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The Vagabond Cat: A Story for Children and Adults
A charming and funny but also profound and moving book.
This is the story of a cat called Mateo and his owner, a poor bricklayer who struggled to make ends meet. But it is also the story of three children and their unpredictable behaviour, and the story of an old lady and her peculiar little world, and the story of a beautiful model and her crazy boyfriend…Age 9+
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 24, 2014
7 people want to read
About the author
Elena Horas-San Martín
6 books1 followerElena has written many short and long stories for children and recently completed her first novel. She is also a qualified translator with almost thirty years of experience in the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2015
'The grass is always greener...'
Elena Horas San Martin is a Spanish writer and translator who has lived in the UK for more than twenty years writing children's books. Her books not only entertain - they also teach, both academic subjects such as languages and moral lessons for children's benefit.
THE VAGABOND CAT is a charming little tale about Mateo, a black cat, who relates his story about the people in his life. `Mateo was a handsome black cat, who had lived all his life in the same house, with the same person. He was fond of Ramón, his owner, and they both got on very well. He also enjoyed good health and the freedom to roam around the streets as much as he liked. Thus, you would say he was a lucky cat!`
Ramón is a bricklayer whose income isn't always stable and Mateo, being a curious cat, wanders off to see if there is a place for him to stay that would not be problem for Ramón. He tries a house with noisy children but ` The idea of remaining forever in this house was making Mateo's heart bleed. He couldn't see himself happy inside these dysfunctional walls. He simply couldn't flourish in this strange environment! His thoughts, once again, began drifting towards more attractive avenues. Without much effort he imagined himself somewhere else, with another family, with a completely different life...' `All he needed was a house with someone who would be clean, affectionate and entirely devoted to him." "Of course," he said excitedly, "an old lady!" "A charming old lady who treats me as if I were her own son!" he exclaimed full of joy. Mateo went to bed happily. He was again full of hope. He had made a mistake, that's all, but he had learnt from it.' Mateo tries other places, meets all manner of people, but in the end he returns to Ramón who despite his poor living conditions very much wants Mateo beside him.
Elena's writing style is simple and direct and to the point, but instead of being flat as so many stories narrated by animals can be, this story is full of life and imagination and makes the reader appreciate the good things they have.
Elena Horas San Martin is a Spanish writer and translator who has lived in the UK for more than twenty years writing children's books. Her books not only entertain - they also teach, both academic subjects such as languages and moral lessons for children's benefit.
THE VAGABOND CAT is a charming little tale about Mateo, a black cat, who relates his story about the people in his life. `Mateo was a handsome black cat, who had lived all his life in the same house, with the same person. He was fond of Ramón, his owner, and they both got on very well. He also enjoyed good health and the freedom to roam around the streets as much as he liked. Thus, you would say he was a lucky cat!`
Ramón is a bricklayer whose income isn't always stable and Mateo, being a curious cat, wanders off to see if there is a place for him to stay that would not be problem for Ramón. He tries a house with noisy children but ` The idea of remaining forever in this house was making Mateo's heart bleed. He couldn't see himself happy inside these dysfunctional walls. He simply couldn't flourish in this strange environment! His thoughts, once again, began drifting towards more attractive avenues. Without much effort he imagined himself somewhere else, with another family, with a completely different life...' `All he needed was a house with someone who would be clean, affectionate and entirely devoted to him." "Of course," he said excitedly, "an old lady!" "A charming old lady who treats me as if I were her own son!" he exclaimed full of joy. Mateo went to bed happily. He was again full of hope. He had made a mistake, that's all, but he had learnt from it.' Mateo tries other places, meets all manner of people, but in the end he returns to Ramón who despite his poor living conditions very much wants Mateo beside him.
Elena's writing style is simple and direct and to the point, but instead of being flat as so many stories narrated by animals can be, this story is full of life and imagination and makes the reader appreciate the good things they have.
September 6, 2015
This is a charming story for children and adults alike, about a cat who lives a contented life with a bricklayer, but seeks another life as he is curious over about what this would be like. However this quest with different families doesn’t turn out as he hopes. He meets lots of characters along the way, and there is much humour that made me smile more than once.
The author has the knack of keeping the reader interested, and it is just the sort of story I would love my grandchildren to read.
The author has the knack of keeping the reader interested, and it is just the sort of story I would love my grandchildren to read.
March 16, 2016
This is the kind of book I'd like my nieces to read. I would say it's for somewhat older children. Ten year olds, at least. It would be a challenging read for them, but a very good lesson. I enjoyed it very much.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews