02/01/2018
K-Gr 3—Girotondo, the good witch's black cat, is so mangy and misshapen that his description requires four of a stanza's six lines and 12 of its 31 words! But he is big-hearted despite his nonexistent self-esteem, "…¡yo sólo un cretino!" (I'm only a cretin). Julieta, his mentor, agrees to teach him spellcraft when he is bewitched by an "exquisite" white (of course) cat. The young, blonde witch teaches him everything she knows as he pines away for his true love. After he is rewarded with his very own ritualistic black knife and white scythe, he confesses that what he really wants is a love potion recipe. Without the potion, Girotondo knows he doesn't stand a chance with the nameless feline beauty. Julieta assures her friend that love itself is the only true magic. Graphic book artist Cossi's rhyming romance takes the misguided cat on a journey of self-discovery. The effortless flow of meter and rhyme is a testament to the quality of the translation from Italian to Spanish. Frezzato's crosshatched illustrations reveal his graphic novelist background. They are at turns detailed and fun—the comical scene when the concoction in the caldron explodes—or simplistic and puzzling: the insipid rendering of the white cat and the too-cute Girotondo—isn't he supposed to be grotesque? VERDICT An accompanying adult is recommended as the advanced vocabulary and some specialized Wiccan terminology can prove challenging for the intended age group.—Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County Public Library, Tucson, AZ
