Set in an indigenous Mixtec village in the artist's own Oaxaca, the story involves an evil healer, a good healer and his extraordinary feline pets. Though some people fear the cats will eat everything in sight–and maybe even set fire to fields–the animals soon prove their worth and win their way into the villagers' hearts.

The story begins:  “There once was a healer who lived alone in a village high in the mountains. You would never see any cats in his village. Not a single one lived there, for it was hot during the day, cold at night, and dusty all the time. It was not a comfortable place for cats, or for anyone else.  It was the healer’s job to care for the sick. He would swish and swoosh fragrant herbs over their heads and sweep their illnesses away. The people of the village depended on the healer and called for him quite often. But since the healer considered it his duty to help, he never asked for money. His patients would pay him with beans or corn, or with a little bit of change that was never enough...”

The healer in an Oaxacan village returns from market with 25 kittens, but the unfamiliar animals are viewed by the townspeople with suspicion and scorn. When an evil spell threatens the local butcher, the healer and his cats save her life and win the villagers' hearts. "Succeeds on all levels....The story is told in easy colloquial English that has the cadenced feel of Spanish. The illustrations are remarkable."--School Library Journal. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

“An excellent addition to any library!" — ALA Booklist

“Witty and complex illustrations." — New York Times Book Review"

“100 Children’s Titles for Reading and Sharing" — New York Public Library

Publishers Weekly : Mysticism and superstition underlie this humorous Mexican folktale, the debut of both author and artist. An impoverished healer buys a litter of kittens with the hope of reselling them, only to encounter the mistrust of the villagers who "imagined wild things." Fears that "they eat mice but also cows," and "they'll set fire to our fields" drive the townspeople to hire an evil healer to dispose of the cats. The pack of coyotes she dispatches prove to be no match for the crafty felines, who ultimately win the hearts of the villagers by helping the good healer save the butcher's life. Martinez's whimsical, masterfully executed watercolors are rendered in sundried pastels and sandy earthtones befitting the South-of-the-border locale. Surrounded by wide margins full of mischievous cats, prowling coyotes and various Indian icons, the paintings seem tipped onto their fanciful backgrounds--a particularly eye-catching technique. Faces manage to appear at once stylized and realistic, while shading and shadow are used throughout to striking effect. Indeed, the artwork somewhat eclipses the text here: Gollub's prose is always serviceable--and occasionally more--but some passages seem repetitious and overlong. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

School Library Journal : Kindergarten-Grade 6-- It is a rare original folktale that has the feeling and sensibility of the real thing, and this one succeeds on all levels. A healer from a little village in Oaxaca makes a bare-bones living from his craft. One day, at the Mixtec market, he is given 25 kittens. Thinking to sell them in his village, where no one has cats, he takes them home in a pillowcase. But none of the superstitious villagers will take one, so he becomes their owner. Though the animals grow into loyal and useful helpers to the good man, the people remain suspicious of them. Finally, when the butcher is placed under a spell by an evil healer, it is the cats who save her, and peace comes to the village. The story is told in easy colloquial English that has the cadenced feel of Spanish. The illustrations are remarkable. Done in predominantly desert hues of yellow, ocher, blue, and pink, in a primitive, folk style, the bordered watercolors bring the text to life. The people are bulky and have a sense of volume created by the use of white space. Their faces resemble those of the cats, giving an eerie relatedness to the characters. This is a tale that children will pore over and want to hear again and again. Stronger in narrative line than The Woman Who Outshone the Sun (Children's Book Pr, 1991) by Alejandro Cruz Martinez, it's a sound introduction to some of the elements of Mexican folklore.