The Owl and the Pussycat and Other Nonsense Poetry

by Edward Lear

Written for the poet John Addington Symonds's young daughter Janet while she was ill and confined to her bed, 'The Owl and the Pussycat' sees the two enamoured animals sail away in a boat “for a year and a day / To the land with the bong tree grows”, where they get married.

Long considered one of the nation's favourite poems, it is combined here with other memorable examples of what Lear called “nonsense songs”, such as 'Calico Pie' and 'The Duck and the Kangaroo', as well as with nonsense stories, cookery, botany and alphabets, in a collection that transports adults and children alike to the extraordinary world of Edward Lear's imagination.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Audiobook, Fiction, Classics, Cats, Picture Books

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised.
His principal areas of work as an artist were threefold: as a draughtsman employed to make illustrations of birds and animals; making coloured drawings during his journeys, which he reworked later, sometimes as plates for his travel books; and as a (minor) illustrator of Alfred Tennyson's poems.
As an author, he is known principally for his popular nonsense collections of poems, songs, short stories, botanical drawings, recipes and alphabets. He also composed and published twelve musical settings of Tennyson's poetry.

Reviews

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“There was a young lady in blue
Who said “is it you, is it you..”

Words so familiar, ready at the front of my brain and also buried deeply, that simply makes me smile from the silliness and part discomfort - like a Punch and Judy - some are wrong for life but right for me… and these fit Bennett’s mouth more than I would have expected… it did I?

[Murray Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good nonsense poem, and Lear wrote some of the best — more purely fun and less 'clever' than Lewis Carroll's parodies, for instance. This little volume from the British Library contains Lear's best (none of those disappointing limericks), along with some of his own illustrations, and would make a nice gift for someone of any age.

[Lara Maynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems are far better executed than others, but it was fun to experience this Lear collection by audio.

[David Hewitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

They’re called classics for a reason. You know them, you’ve heard of them and some quite frankly I haven’t heard at all, but I assume there still classics to someone. Before reading this book I never considered nonsense poems or the closely related nursery rhymes to be a form of poetry but upon reflection they are quintessentially poems, matching all the characteristics of traditional poems but in their own nonsensical way. I must admit this is not the typical book for me to read, however I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of the poems outlined in the book.

Edward Lear, the master of nonsense writing, provides the reader with his magnum opus (if one can use the most ostentatious terminology for such a poem) The Owl and the Pussy-Cat has to be one the most famous nonsense poems of all time. That’s the charm of the poem, having heard the story as a kid in some form or another, memories came flooding back of so many poems and nursery rhymes around seemingly nonsensical stories.

While I am unlikely to return to such poems in the near future I must tip my hat to the uniqueness of Lear’s work, a man who would have preferred to be remembered for his paintings than these poems. In some way his nonsensical poems got the last laugh, which in their own way is the fitting send off to the most unusual of writers.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

No thoughts, just vibes. I saw several new tattoo ideas so that’s a plus. I particularly liked The Owl And The Pussy-Cat and The Daddy Long-Legs And The Fly (especially the lines “They said ‘This is a dreadful thing! The world has all gone wrong…’”, because living in 2024 is indeed a dreadful thing)

[Hayley Fremont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Lear is one of my favorite poets. This book includes classic Lear poems that I already knew, as well as some poems that were new to me. The illustrations are done well too. Though be warned: there is a picture of a butt-naked man at the end of the poem "The New Vestments". ☺

[Child960801 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone has heard of the Owl and the Pussycat. It was fun to read the other poems as well. I read this to the children and they enjoyed it as well. Lovely pictures.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've finally read this... one ticked off the bucket list. Cute and occasionally funny, even if not all the poems have aged particularly well.

[Alyssa Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories and poems are part of my childhood, and I enjoyed the memories that reading this book brought back. Everyone needs a good dose of nonsense now and again.

[Micki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love anything in here. I stumbled upon Lear to try to remember the etymology of “runcible.”

[Amanda Lavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introducing my 8 year old to some nonsense poetry.

[Melissa Charitos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mooie tekeningen in het eerste deel, de gedichten zijn oké.

[Jason Freng · Rating 4 out of 5]

The songs outshine the limericks, but both are delightful. This book made me smile more than the average.

[Ernestasia Siahaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I would expect from a book titled “Nonsense”: a fun reading experience. :)

[Brookie Boo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good lessons in some, others made no sense at all, might be because I also speed read this too

[Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to read aloud! A real treat, and maybe an infant precursor to Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poetry in the natural inscape, albeit much more ridiculous!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this poem, and borrowed a sweet illustrated edition of it from my online library catalogue. This particular edition includes other poems too, such as 'The Jumblies'. It provided such a nice slice of nostalgia, and I very much enjoyed rereading some old favourites.

[Kt Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward Lear is amazing. His silly verse sparks curious minds. I could see small children memorizing verses from this and even performing a play or learning to create their own rhymes after reading and doing literary exercises with this. If you need to tickle your brain and break from the monotony of regular old stories than grab this book!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second rhyme was not one I was familiar with.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay read.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter nonsense, even for a kids' book.

Did not like it at all.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Lear's poems still interest young readers 150+ years after first published, Hague's illustrations feel dated (or are in a style I just don't appreciate).

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poems are certainly nonsense, but mostly fun nonsense, and I liked the illustrations, particularly for the title poem.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audio book is packed with hilarious poems that will make the listener laugh out loud.