Not At All Sunday Trade: The Rabbi's Cat

The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar, with colors by Brigitte Findakly

Joann Sfar is probably my favorite European comic artist, especially with his normal partner Trondheim. Here he tells the story of an Algerian rabbi and his beautiful daughter as narrated by their cat. Literally so as the cat becomes able to speak to humans one day...

Sfar's art richly supports the simple story of the widowed rabbi's attempts to teach his cat proper morals, followed later by his work to come to terms with his daughter's marriage to a Parisian rabbi from a cosmopolitan Jewish family. I especially love several panels where the cat is shown reading the Torah. And those involving the rabbi's cousin Malka who travels with a rifle and lion...