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A review by aklibrarychick
The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
3.0
The second of my Newbery books this summer . . . . loved this little story. I'm not sure if Coatsworth invented the story entirely, or if it's based on a Japanese folktale, but it has that dreamy, timeless quality of folklore. The artist muses on the life and death of Buddha, thereby relating many traditional Buddhist stories. Many animals came to pay respects to Buddha as he lay dying, but the cat was not welcome, because the cat, alone of all animals, refused Buddha's teachings. This saddens the artist, who believes his beloved cat has brought him good fortune in life. The cat has even been named Good Fortune.
Compassion is the main theme of this book, and it takes many forms. The housekeeper has compassion for her master, and he for her. He has compassion for his pet, and finally, Buddha exhibits compassion to Good Fortune, and to all cats.
This book is something more than a picture book, though it has lovely ink illustrations, and something less than a chapter book. It would be a quick read for most kids, though again, as with the last Newbery book I reviewed, it has limited appeal to modern children.
If you enjoy my reviews, you can read more of them at http://haikulibrarian.blogspot.com/
Compassion is the main theme of this book, and it takes many forms. The housekeeper has compassion for her master, and he for her. He has compassion for his pet, and finally, Buddha exhibits compassion to Good Fortune, and to all cats.
This book is something more than a picture book, though it has lovely ink illustrations, and something less than a chapter book. It would be a quick read for most kids, though again, as with the last Newbery book I reviewed, it has limited appeal to modern children.
If you enjoy my reviews, you can read more of them at http://haikulibrarian.blogspot.com/