"Two Christmas trees. Two fried carp. Two bowls of potato salad. Two piles of presents," is how one of the book's characters aptly describes the Christmas of children who live alternately with two parents. The main theme of Řapky, Migratory Cats from the Má to háké edition is precisely alternating care, which the main character, sophomore Peťula, also has to get used to. With the start of the school year comes regular moving; every Sunday he has to pack his things for school and move with his cat Tapka to the other parent. The story is written in the form of a diary, with the help of which Petka talks to her cat, with whom she is the only one who can share all her feelings. Darina Krygielova's pictures complement the short chapters, which are created as sensitively as the text.
Despite the fact that the book has a positive yellow cover and its title is funny in relation to the topic (a domestic cat becomes a migrant because it has to move with a little girl every week), it brings a sad story with a lot of rhetorical questions that lead the reader to think . In addition to introducing children to the functioning of alternate care, it also sets up a mirror for parents. "At mom's house or at dad's house? I know one thing for sure. That it is no longer possible at home with both of them at the same time." The little girl gradually has to come to terms with the fact that each school has different textbooks, that she will not participate in the school trip, because at that time she will be in another city, and that her father has a friend with whom she plans to live . Forgotten homework, mom's crying and dad's screams mix into all this. As a proper book for children, Petka's story ends on a positive note, even if the ending is relatively open - the last pages are filled with clean lines that, according to the main character, Ťapko should complete, but they will serve to complete the story at will, even for a child reader.
Tatiana Piliarová
BŘEZINOVÁ, Ivona: Ťapka, kočka stěhovavá. Praha: Albatros, Pasparta, 2017.
The review was created at the Department of Journalism of FSV UK under the supervision of PhDr. Jana Čeňková, Ph.D.