#161 of 1001 · January 8, 2021

Here’s a selection that always gives me a warm, cozy feeling: Antonia Barber and Nicola Bayley's The Mousehole Cat. In this original story inspired by a Cornish legend, an old fisherman named Tom and his faithful cat Mowzer live quietly together in a little village near a harbor called “The Mousehole” or “Mowzel”. When the Great Storm-Cat threatens to drown any who sail through the gap in the harbor wall, the villagers begin to run out of food. Tom must brave the Storm-Cat’s wrath and bring back enough fish to feed their community. Unlike on his other trips, Mowzer goes out on the water with him, and it is only by the sweetness of her voice that the mysterious beast is finally tamed. Barber weaves her tale with elegant, lyrical language, giving special prominence to her mouthwatering descriptions of Tom and Mowzer’s weekly menu: Mondays, morgy-broth; Tuesdays, baked hake with mashed potatoes; Wednesdays, kedgeree with smoked ling; Thursdays, grilled fairmaids; Fridays, fried launces with butter and lemon; Saturdays, soused scad with vinegar and onions; Sundays, star-gazy pie with pilchards in pastry. Bayley’s illustrations achieve a gripping intensity, particularly in her thrillingly dramatic presentation of the Storm-Cat, a darkly beautiful ocean ghost—perhaps a visual metaphor for Mowzer’s feline perception of the storm...or perhaps a very real elemental spirit of nature. #cat #storm #fish #fishing #fisherman #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks