More than 100 years after Edward Lear's poem The Owl And The Pussycat was written, Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson takes a shot at a sequel with The Further Adventures Of The Owl And The Pussycat.

As with the former children's laureate's previous books, The Further Adventures Of The Owl And The has a timeless charm about it and sees the title characters travel across the sea to track down their beautiful gold ring which has been stolen by a crow.

Like the original, Donaldson's sequel is in poem form with the same lively attention to language and rhymes that made Lear's original such a hit. Fans of the Lear's classic will also like references to the 'runcible spoon' which he coined for the 19th century poem.

With pretty illustrations from Charlotte Voake and delightful rhymed tale which sounds lovely when read out loud, The Further Adventures Of The Owl And The Pussycat is a worthy successor to Lear's original poem.

Rating: 8/10
Review: Keeley Bolger