One of my favourite parts is the double page depicting the twelve months it takes the owl and the pussy-cat to sail over the ocean, with twelve individual oval windows portraying each stage of the journey. As a child I frequently wondered what exactly a Bong Tree would look like, and I wasn’t at all disappointed upon viewing Ian Beck’s splendidly imaginative Bong Tree garden – the trees greatly reminding me of huge tiered cakes. In fact, this particular section reminded me of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, such was the level of inspired nonsense.

The charming map (present on the front and back pages) was another nice touch – allowing the reader to see the full journey undertaken by the owl and his feline companion. Ian Beck has also leant his illustrations to another of Lear’s classic rhymes, ‘The Jumblies,’ which is worth a look. This is a wonderful little book, and well worth the asking price.