*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
Maruru lived with a nice family until he chased a flock of sparrows and got lost. Now living on the streets, he runs into Hachi, who eventually takes the housecat under his wing to survive as strays together.
While adorable and heartwarming at times, it’s also heartwrenching. Stray cats don’t have easy lives and while this doesn’t pull a Watership Down and shock us with blood and gore; their lives are still rough and have a ton of risk. They struggle to find food and clean water, to stay warm in the winter, have turf disputes, and rely on the rare kind person who will help them out. The volume does a good job at getting you connected to the characters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna leave some cat food on the porch. 5 out of 5.
