Gobbolino, the Witch's Cat
Encyclopedia
Gobbolino, The Witch's Cat is a children's novel written by Ursula Moray Williams
. It was first published in 1942.
with one white paw, and sparkling blue eyes who was born to be a witch's cat with his pure black twin
sister, Sootica. While his sister is quite happy to learn spells and turn mice into toads, Gobbolino longs to be a humble kitchen cat; and he embarks on a great adventure to seek out his heart's desire.
First, he tries to be a normal kitchen cat, first at a farm, then an orphanage, then the mayor's house, but his magic always gets him into trouble. He becomes a show cat, but the other cats are jealous and reveal him as a witch's cat. He becomes a ship's cat for a brief period, but returns to shore after using his magic to save the ship from a witch, making the sailors suspicious.
He is adopted by a sick princess, but when she is well again she leaves for boarding school without him, and he joins a Punch and Judy show as 'Toby the Dog', but a witch in the audience reveals him as a witch's cat. A knight finds him and gives him to a lady as a gift, but when Gobbolino tries to help the knight win over the Lady, he only causes more trouble. He leaves, and is adopted by a woodcutter, but the woodcutter's great-granddaughter sells him to a pedlar-woman for a dress.
Finally accepting his magic, Gobbolino becomes the pedlar-woman's assistant, but his good heart and unwillingness to cause pain mean he fails at every task he is set. The pedlar-woman leaves him in the care of his sister, Sootica, and her mistress, but once again he is unable to complete his tasks. The witch puts a spell on him, removing his magical powers, and he finds his way back to the farm where he began his journey, his coat having faded to an unrecognisable tabby. Here, he finds his old friends welcome him back happily, and he becomes the farm's kitchen cat.
The name 'Gobbolino' is from the Italian word for "little hunchback".
Ursula Moray Williams
Ursula Moray Williams was an English children's author of nearly 70 books for children. Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, written while expecting her first child, remained in print throughout her life from its publication in 1939.Her classic stories often involved brave creatures who...
. It was first published in 1942.
Plot introduction
Gobbolino is a little black kittenBlack cat
A black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats...
with one white paw, and sparkling blue eyes who was born to be a witch's cat with his pure black twin
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
sister, Sootica. While his sister is quite happy to learn spells and turn mice into toads, Gobbolino longs to be a humble kitchen cat; and he embarks on a great adventure to seek out his heart's desire.
First, he tries to be a normal kitchen cat, first at a farm, then an orphanage, then the mayor's house, but his magic always gets him into trouble. He becomes a show cat, but the other cats are jealous and reveal him as a witch's cat. He becomes a ship's cat for a brief period, but returns to shore after using his magic to save the ship from a witch, making the sailors suspicious.
He is adopted by a sick princess, but when she is well again she leaves for boarding school without him, and he joins a Punch and Judy show as 'Toby the Dog', but a witch in the audience reveals him as a witch's cat. A knight finds him and gives him to a lady as a gift, but when Gobbolino tries to help the knight win over the Lady, he only causes more trouble. He leaves, and is adopted by a woodcutter, but the woodcutter's great-granddaughter sells him to a pedlar-woman for a dress.
Finally accepting his magic, Gobbolino becomes the pedlar-woman's assistant, but his good heart and unwillingness to cause pain mean he fails at every task he is set. The pedlar-woman leaves him in the care of his sister, Sootica, and her mistress, but once again he is unable to complete his tasks. The witch puts a spell on him, removing his magical powers, and he finds his way back to the farm where he began his journey, his coat having faded to an unrecognisable tabby. Here, he finds his old friends welcome him back happily, and he becomes the farm's kitchen cat.
The name 'Gobbolino' is from the Italian word for "little hunchback".
Editions
- ISBN 0-7534-1209-8 (paperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
, 2005) - ISBN 0-7534-0630-6 (hardback, 2001)
- ISBN 0-14-030239-5 (paperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
, 1969)