With his bright blue eyes and sparky magical whiskers, no one could mistake Gobbolino for a kitchen cat, but that's exactly what he longs to be. So, while his sister Sootica learns to turn mice into toads, Gobbolino sets off on a grand adventure to find a nice warm fire and a family to care for him.
First published in the 1940s, the story of Gobbolino the witch's cat with one white paw and bright blue eyes, has been delighting generations of young readers. It's the charming tale of a cat born a witch's cat but who would much rather be a kitchen cat. While his sister Sootica learns how to ride a broomstick and turn mice into toads, Gobbolino sets out to find a family to care for him and a home of his own. But Gobbolino is mistrusted wherever he goes, and blamed for myterious happenings such as the farmer's milk turning sour, and the orphanage children's gruel turning into chocolate! After many such adventures, Gobbolino finally finds the home of his dreams.
Ursula Moray Williams wrote and illustrated over 70 children's books in her lifetime. Born in 1911, she was one of identical twins, both of whom started to write and illustrate their own books at a young age. After spending time in France, Ursula's first book Jean Pierre was published when she was just twenty. Set in the Haute-Savoie region which she knew so well, it followed the adventures of a small boy and his pet goat. Moray Williams wrote her most famous story, The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, in 1938, in which a little toy horse is separated from his toymaker ‘uncle' and must endure many dangerous adventures before finally finding a happy ending. A few years later in, 1942, she went on to write Gobbolino, the Witch's Cat, which soon became a firm favourite with children. Her books have been illustrated by Edward Ardizzone and Shirley Hughes, among others.
