Wednesday 18 May 2016

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura (Children's, 7 years +, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

Zorga is cute!
March 2016, Alma Books, 124 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Content: animal death, humour, a tissue or two is needed

Summary from Alma Books
Caught up in an oil spill, a dying seagull scrambles ashore to lay her final egg and lands on a balcony, where she meets Zorba, a big black cat from the port of Hamburg. The cat promises the seagull to look after the egg, not to eat the chick once it’s hatched and – most difficult of all – to teach the baby gull to fly. Will Zorba and his feline friends honour the promise and give Lucky, the adopted little seagull, the strength to discover her true nature?

Nayu's thoughts 
A moving tale of a cat who brings up a seagull, as well as teaching the seagull to fly. How Zorga got the gull made me cry, as it is so sweet. The love between them sparkled off the page before the seagull was born in both words and illustrations-Zorga is so cute in this pic!
It's fascinating learning about Zorga's cat community who pull together at times of need, sometimes with bribes. Their diverse characters make it an entertaining read, especially when it comes to researching how to take care of a gull and help a gull fly. I loved the lengths Zorga goes through to keep the egg and baby gull safe when his owner's friend pops in to give him food (owner is on holiday)

I was a bit surprised by who Zorga and his friends approached for help, I honestly thought they would try and communicate with a bird, even if it wasn't a seagull. Expect to shed a tear at the wonderful end. I have to wonder whether the poet in the book is based on Luis himself. A must read if you like happy tales, and animals tales!

No comments: