The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly - Hardcover

Sepulveda, Luis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439401860 ISBN 13: 9780439401869

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2003

Synopsis

Published in 20 countries, sold over 1 million copies, and the subject of a feature film, THE STORY OF A SEAGULL AND THE CAT WHO TAUGHT HER TO FLY has finally come to the U.S.!

It's migration time and as a mother gull dives into the water to catch a herring she's caught in an oil slick! Thinking of the egg she is about to lay she manages to extract herself and fly to the nearest port.
Exhausted, she lands on a balcony where Zorba the cat is sunning himself. Zorba wants to get help, but the gull knows it's too late and she extracts three promises from him: 1) That he won't eat the egg, 2) that he'll take care of the chick until it hatches, and 3) that he'll teach it to fly.
Well the first two are hard enough, but the third one is surely impossible. Isn't it?

About this title

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

Review

Booklist
(September 1, 2003; 0-439-40186-0)

Gr. 3-6. Zorba, a fat black cat, anticipates lazing around while his owner vacations, but his life abruptly changes when a dying, oil-covered seagull lands on his balcony and makes Zorba promise to protect the egg she leaves behind, raise the chick, and teach it to fly. With the help of several quirky feline friends and a human, Zorba accomplishes each task--and discovers the joys of caring for someone other than himself. This graceful balance of humor and heart is an irresistible read. Characters are distinctively drawn and diverse: Lucky the chick who embraces her gifts and her unusual feline family; Einstein the cat who worships the encyclopedia; and, of course, Zorba, courageous and tender. Simple language sensitively conveys the characters and events; and themes embracing respect for the environment, family diversity, and compassion are effectively conveyed both through dramatic episodes and character-driven comedy. Black-and-white illustrations expressively portray the characters and settings, adding another element to an entertaining, thought-provoking story that can sit comfortably alongside books by DicKing-Smith. --Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright 2003 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
starred (August 18, 2003; 0-439-40186-0)

"Humans, unfortunately, are unpredictable. Often it's with the best intentions that they cause the greatest damage." So says the wise cat, Colonel, in Sepulveda's charming tale of devotion, courage and the importance of keeping one's word. A man-made disaster indeed gets the story started: a female gull becomes mired in an enormous oil slick and expends all of her remaining energy in a final flight to safety. She lands on the balcony of an apartment building, where she meets the fat black cat Zorba and extracts a threefold promise from him: that he will not eat the egg she is about to lay, that he will look after it and, once it is hatched, that he will teach the fledgling how to fly. Zorba enlists the help of his good and noble friends ("He gave his word of honor, and the word of one cat of the port is the word of all the cats of the port," says Colonel). Each is endearing and distinctive, from the sage but stammering Colonel to the hilariously forthright Secretario to the encyclopedia-consulting Einstein. With shades of the friendship between a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur, the relationship between Zorba and Lucky (the name the feline gives the baby gull) explores fundamental questions of life and death, and following one's calling. Sepulveda also fills the brief chapters with memorable everyday moments: the busy Italian restaurant that serves the cats around the back (but only with a reservation), the catalogue of wonders cached in the house of Harry, a human friend to the cats. The language throughout, translated by Peden, is a marvel of economy and warmth, and Sheban's delicate charcoal and pastel illustrations heighten the sense of magic (particularly a wordless spread of Lucky taking flight over Hamburg by night). Readers will hope for the further adventures of these two unlikely friends. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0439401860
• ISBN 13: 9780439401869
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Sheban Chris