The Rabbi's Cat

When the rabbi's cat wins the gift of speech by swallowing a parakeet, he uses it both to tell lies (that he didn't eat the parakeet, for example) and to tell his own story. But now that he's lied, the rabbi forbids him from talking to his daughter, Zlabya, and vows to educate him in the Torah. For his part, the cat wants to study Kabbalah and he wants a bar mitzvah. But the question of whether a feline can be Jewish must first be intensely debated by the cat and his master. When Zlabya falls in love with a dashing young rabbi, both are crestfallen and jealous, but the journey to meet the young man's secular family in Paris provides additional opportunities for the rabbi and his cat to discuss both the important and petty details of life. Vibrant with the colors, textures, and feeling of a lost world (one where Jews and Arabs easily co-existed) "The Rabbi's Cat is populated with wholly believable and endearing people and one truly unforgettable cat.

Joann Sfar was awarded the prestigious Jury Prize at Angoulême för The Rabbi’s Cat. He is best known in the United States för his children’s book Little Vampire Goes to School (a New York Times best seller) and Little vampire Does Kung Fu! (which was nominated for an Eisner Award). He lives in Paris with his wife, two children, and the model for the rabbi’s cat.

Utdrag ur boken:
Cat: What’s your master’s name?
Donkey: Where have you been? That’s Sheik Muhammad Sfar, the great singer. He dances and his dancing makes people wise. He sings and his song open eyes. He even makes donkeys smart.
Cat: Wait. An Arab is called SFAR?
Donkey: Yes. Sfar’s an Arab name.
Cat: Are you kidding? Sfar comes from “Sofer,” which means “to write” in Hebrew. Sfar is a Jewish name.
Donkey: You ass, Sfar comes from “yellow” in Arabic. It evokes the sulfur flower used by coppersmiths. Sfar’s Arabi through and through. Besides, we’re going to the grave of Messaoud Sfar, our ancestor.
Cat: That’s where we’re going, too.
Donkey: Messaoud Sfar was a great Sufi, a saint.
Cat: No way! Messaoud Sfar was a rabbi.
Donkey: Take that back!
Cat: Meow! Meow! Meow!
Donkey: Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!

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