Sadly, this is not quite as charming as its predecessor, but then, I think that may be an impossible task. Still, it's a worthwhile read, although the last story is somewhat awkward, as it tries to Teach Us About Racism.

The first story is about the cat and his journeys with the rabbi's cousin Malka and his lion; I love how you can't quite tell what's fact and what's fiction as Malka tells his tales. And! As bonus, there is a hilarious talking snake, although this snake is more sinister and less amusing than Koh of Silver Diamond. Even so, the conversations among the cat, the lion, and the snake are priceless.

The second story is the One About Racism, and I was poised to like it until the ending. The rabbi, a Russian Jew, and several other people, decide to go find the Ethiopian Jews and encounter many adventures along the way. Unfortunately, Sfar seems to be espousing the typical viewpoint that judging people based on race is bad (which I agree with) and leaving it at that (which I don't agree with); he ends by showing that the Ethiopian Jews are just as prejudiced as the Jews who refused to marry the Russian Jew and his black sweetheart. Which, okay, I'm sure it's true, but not the point!

I still think it's worth reading, but had I known the ending of the second story, I might have skipped the last few pages so I could keep an untarnished memory of the series.