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backonthealex's review against another edition
5.0
A rich young lord, living high atop Hunger Mountain, has everything one could want, yet he never seems to have enough of anything. He even has the arrogance to leave a bowl of rice half eaten while other go hungry. When a year-long drought hits Hunger Mountain, famous for its delicious rice, farmers’ crop fail and villagers grow hungry, but the Lord Cat continues living his extravagant life. By the second year of the drought, there is no one left to take care of the young lord, yet, he still refuses to leave, too. Finally, starving, he leaves his pagoda, and goes begging. When a kind monk gives him a bowl of rice, Lord Cat discovers it is the wasted rice from his own paddies, collected over the years by the monk. Experiencing poverty and then kindness, the Lord Cat at last knows what is like to be truly blessed. Using a mixed media collage made up of different papers, patterns, textures, and photographs, Young relates a fable about greed and waste that, as Young writes, can sometimes be the unlikely gateway to gratitude and humility.
nikimarion's review against another edition
4.0
Another apt book to read the day after the inauguration.
I love these collages. They're not the easiest to decipher, but sitting with them and spending time uncovering the details is a joy.
Young's choice of servant animals is deliberate and thoughtful: mice, "the strongest workers," build the greedy lord cat's tall pagoda and remind me of Art Spiegalman's metaphorical anthropomorphizing of cats and mice in MAUS.
A heavier picturebook for sure, which is reflected in the color scheme. Young uses no vibrant hues, instead opting for earthy browns, deep greens, and dark blues. Even the endpapers are treebark brown.
I love these collages. They're not the easiest to decipher, but sitting with them and spending time uncovering the details is a joy.
Young's choice of servant animals is deliberate and thoughtful: mice, "the strongest workers," build the greedy lord cat's tall pagoda and remind me of Art Spiegalman's metaphorical anthropomorphizing of cats and mice in MAUS.
A heavier picturebook for sure, which is reflected in the color scheme. Young uses no vibrant hues, instead opting for earthy browns, deep greens, and dark blues. Even the endpapers are treebark brown.
fernthepanda's review against another edition
3.0
A lovely story, but I am not a fan of this style of art. Just not my cup of tea.
chachacenteno's review against another edition
5.0
I struggled with the illustrations but that is a personal fault. The story was intriguing and keeps the readers attention. A fabulous moral.
arielkirst's review against another edition
2.0
Liked the story all right, didn't care for the collage-style illustrations.
jmshirtz's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the fable, but honestly wished the cat had had a harder time at the end. lol The illustrations seem to be made form ripped patterned paper, which makes for a very different kind of image (I like different).
cweichel's review
4.0
Ed Young's paper and other media collages are gorgeous They add rich textures of meaning to this tale that teaches us an important lesson about being grateful for what we have.
pattireadsalot's review
4.0
I 100% admit that I picked this up as a quick read to make my Goodreads goal for 2016. I couldn't stand being a single book away from completion because of my slow December reading month! Grammy bought this for my daughters for Christmas, so I picked it up off the nearby shelf.
The dedication immediately hooked me. "To the strange virtue in deprivation, an unwanted and the least understood gateway to humanity and life's riches." What an eloquent way to describe appreciation for a simple life!
The artwork is masterful, with collage-like bursts of color that give the reader a sense of the cultural background and tone. Ed Young studied architecture, which makes sense as you flip the gorgeous pages. Maybe a children's book everyday would be a good way to begin the New Year. To all who are reading this, I hope your year has been filled with amazing reads. I'm excited about all the new books I will discover in 2o17. Cheers! xo
The dedication immediately hooked me. "To the strange virtue in deprivation, an unwanted and the least understood gateway to humanity and life's riches." What an eloquent way to describe appreciation for a simple life!
The artwork is masterful, with collage-like bursts of color that give the reader a sense of the cultural background and tone. Ed Young studied architecture, which makes sense as you flip the gorgeous pages. Maybe a children's book everyday would be a good way to begin the New Year. To all who are reading this, I hope your year has been filled with amazing reads. I'm excited about all the new books I will discover in 2o17. Cheers! xo