and growls at night. So they shun him and yell at him from their windows. But is Prowlpuss really who they think he is?
I love the way this book shows another side of someone who is judged on their appearance, and a misunderstanding of their actions. Prowlpuss could very well be any of us. As readers we see Prowlpuss’s desire for love, and we can sympathize with him. Likewise, we think less negatively of people when we get to know them.
The greatest charms aside from the moral of this book are the funky rhymes and smoke-like illustrations. They give the effect of poetry and jazz. This sets a great atmosphere for a book that takes place in the dark alley ways of the night.
I recommend this book to children from preschool to second grade. It teaches readers that rather than judge others harshly when we don’t understand them, we should be curious as to why they do what they do and be kind to them.

[l · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back cover tells me it's about the yearning one has for the unattainable. I say that this children's cat book is weirdly heteronormative lmao

[Graywaren · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute rhyming story with decent illustrations, but its rhymes and story left me a bit "meh" and wishing for something more. I wish there had been more about the white twinkle kitty, she was my favorite illustration. Overall it's a decent and somewhat scallywagish read, but it isn't leaping onto the shelves of my collection.

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my kind of cat! The storyline is great, and my children love the graphics (especially the white cat that Prowlpuss is "yowling for"). It stops just short of five stars because, although I love the rhythm of the book, sometimes in the book the rhythm seems to stop short.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prowlpuss is Fantastic! And so is the book. Prowlpuss is your average alley cat, big, mean, one ear and one eye missing who trawls the streets looking for trouble all night. He's one tough cat, or is he? Wonderful, dark illustrations make this a highly memorable book.

[Amy Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story with great use of rhyme and phrasing. Beautiful illustration which could introduce children to shade and tones of colours. A good book for KS1, year one class.Good to read aloud to a class and even use as a drama piece having a whole class acting like a Prowlpuss.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend this one only to very young audiences (grades K-2). The pictures are very dark -- understandable since it's about a tomcat's night about town, but the real issue to be perfectly honest, is that any older audience will read half the book as double entendres. Beware.