Practical Well Planning and Drilling Manual Book

Now I originally read Luis Sepúlveda's 1996 The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly (titled Historia de una gaviota y el gato que le enseñó a volar in its original Spanish, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden, with Chris Sheban providing the accompanying illustrations) in August 2010 for a Children's Literature Group read. And yes indeed, considering that the summer of 2010 was also the time of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill tragedy and fiasco, perusing The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly then was both a timely and also a very important admonishment to not only children but really to everyone both young and old that we do need to absolutely guard against oil spills and oil slicks in the ocean and other bodies of water and the environmental havoc and terror these tend to wreak and cause, and especially for sea and shorebirds (with for example, at the beginning of The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, Chris Sheban's absolutely terrifying pictorial image of Kenach the seagull being totally and utterly overwhelmed and inundated in the North Sea by a massive flood of black and oily ooze being both aesthetically frightening and yes, even if perhaps a bit overly empathetic and moralistic in scope, also in all ways necessary and meaningful).

However, in retrospect, I personally really do also wish that The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly were a bit more realistic and less fantastical with regard to in particular cats and birds as animal species. For while the account of Zorba the Hamburg feline promising a dying (and oil drenched) Kenach that he would both take care of her egg and then also teach her young offspring to fly (once the time is right for this) has been sweet, encouraging and engaging enough in and of itself, frankly, considering that in reality, that in the real world, cats usually hunt and eat birds, that they see birds as potential prey, I really do have to wonder a trifle whether post Lucky the seagull having been taken care of, succoured and taught how to fly by Zorba, if she would still posses the natural instincts to view and approach cats in general as dangerous, as probable enemies and not as potential allies and companions. In other words, while I have found Zorba and Lucky's relationship tender and encouraging, I guess I also was kind of looking for Zorba teaching his charge, making Lucky aware of the fact and truth that while he and many of the Hamburg port cats certainly have been friends and companions to her, that once she is on her own flying and living as a typical seagull, cats should not automatically be considered friendly just because he and the port cats of Hamburg have been friendly, that cats usually do hunt, kill and eat birds and that Lucky should therefore generally be frightened or at the very least wary of cats as a species (something that I do not think every really seems to occur to any major extent in The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, and something that I for one definitely have found rather problematic at best, a totally missed opportunity so to speak, and certainly too fantastical and fairy tale like for me).

And therefore, while in August of 2010, I had originally considered four star ranking for The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly, in 2019, I am indeed now only willing and able to consider but a rather low three star ranking at best (for a tale with important environmental, ecological messages, even if perhaps a bit overtly didactic at times, and a cute and sweet depiction of an unusual avian/feline friendship that while readable and yes in many ways just lovely, also and nevertheless is truly just a wee trifle too unrealistic, too unbelievable and too one-sidedly rose-coloured glasses positive for my personal tastes).