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The Cat Who Went to Heaven


 The Cat Who Went to Heaven

By Elizabeth Coatsworth

Overview: This a story about a poor Artist who lived in Japan with his housekeeper. One day, when the housekeeper came back from the market, she did not bring food as usual, but a white cat. She had spots on her back, yellow eyes, and a stub for a tail. They named her "Good Fortune." After a couple of days of owning the cat, the high priest from their temple came to the Artist's house and commissioned him to paint a picture of Buddha's death. The Artist agreed and the priest left. The Artist spent the next three days imagining what Buddha's life must have been like and on the last day, he drew him. 

In the days that followed after that, the Artist imagined all of the different animals that Buddha's spirit had been in, according to the many stories he had heard, and he drew one after another. With each animal drawn, Good Fortune would look at the painting and seem pleased with it. However, she became more and more upset when she realized that she wouldn't be able to be drawn because, according to the stories, cats had rejected Buddha and his wisdom and were therefore not allowed into heaven. But in the end, the Artist drew a cat in the painting and Good Fortune was so overjoyed that she died. The painting was taken to the temple to be demolished for the heresy that it portrayed of cats going to heaven, but then something miraculous occurred. The painting changed and it was clear to all that Buddha was forgiving and compassionate and allowed Good Fortune passage to heaven.

This book is interesting as it submerges the reader in the Buddhist religion in Japan. It is a novel, but a 3rd-5th grader could read it easily as the chapters are of normal length and the writing is extremely repetitive. The stories of compassion and sacrifice in the book are very moving and would be a neat challenge for students to relate to.

Awards: The Newbery Medal


-The Green Eyed Reader

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