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School cat Tombi becomes hero of book series
School cat Tombi becomes hero of book series
“Tombi,” an orange tabby cat being looked after by students in a school in the Aegean province of İzmir, has become the hero of a children’s book series.
The cat had first been kept in the yard and then adopted by third-graders and their teacher, Özlem Pınar Ivaşcu, at the Ticaret Borsası Primary School in İzmir’s Bayraklı district. But it had been removed from the school after a parent made a complaint in February.
But the students became unhappy after the cat was removed from their class, with their parents requesting to bring Tombi back to the classroom. Many Turkish social media users had criticized the decision too.
Ömer Yahşi, an official from the provincial directorate of the Education Ministry, gave instructions to allow the cat to be returned to the class.
After the short separation, Tombi was back in class on Feb. 22. İvaşcu and her students had the cat vaccinated and got him an ID card. Now Tombi is on new adventures, this time in a book series written by İvaşçu.
The book series, which aims to entertain children while informing them, tells the story of Tombi and his classmates travelling Turkey’s various regions. The printing of the first book of the series, titled “Tombi Şanlıurfa’da” (Tombi in Şanlıurfa), has recently been finished and it will hit bookstores soon.
In the book Tombi and the students travel historical and touristic places in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa and learn about its local foods and climate conditions. One of the places they visit is Göbeklitepe, the world’s oldest human settlement. The series, which will have 10 books, will take Tombi and his friends to the ancient city of Ephesus in the second book.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, İvaşçu said that after Tombi’s story went viral on social media, he drew the attention of national and international press, and Tombi was in the news in 24 countries, including the U.S., Italy and Japan. She said Tombi regularly came to the classroom, adding, “Children’s performance improved in the second semester because they adapted to Tombi very well. When Tombi is in the classroom, they do not make noise in order not to disturb him. They listen to the class better. Also, they don’t run away from the classroom. Improvements in their behaviors are also seen in their performance.”
İvaşçu said that the students loved to read books and mostly preferred informative books. “The children told me to write such a book. Then we started writing a book series for children between the ages of 8 and 9. Tombi’s adventures that started in the schoolyard continued all around the world. The income of the book will be donated to stray animals. We will create a fund to finance their treatment and food,” she said.
Talha Özkan, a student, said that Tombi greeted them in the classroom by meowing on the desks. “I love Tombi too much. Like my friends, I am very happy that he is in the class with us. I will read the book in the summer. We will spend the income of the book on other animals; we will help cats,” Özkan said.
Rabia Akuş, another student, said that the book mentioned the name of each student in the class, adding, “The book will be a memory for us and we will read it when we grow up too.”
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