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kimberlyjerger's review against another edition
4.0
*4
1931 Newbery Medal
A beautiful fable set in ancient Japan, The Cat Who Went to Heaven follows a struggling artist whose elderly housekeeper brings a cat home one day. When the artist is commissioned by the village’s priest to paint the death of Buddha, the artist struggles to balance his growing compassion for the sweet and intelligent cat with the legend of a proud cat who denied Buddha’s teachings.
The Cat Who Went to Heaven is a gorgeous moral tale that, while repetitive at times, features a touching conclusion about forgiveness and compassion.
1931 Newbery Medal
A beautiful fable set in ancient Japan, The Cat Who Went to Heaven follows a struggling artist whose elderly housekeeper brings a cat home one day. When the artist is commissioned by the village’s priest to paint the death of Buddha, the artist struggles to balance his growing compassion for the sweet and intelligent cat with the legend of a proud cat who denied Buddha’s teachings.
The Cat Who Went to Heaven is a gorgeous moral tale that, while repetitive at times, features a touching conclusion about forgiveness and compassion.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
3.0
A humble painter is convinced by his housekeeper to adopt a cat despite their poor circumstances. Then he is commissioned to paint Buddha by the local priests for the temple. The artist ponders and prepares feeling inspired to paint the homage of the animals to the dying Buddha.
The cat, who becomes rather uncatlike, watches and waits and hopes to be painted like all the other animals in the picture.
Considering this won the Newbery award in 1931, I was plesantly surprised. It reads like a more contemporary piece. I enjoyed the moral of the short novel, and recommend everyone interested in children's literature or in Buddha to read it. It is a good representation of Asian folk and religious tales.
The cat, who becomes rather uncatlike, watches and waits and hopes to be painted like all the other animals in the picture.
Considering this won the Newbery award in 1931, I was plesantly surprised. It reads like a more contemporary piece. I enjoyed the moral of the short novel, and recommend everyone interested in children's literature or in Buddha to read it. It is a good representation of Asian folk and religious tales.
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
I was feeling frustrated by the fact that I was not managing to make any real headway in the book I have been reading. I just wanted a book I would enjoy and could finish quickly and smoothly. I scoured the bookshelf and came across this tiny book hidden away, which just happened to meet the reading theme of the month: animals.
This was a lovely story featuring a starving Japanese artist who acquires a cat and then is commissioned to paint the death of Buddha for the local shrine. Sadly, the stories of the death of Buddha say that cats are the only animals that did not pay their respects to the dying Buddha and therefore have no place in the painting, even though the artist's cat is a faithful friend and is a great supporter of the work on the painting.
I cried. Yes, really, I cried. I thought it was well-written, with a little bit of a moral lesson and some Buddhist philosophy, some history, and some culture. And a cat.
This was a lovely story featuring a starving Japanese artist who acquires a cat and then is commissioned to paint the death of Buddha for the local shrine. Sadly, the stories of the death of Buddha say that cats are the only animals that did not pay their respects to the dying Buddha and therefore have no place in the painting, even though the artist's cat is a faithful friend and is a great supporter of the work on the painting.
I cried. Yes, really, I cried. I thought it was well-written, with a little bit of a moral lesson and some Buddhist philosophy, some history, and some culture. And a cat.
bunbobabe's review against another edition
3.0
I read this during my Buddhism unit in my World Religions class. Definitely helps with the cultural references and nuances. Overall, a pretty meh reading experience. It wasn't overly tedious or boring, but it wasn't a good book for my reading curriculum (it's one of those reads where you can spark note the whole thing and it doesn't make that much of a difference as if you'd read the actual book).
heyt's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
amyl88's review against another edition
2.0
This was shaping up to be a really charming story - struggling artist wins a chance to paint a picture of the Buddha for the temple, which could propel him into stardom and alleviate his suffering. He takes the opportunity to meditate on the life of the Buddha and the various animals he had taken the form of, and decides to paint each animal visiting on his deathbed. I enjoyed the meditations on each animal form, how Buddha used each one to illustrate a philosophy. His little cat, Good Fortune, watches him paint and seems to him to be asking to be included in the painting.
And then, then end. I really hated the ending: I MEAN REALLY HATED IT. In fact, I'm dropping a star now that I'm thinking about it again.
I have decided to try the Newbery challenge again. This one won the Newbery in 1931.
And then, then end. I really hated the ending:
Spoiler
the artist didn't think the cat should be in the picture because "cats are usually proud and self-satisfied" and "refused to accept the teachings of Buddha." But the cat was so sad, he decided to include her anyway. When the cat saw that she was included, SHE DIED FROM JOY. WHAT THE ACTUAL F!I have decided to try the Newbery challenge again. This one won the Newbery in 1931.