The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat - Hardcover

Eric Idle, a former member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, adapts Edward Lear's poems and drawings into a delightful retelling of the tale of "The Owl and the Pussycat." Filled with jokes for adults and children alike, this is a delight to the ear. Idle exuberantly performs a dozen different silly voices, sings at least as many silly songs, and has the tone just right. Idle breaks the chapters frequently, often commenting on the title, and even integrates the instructions to turn over the tape into his narration. Puns, social commentary, gentle humor, and old-fashioned storytelling are woven into a well-paced whole by this comedic veteran. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

When a Monty Python alum offers a novelization of an Edward Lear poem, it's practically guaranteed to be a Silly Walk. Evolution's very governor, the fabulous Bong Tree, has disappeared from a museum on the shores of Lake Pipple-popple, and two parties are out to track it down: the nefarious Fire Lord with his sulfurous but inept minions, and the familiar furred and feathered sweethearts. It's a long chase, over sea, the Great Gromboolian Plain, and the Land of Water, past Pie-rats, reanimated dinosaur fossils, and the Mulberry Jam Pits, with all sorts of Learian flora and fauna to be met along the way--some of it ready to burst into song. The Fire Lord imposes an Ice Age that leaves Owl frozen solid, but Pussycat's kiss melts bird and climate too; all rush off just in time to save the Bong Tree (which closely resembles a wilted leek) and bombard the Fire Lord with pies. The wedding proceeds, to the tune of the ``Wedding April'' (March is too cold for weddings), and Owl and Pussycat are last seen ``hand in hand on the edge of the sand,'' dancing by the light of the moon. Illustrated with a mix of Lear's sketches and new pen-and-ink drawings in the same spirit, this delivers the kind of funny business for which Idle is known, and will probably appease adult Python fans who wish to pass on a gentler form of the lunacy to their children. (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.