Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea

Little Bo

by Julie Andrews Edwards, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

A brave little cat ventures from the safety of her home to join a young sailor on his journeys, in a tale packaged with a CD containing a complete reading of the text as narrated by the author.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Cats, Fiction, Animals, Chapter Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews Edwards, DBE is an award-winning English actress, singer, author and cultural icon. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honours. Andrews rose to prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).

Reviews

[Hayley Fremont · Rating 5 out of 5]

An endearing tale about the runt of a litter, and the unique home she finds for herself. My children and I all enjoyed this sweet story by Julie Andrews.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this little chapter book. Little Bo was a sweet, wonderfully descriptive tale about Little Bo, the smallest kitten in a litter, who has many adventures. The story begins on a stormy night, when the litter of kittens are born to a pure-bred Persian cat. The owner of this cat, Mrs. Edge, doesn't want the kittens because their father is the stray cat Bounder and they aren't pure-bread. The six kittens explore her mansion and bask in their mother's love until, by a twist of fate, they are all separated. The story follows Little Bo, all alone in the cold, cruel world until she meets Billy, the first mate on a fishing boat. Bo makes her home on the fishing boat, experiencing the excitements and perils of a life at sea. The story kept me interested the whole time, waiting to find out what happened. I read it out loud to my five year old sister and she enjoyed it too. From the gentle narration, to the beautiful illustrations that look so real you expect the little kittens to leap off the page and the white capped waves to whoosh out of the book, Little Bo was a triumph. Julie Andrews Edwards is a gifted writer, and she knows how to write a great childrens' book.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this out loud to myself in a British a accent, and it added such depth to the story. I would love to hear Julie Andrews read it aloud. It was a sweet tale, and I hope that we find out the fate of her brothers and sisters in future iterations. I’m so glad that she found someone kind and loving to take care of her, and I’m looking forward to the adventures that they will have together. How on earth could anyone not love a kitten?

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

On one of our recent trips to the library, Sean picked out Little Bo by Julie Andrews Edwards for me to read to Harriet. Although she loves books about cats she took one look at the book's length and decided it wasn't for her. I don't blame her. It's a 96 page chapter book (that's the same length as the early Magic Tree House books). She's still at the stage where she wants her books to be done quickly.

I still thought Little Bo looked like a cute book with it's lovely illustrations by Henry Cole. He also did the illustrations for one of Sean's favorites, Fright Night Flight. So I sat in my car and read the book while I waited for the library to open.

Little Bo is the runt of a litter of kittens born to a pampered Persian cat and the black alley cat. Rather than having the love and attention of woman who owns the mother (ala Aristocats), she allows them to stay only long enough to be weaned. Then they must be sent off to the pet store to be sold.

Before that time begins, all the kittens receive names from their mother, with the exception of Bo who gets her name from her father. He names her Boadicea to honor her for the struggle she has already completed by being the runt and still managing to grow strong.

Mostly though the book is about Bo finding her forever home and fate brings her together with a sailor. Bo isn't a natural ship cat like Henry of Henry the Sailor Cat by Mary Calhoun (review coming). I liked that the sailor sticks with his commitment to Little Bo and she to him.

I think I'll reintroduce Harriet to the book in a year or two when she's mature enough to sit through a chapter book. I know she will one day love this book as she loves cats and loves to hear about how Caligula came to be our cat.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little chapter book about the life of Little Bo, a tiny gray kitten who was the runt of the litter. The six kittens are born at the beginning to their mother who is a pure-bread Persian champion cat. Their father is a stray black cat named Bounder which makes the owner of the mother cat mad because he isn’t purebred. The owner, Mrs. Edge has a large mansion and the cats loved to play around, however, this won’t last for long because they are plotting to get rid of the kittens. Eventually, the kittens all get separated and Little Bo is left out in the cold with nowhere to go. It tells the story of her finding her future owner, Billy who falls in love with her after meeting her on the street and takes her home to a fishing boat. The captain is not happy having Little Bo on board and after a serious of crazy events at sea, and a frightening storm, Billy has to choose between his cat or life on the boat.

This is an adorable story that will keep you turning the page. I remember reading this as a little girl and because of my obsession for kittens, I had to have it. I found it adorable again today as I reread the story. This is a must read for any child who loves cats! Even though I am not a cat lover today, I can't help but feel for the cute tiny kitten Little Bo, and want to take her home myself.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Edwards’s story about a runaway kitten reads like something out of early Disney. It has that sweetness to it that just barely skirts the saccharine. The kittens are despised by their owner, who rightly suspects that her prize-winning Persian cat has been violated by a scruffy unowned cat that’s been prowling around the neighborhood.

Little Bo’s adventures take her away from her beloved mother and adrift in the world. But she’s learning to be brave and her attempts to negotiate her surroundings are endearing to read. Life gets easier and harder at the same time for Little Bo and the story is mildly engaging. Children and adults who like reading about cats and kittens will enjoy this one.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Andrews (yes, the singer/actress) wrote this sweet story of a little gray kitten with a white chest marking shaped like a heart. She's shy, so her father gives her a big name to help her feel brave. (Boadicea was a queen of a British tribe who led an uprising against the occupying Romans). From the rocky beginning of being abandoned in the snow to her rescue by a kind young sailor named Billy Bates, Logan was captivated. Lots of cute pictures and it's always nice when we can find books about men who like cats as much as L does.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by singer and actress Julie Andrews Edwards, Little Bo is the story of the smallest kitten of the litter that must be disposed of. An accident separates her from her littermates; it seems like she is at an end of her very short life. Fortunately a kind sailor rescues her and so begins a very adventerous life on the high seas.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our whole family loves this book. As each child has grown into reading, this is one book that every kid choses to read out loud to their siblings. We now have a Bo, although she is not the sweetheart of the story. I guess the name did not impart the sweetness of the story cat. This rose did not smell as sweet.

[Yochana Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it! Dame Julie is such a great children's book writer. The artwork in Little Bo is brilliant. The story starts out a little sad because of Bo being separated from his family, but from there out it becomes a fun adventure.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my daughters, 6,8, and 10-years-old, after reading about it online. We are big fans of Julie Andrews. The girls loved the story and begged to read several chapters at a time, so we finished it in three sittings. We can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this one - children's book

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy has a CD with Julie Andrews reading -- her marvelous reading voice adds dimension to an otherwise predictable (in a very Disney style) story. The illustrations are charming.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book I always wanted my dad to read to me every night!!!

[Ms.Warshauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This chapter book will take a few weeks to read to the second graders. Haven't had a second grader that didn't love this story.

[Photina]

My daughters enjoyed the book.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8 year old son just read this book and was insistent that I read it. He LOVES all things cat. While it was a very cute story it wouldn't go down as one of my favorites.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read this book a few times when I was a lot younger, but I remember it and love it to this day. A great children's book!

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story with beautiful illustrations.

[Danielle Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story about a little kitten who gets lost in the big scary world. You follow him through his many adventures and ups and downs. A great bedtime story.

[G.E. Porier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story for an early reader. A short chapter book full of kitten sized adventures! The illustrations capture the story.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was awesome because there was a boat included in the book.I liked when Bo first met Billy Bates. I did not like when Billy got kicked of the boat.

[Elizabeth Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story and illustrations. Enjoyed Julie Andrews' writing.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little story about the adventures of a little gray kitten. My 5 year old will love this one. I can't wait to read it with her.

[Hillvan]

780L

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in elementry school.

[Geo Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much! Now I have to find all of the other books so, I can see how the other adventures end. Now I think I want to get a kitty too!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my kids and they loved it.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because we are raising bilingual kids in Germany, we don't have access to a lot of English books (besides what we own/buy online), so I was excited to find this book read aloud by a 2nd grade teacher on youtube. My kids immediately noticed that the first few chapters shared several similarities with Disney's Aristocats movies, which we watched a few months ago. A sweet story about a kitten named Bo. I wanted to love this book, but honestly the audio quality and presentation wasn't very good, so I think when we have a chance to revisit it in the future then I likely will rate it higher.