Summary: All pet lovers at one point in there life like to think that they will one day be reunited with their favorite pets in heaven. Well, in this fun and interesting story, we discover a cat that practically wills itself into heaven by befriending an artist. We initially find the cat being reluctantly adopted by the artist when his maid brings it to the artist's home. Soon after he decides to keep the cat, the artist is hired by monks for a grand commission, to create a painting of Buddha on his death bed. With such a grand endeavor before him, the artist focuses on his creation by intricately painting various animals to join Buddha in his last days as they visit him. Throughout his work, the cat becomes an inspiration to the artist and because of the cat's soothing demeanor the artist wants to include the feline into the painting of Buddha. Unfortunately, history has told that the cat was not included in Buddha's heaven because of its pride and aloofness. The artist knows that if he includes the cat with Buddha then it would not be historically accurate and he would lose his commission. After much debate and apprehension, the artist decides against his own better judgment and paints the cat with Buddha. At seeing this inclusion the painter's beloved cat passes away. As predicted, though, when the monks see that the artist included a cat off to the side of the painting, they immediately reject it. After going home dejected and sad, the artist soon gets word that the monks have changed their opinions and now love the painting Then as the story ends we find why the monks had changed their minds: the painting depicts Buddha with arms extended and the cat now by his side.
Reference: Coatsworth, E. (1967). The cat who went to heaven. New York, NY. Macmillan, Publishing Co.
Impressions: Admittedly, I found the story telling a bit slow in the beginning but, being a dabbler in penciling and sketching, I truly appreciated and admired the drawings of the animals inside the book. As the story progressed, the behavior of the cat grabbed my attention and made me wonder what was the purpose to all of this. Then as I learned a little more of Buddha and how the cat is denied inclusiveness into his heaven, I began to see the connection. Then as the story ends, everything comes to light. I was able to see that Coatsworth was probably a cat lover and wanted to share this Buddha tale involving her favorite animal.
Blog Review: I think this book deserves a Newbery Award because of the characters. Elizabeth described her characters very well. I could imagine them very vividly, with a little help of the pictures. Nearly all of Elizabeth’s characters had unique traits. The Cat Who Went to Heaven is a very good book because of the way the stories are told. Elizabeth gave me enough details that I could imagine almost all the animals and humans as if they were in front of me, but simple enough so I couldn’t handle it. I would read this book again, I wouldn’t read a lot though because this book is slow and most of the book just tells stories of Buddha and his death, and the animals that went to his funeral. I wouldn’t recommend this book for people who don’t like slow books. Although, I would recommend this book for people who like animals and history. I liked this book because of the stories. The stories were detailed and can teach the reader a lesson, if the reader is willing to accept whatever lesson that they take from reading this book.
Library Use: The book would work well with a Religion class, preferably learning about world religions. This book can help students gain some insight into Buddhism. This book can be read aloud to students, although the librarian may want to skim through some parts to prevent losing the patrons' interests. However, I feel that the book would work best as something read outside of class. After the presentation, students could research the religion of Buddhism, Buddha, his history, and some of the paintings involving Buddha. As for grade level, I think the book can work with all grade levels, but the work assigned should vary.
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