I was very excited to receive a copy of this newly re-illustrated translation from Alma Books.

‘The Story of a Seagull and the Cat who Taught her to Fly’ was originally written in Italian and has been translated into over 40 different languages!  Its author, Luis Sepulveda, was born in Chile and worked for several years as a crew member on a Greenpeace Ship.  His viewpoint on marine pollution is evident throughout this story.

When a dying seagull (who’s been caught in an oil spill) lands on Zorba’s balcony, the fat black cat isn’t sure what to do.  The gull’s last act is to lay a final little blue-speckled egg.  That, and to get Zorba to promise that he would look after the chick once it had hatched and, more problematically, teach it to fly!

Zorba enlists the help of the cat community of the port of Hamburg and together they set about fulfilling the seagull’s dying wish.  But will he have to break the sacred taboo?

This heart-warming tale is guaranteed to leave you feeling like you’ve been wrapped in a big hug.  The comradery of the cats as they struggle to get the seagull chick to fulfil her destiny and fly is totally believable and will have you rooting for them when they set-backs.

A real lesson on the value of friendship and the importance of keeping your word, I defy you not to want to spread your wings and fly yourself after reading this.

Library Girl.