The Cat Who Went to Heavenby Elizabeth Coatsworth
This is a cute Newbery Award winner from 1930. It's the story of a starving artist who is commissioned to paint a picture of the death of Buddha. As he paints each animal he becomes increasingly upset by the idea that cats are not included since his own little cat is such a devout and honorable creature. I'll leave the miraculous ending for you to discover for yourself.
This story is told with care. You come to respect the artist, his housekeeper, and the honorable cat. It gently reveals the life and beliefs of the Buddha and his followers in a child-friendly way. It is respectful of those followers and of it's audience, who may not be Buddhists themselves. This will be included as a read-aloud in our homeschool as we study the ancients in history.
This was my first Newbery Challenge book. You can find my list of challenge books here, but I have a feeling I will be reading a lot more than the 6 titles listed.
3 comments:
This sounds adorable. :) I can't wait for my niece to get old enough for me to read to her! In the meantime, I'll read it for me.
It is cute. And being a new cat mommy I feel the same wonder as the artist does for his new friend.
I don't know this one! It sounds charming, especially for cat people.
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