Jo
Written on May 18, 2015
Ever since seeing the recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of Cats, I've been intrigued by the book of poems the musical was inspired by, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. It's a charming book of poetry that will delight child and adult alike - especially those who love cats!
It was great to see familiar characters within the poems, such as Macavity, and Munojerrie and Rumpelteazer, who were very memorable from the musical. Was sad to see Grizabella - the cat who sings Memory in the musical - doesn't actually feature in the original poetry book, but there are quite a few characters that did originate from Practical Cats. From what I remember, the lyrics are pretty close to the original poems, so I would hear the the music in my head as I read. Saying that, there's no storyline like there is in the musical; no Jellicle Ball, no cat being chosen to go to the Heaviside Layer to be reborn by Old Deutronomy.
Axel Scheffler's illustrations are quirky and familiar from the picture books Scheffler has illustrated. Seeing what the cats get up to along with the poems will have young children giggling as they're being read to.
A wonderful book of poetry, and a great addition to any bookcase.
Thank you to Faber & Faber for the review copy.
