Who can resist a charming story about cats? Charm (An amazing story of a black kitten) written and illustrated by the talented Leyla Atke has it all – it’s a story about love, loss, and continuation, despite the pain of loss that exists when the beloved pet dies and leaves an empty cat-shaped hole in it. heart. How can such a gulf be filled? And how did feelings for the handsome black cat, whom the narrator calls Charm, develop in the first place?

On Charm, the author weaves a story that is, in itself, charming. Atke presents the short but sweet book recalling, in the first chapter, how Charm came into his life and changed it forever for the better. She has the first-person narrator tell about “a hot summer day in June 2006” when “she was leaving work for a break.” The reason you are leaving is “to get a new hairstyle” and you are in a hurry to fit in the hairstyle on your busy day. Such are the moments when destiny, or God, enters our plans and sometimes, if we are lucky, changes them in ways that we had never planned, but that bring a touch of happiness. to our lives.

At a busy intersection, on her way to her hair appointment, the narrator notices “something small and black” in the middle of the street, among the racing cars. He realizes he’s moving and decides to see what it is, so he stops his car and gets out to get a closer look. When he approaches the object, he 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,” he realizes he has a chance to rescue the kitten and takes it.

Even then, after the narrator saves the kitten, she is unsure what to do with him and considers whether she should just “leave him in the park” that 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 it to her aunt’s house. She, like the narrator, has her own cat, but agrees to “house the kitten only until the evening.” That allows the narrator to go back to work, think about what has happened, and make the decision to keep the kitten.

I don’t want to reveal anything else except to say that she decides to keep the little black kitten and call him Charm. I really enjoyed reading Leyla Atke’s book, and her wonderful illustrations help give the reader a genuine insight into what Charm must have been like and how the kitty managed to, well, enchant her way into the storyteller’s life.

However, there is something else I should mention about the book. It is written primarily for young teenagers and up. What ultimately happens to Charm is sad, and the description of the cat’s body after its death might be too much for younger readers to handle, although the author is honest in relating the details. In addition, the author writes that “Vaccination and castration” will be essential for a new kitten who enters her life, whom she sees for the first time “a couple of steps from Charm’s grave”, and whom she also decides to call Charm. These elements do not detract at all (at least not in my humble opinion) 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 can come to them with some very interesting questions about death and the definition of “castration.”

Charm (An amazing story of a black kitten) is a truly delightful story about how much a kitten can affect a person’s life and bring joy. If you are an animal lover and perhaps you have a cat or have owned one in the past, you will definitely want to add this lovely short book to your reading list. It would also make a great gift for a cat lover in your life. I highly recommend it Charm to anyone who ever had, or currently has, a kitten or cat.

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