How the cat Zorbas taught the little seagull to fly

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The children's book How Kater Zorbas taught the little seagull to fly (Org: Historia de una gaviota y del gato que le enseñó a volar) by the Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda is about the experiences of a Hamburg harbor cat.

action

With the last of his strength, the oil-smeared seagull Kengah can fly to Hamburg and is found there by the tomcat Zorbas. The fat, large, black tomcat promises the dying seagull to take care of its egg and the hatching chick. She wrests three promises from him: not to eat the egg, to look after the egg until the chick hatches, and then to teach it to fly.

With the help of other harbor cats, he manages to complete the first two tasks. But Afortunada, as the chick is called, is unable to learn to fly. Finally, the other animals allow Zorba to seek help from the humans and ask one of them for help. To do this, they choose a poet. Finally, Zorbas and the poet decide to bring Afortunada to the Michel , from where the seagull Afortunada finally learns to fly.

Remarks

  • The story describes the efforts of the animals to keep their promises and thus conveys values ​​such as honor, friendship or responsibility.
  • At the same time, the author unobtrusively spreads his message that the pollution of the oceans by humans is a life-threatening danger, especially for many animals: the seagull Kengah dies from suffocation when oil is released into the sea.
  • The city of Hamburg plays a not unimportant minor role , whose port district around the Michel and its residents are described with a lot of love and detail.
  • The poem quoted by the poet was written by Bernardo Atxaga .
  • The book, published for the first time in 1996 , is recommended by the publishing company Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag for readers aged 8 and over. ISBN 978-3596850211

filming

The film of the same name (original title: La gabbianella e il gatto) was released as an animated film in 1998, directed by Enzo D'Alò . Luis Sepúlveda speaks the poet in the original Italian version.