A charming little book
Who can resist a charming story about cats? Charm (An amazing story of a little black cat) Written and illustrated by the talented Leyla Atke, it has it all: a story about love, loss, and continuation, despite the pain of loss that exists when one’s beloved pet dies, leaving an empty cat-shaped hole. in one’s heart. How can such an abyss be filled? And how did feelings for the handsome black cat, whom the narrator calls Charm, develop in the first place?
In Charm, the author weaves a story that is, in itself, charming. Atke introduces the short but sweet book by recalling, in the first chapter, how Charm came into her life and changed her forever. She has the first-person narrator talk about “a hot summer day in June 2006” when he was “going to leave work for a break”. Fit the hairstyle into her busy day. Such are the moments when Fate, or God, enters our plans and sometimes, if we’re lucky, changes them in ways we never planned, but that bring a touch of happiness. to our lives.
At a busy intersection, on her way to her appointment with the hair, the narrator notices “something small and black” in the middle of the street, between the speeding cars. She notices that she is moving and decides to see what she is, so she stops her car and gets out to get a closer look. As she approaches the object, she sees that it is “a little black kitten sitting in the middle of the road.” With the cars “waiting for a green light from both sides”, she realizes that she has a chance to rescue the kitten and takes it.
Even then, after the narrator saves the kitten, she isn’t sure what to do with it and considers whether she should just “leave it in the park,” which is nearby. However, surprised by how cute and gentle the kitten is, even though it is dirty and its fur “smells like kerosene”, she takes the animal to her aunt’s house. She, like the narrator, has her own cat of hers, but agrees to “guard the kitten only until evening.” That allows the narrator to get back to work, think about what happened, and make the decision to keep the kitten.
I don’t want to reveal anything else, except to say that she decided to keep the little black kitty and name it Sweetheart. I really enjoyed reading Leyla Atke’s book, and her wonderful illustrations help give the reader a genuine sense of what Charm must have been like and how the kitten managed to, well, make her way into the narrator’s life.
However, there is something else I should mention about the book. It is primarily written for young teens and up. What finally happens to Charm is sad, and the description of the cat’s body after his death may be too much for younger readers, though the author is honest in recounting the details. Likewise, the author writes that “vaccination and castration” will be essential for a new kitten that enters her life, whom she sees for the first time “a couple of steps from Charm’s grave”, and which she also decides call Charm. These elements do not detract from anything (at least not in my humble opinion) to the appeal of the book; but I thought I should mention these things, so that if someone decides to buy it for younger children, they know that children may come to them with some very interesting questions about death and the definition of “castration.”
Charm (An amazing story of a little black cat) it’s a truly lovely story about how much a kitten can affect a person’s life and bring them joy. If you are an animal lover and perhaps own or have had a cat in the past, you will definitely want to add this lovely short book to your reading lists. It would also make a great gift for a cat lover in your life. I highly recommend it Charm to anyone who has ever had, or currently has, a kitten or cat.