Ottoline and the Yellow Cat; Chris Riddell

Mistress of Disguise, Ottoline Brown, and her partner in sleuthing, Mr Munroe, love figuring out puzzles and thinking up clever plans. There is nothing they cannot solve. When Big City falls victim to a spate of high-society dog-nappings and a string of jewel thefts, Ottoline and Mr Munroe go undercover in a bid to expose a clever scam thought up by the cunning and clever Yellow Cat…

Welcome to the madcap and outlandish world of the wonderfully weird but extremely clever Ottoline Brown. This first in a four book series is incredibly fun and delicisiouly weird as master-of-storytelling Chris Riddell invites us into a fantastical fantasy world of card-playing-talking-lap-dogs, a cat-burglar, a Norwegian bog monster and a bear hibernating in the laundry.

Featuring fabulous pencil drawn illustrations that are packed with detail, Outline and the Yellow Cat is a read full of intrigue and mystery that is delivered through pages full of warmth, charm and wit. The irresistibly quirky adventure is told as much through Riddell’s illustrations as it is through the rich and most wonderful words. Even without the words, the treasure chest of artwork tells its own beautiful story and it is these that will have readers truly engrossed as they study floorpans, newspaper cuttings, missing posters and postcards home as they are drawn into Ottoline’s unconventional world through the various insights and clues about her life. Amongst other things, Ottoline lives in a house full of random collectibles, owns an Odd Shoe collection and likes eavesdropping on the conversations of her neighbours.

Ottoline is a character that children should spend time with. Put aside that she exists in a rather bizarre fictional world where her parents are off exploring the far corners of the globe and she stays at home with an abundance of lavish home help and with the eccentric Mr Munroe for company and you have a fantastic female role model. This is a girl who is kind-hearted, independent and strong-willed with an inquisitive mind and an aptitude for problem solving. More characters like Ottoline please!

This is a glorious tale. No one writes and illustrates like Chris Riddell!

Recommended for 7+.