Maya and the lost cat

Maya & Cat by Caroline Magerl(Walker Books, 2019)Good to Read for:cat loverscosy story timesits poetic descriptionsChildren have a natural inclination to befriend small creatures.

So this week’s recommendation –Maya & Cat by Caroline Magerl (Walker Books, 2021), about a child’s kind impulse to rescue a soggy moggy – is a winner from the get-go. 

It was the cat-strewn cover that attracted me. Then the atmospheric art inside. Once I read the opening lines, I was hooked:

 

On a roof,

as wet as a seal,

as grey as a puddle,

Cat was rumbling,

a rumbly purr.

 

Maya decides it needs rescuing. But her feather boa and pompom aren’t enough to lure the kitty down.

Instead, she floats a can of sardines – described as ‘a boatful of fish, under a tiny tin sail’ – across the water pooling outside her front door. That does the trick!

 

Pad pad thump,

in perfectly quiet fur boots,

Cat came to see – 

and ate every oily silver morsel!

 

But instead of taking shelter inside, Cat returns to the rooftops, climbing higher still and ‘[wraps] herself up in a soggy tail…floating above a thousand lit windows.’

One window must be Cat’s own, thinks Maya – and she takes it upon herself to find it.

So with ‘a new can of fish in her pocket’, Maya leads the way.

 

Cat followed politely behind.

   

The characters in Maya & Cat are quirky to the point of being eccentric. Maya herself wears a hat with tufted corners –reminiscent of a cat’s ears. Trailing her long feather boa through the puddled streets (and with a can of fish in her pocket), Maya goes from house to house to make her enquiries. Kids will love peeking inside at the secret lives within. One home is full of rabbits. Another with dogs. (Observant readers can speculate at the house with a duck in the window!)

Bingo! – a house full of cats (and obligatory Mad Cat Lady)!

 

“Have you lost a cat?”

“Probably not.”

 

Meanwhile, Cat (in true feline fashion) is doing her own thing. After watching from a safe distance, she hurries back down the rain-shiny street to Maya’s home. Finding Cat sitting in her bicycle basket, Maya seems to understand Cat’s meaning and the pair head off again.

Maya ‘[follows] Cat’s nose’, cycling ‘through the town and across the park’ and down to the sea.

 

Along the shore

and onto the pier, thunketty, thunk

on the wooden boards.

 

Look closely – Cat is pointing toward an eccentric-looking houseboat, rocking on the stormy sea at the end of the pier. It’s an ark-like home adorned with potted plants and pennant flags. (One extremely long one resembles Maya’s feather boa.) 

   

Happy to be home, Cat ‘[springs] circus-lion style’ into the outstretched arms of her owners, who welcome Maya aboard for a spot of afternoon tea.

Maya has accomplished her mission and escorted Cat safely home. Their stormy adventure is over. It’s bittersweet and feels like it may end in tears. But Cat has other plans. (Perhaps she’s had them all along…)

 

[S]ly and gentle,

Cat carried something…

a bundle of small and cloudy grey…

and gave her kitten to Maya.

 

It’s a lovely surprise! But why would Cat give her baby away? The answer: Her kitty (named Moby) gets seasick. So life on a boat will never work out. But now he gets a happy ending! ‘Trying her best not to wobble’, Maya cycles home with Moby, where she snuggles him up ‘in the waves and folds of [her] blankets’ to contentedly purr the night away.

 The twist raises interesting questions for curious young readers: Was Cat ever lost?

Was she searching for someone to adopt her seasick kitten – or was her encounter with Maya by chance?

There are hints, clues and suggestions. At the start, Cat seems to be watching Maya from the rooftops; it’s Cat who leads the way home – yet they pass a LOST CAT poster… Magerl cleverly leaves it open to interpretation. Meanwhile, Maya is shown alone – no sign of friends or family. Maybe she’s the one who’s lost?… 

I agree with the Cast of Thousands’ review of Maya & Cat. It feels timeless (perhaps because Magerl’s illustrations bring to mind Quentin Blake, Charlotte Voake and Edward Ardizzone) and contains ‘images and ideas...that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading and make you want to look and think again.’

Maya & Cat is more than a heart-warming story. It’s a creative spark for your to nurture and use to chat with your child. Its poetic descriptions will enrich children’s language. Ultimately, it does what quality picture books do best. It gives you and your child a precious moment of connection. 

Tips for sharing Maya & Cat

Make time to discuss how the illustrations make your child feel. Do they like being out on windy, rainy days? What about if they’re safe and warm inside?

Maya & Cat successfully turns the idea of being ‘lost and found’ on its head. Use it to prompt some creative thinking: Cat’s owners believed her to be lost. But did Cat feel lost? Did she know where she was? Was she simply searching for someone to adopt her kitten?

Maya & Cat is a quiet, calming story. Enhance the mood further – and get even cosier – by playing the sound of rain as you read: https://youtu.be/jMtXrmUox44

STORIES WORTH SHARINGMaya & Cat by Caroline Magerl(Walker Books, 2019)Good to Read for:cat loverscosy story timesits poetic descriptionsCopyright © 2019 Caroline Magerl (Text & Illustrations)From MAYA & CAT by Caroline MagerlReproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London, SE11 5HJGOOD TO READ

Best picture books about being lost and found

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies

Beegu by Alexis Deacon

Let’s Get a Pup! by Bob Graham

A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton 

Mr Scruff by Simon James

Perdu by Richard Jones

Little Honey Bear and the Smiley Moon by Isobel Lobel & Tim Warnes

Sam Vole and his Brothers by Martin Waddell & Barbara Firth

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman

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Maya & Cat by Caroline Magerl (Walker Books, 2019)https://www.castofthousands.co.uk/blo...Are you stuck for quality stories that you and your kids will enjoy? Sign up for your free weekly email with story recommendations and tips. SIGN UP HERE © 2022 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD-PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE