The Girl and the Cat

Mia, a quiet seven-year-old, treasures soft moss, slow snails and the stillness of early morning. When her family visits an animal shelter so she can choose a pet, most of the cats leap and meow for attention. One fluffy grey tabby with a bent ear and wide amber-green eyes stays far back in his cage. The shelter lady explains that Pepper is shy and likes to hide, and Mia asks to take him home anyway, promising he can hide as much as he needs.

At home Pepper does exactly that, slipping under the sofa, behind the curtains and among the books, with only his white paws or the tip of an ear showing. Rather than pulling him out, Mia sets up cozy hiding spots, leaves food nearby and sits close, reading aloud in a low, kind voice. Day by day the cat ventures a little further into the open. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER follows the slow building of trust between a patient child and a fearful animal, and it can be read on Masalcı Baba.