Kidsreads.com - OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT written and illustrated by Chris Riddell

Books by
Chris Riddell

OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT

MUDDLE EARTH

OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT
written and illustrated by Chris Riddell
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061448799
Ages 8-12
176 pages

A bit like Pippi Longstocking, Ottoline Brown is left alone while her parents are off on their own adventures. Actually she is not alone but tended to by Mr. Munroe, a mysterious creature rescued from a Norwegian bog. Her apartment on the 24th floor of the P.W. Huffledinck Tower (also known as the Pepperpot Building) is cared for by a team of housekeepers, leaving young Ottoline free to pursue her interests: splashing in puddles and working out tricky problems. When Mr. Munroe brings to her attention a lost dog flyer, Ottoline gets busy with a clever plan to solve this particularly tricky problem that has the police stumped.

Ottoline Brown is the charming heroine of Chris Riddell's strange and lovely book, OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT. The story is a simple mystery, neatly and smartly solved by Ottoline and Mr. Munroe. Someone has been stealing the lap dogs of the society women of the neighborhood, or so it seems. But Ottoline and her hairy, silent companion uncover a canine crime ring led by a sneaky yellow cat. Mr. Munroe must go undercover to break up the ring and return the dogs back to their worried owners.

The mystery is nicely interrupted here and there, bringing readers details about the collections of Professor Brown (emperors' hats, meteorites and “mysterious objects of various kinds”) and Ottoline (odd shoes and postcards from her parents --- the postcards are on these pages as well), the housecleaning and cooking teams, and a bear living in the building’s basement. All of this contributes to a wonderful and fantastic tale.

But for kids and grown-ups alike, the real wonder of this book may well be its illustrations. Riddell's line drawings, in black and white with interspersed red, are whimsical and full of amazing, surprising details. From the floor plan of Ottoline's apartment to the alley behind her building, from her eccentric outfits to the cartoonish dog owners, his illustrations are fun and accomplished and the best thing about OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT.

Although the book is recommended for readers 8 to 12 years old, children much younger and even older will enjoy it a great deal. It will also appeal to adults, who will surely appreciate the creative Ottoline, not to mention the imagination of her creator. OTTOLINE AND THE YELLOW CAT is entertaining to read, beautiful to look at, and a funky bridge from picture books to chapter books.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.