The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale [Library Binding]

Koko Nishizuka (Author), Rosanne Litzinger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2009 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this story based on a Japanese folktale, an impoverished boy named Yohei shares his dinner with a cat that appears on his doorstep. When Yohei faces a crisis, the cat remembers his generosity and brings help.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nishizuka's engaging debut recounts a folktale about a good-luck symbol in Japan. Young Yohei lives by the sea with his sick father, eking out a meager income by selling fish door-to-door. When a wet cat appears at their door, he welcomes her and, despite his own hunger, shares his modest dinner. Soon after, his father grows too sick to be left alone, and Yohei despairs: how can he sell fish and still care for him? Buyers begin appearing as if by magic, lured by a beckoning white cat. She's calling customers on your behalf! one client declares. I have never heard of a cat repaying a kindness. The father recovers, the boy prospers and the beckoning cat becomes a popular symbol for merchants. Litzinger's (The Animals Watched) full-bleed pictures—a highly tactile mix of watercolor, colored pencil, ink and gouache—combine comfortably rounded, stylized forms and a gently shaded palette to evoke a contemplative mood. As the story progresses, the cat—not realistically drawn to begin with—increasingly resembles its real-life porcelain incarnations, seated, with an oversize head, its right front paw raised in greeting. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

This charming retelling of a Japanese folktale explains the good-luck symbolism behind the waving white cat, whom kids may recognize in the ubiquitous white statues that sit with paws raised on business counters. Young Yohei, a poor, hardworking door-to-door fish monger, finds his life transformed after a muddy white cat comes begging. Yohei shares his meager dinner with the feline visitor, and the next day he is astonished when customers begin to come straight to him. The reason, he soon discovers, is the grateful white cat, who lures people to Yohei’s door with his beckoning paw and stays on to help Yohei create a prosperous fish business. In her children’s book debut, Nishizuka writes in captivating, simple, easily paced language that is well suited for storytime, as are Litzinger’s watercolor, pencil, and gouache pictures. In petal-soft shades and textures, the uncluttered compositions feature appealingly rounded, expressive figures, and children will enjoy following, and then talking about, the mysterious, prominently placed green-eyed cat to the book’s happy conclusion. Preschool-Grade 2. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (March 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823420515
• ISBN-13: 978-0823420513
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #774,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Tale, Charmingly told!, February 5, 2009

By 

L. T. Sharpe (Western Catskills, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale (Library Binding)

This is a charming tale, charmingly told! The story of the "beckoning cat" is an old one in Japanese folk lore. Koko Nishizuka keeps the Japanese flavor of the piece, while communicating the universal lessons learned from generosity and open-heartedness. It's such a refreshing and appealing tale, especially for today's world, one that kids will love for the cat, of course, but one that adults can embrace for its simple but true morale of what goes around comes around, the rewards of sharing, for simply doing good. Rosanne Litzinger's illustrations are fresh and fun and winning. I look forward to more collaborations between Nishizuka and Litzinger!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who's That Tapping at My Door?, August 4, 2010

By 

Elizabeth Varadan (Sacramento) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale (Library Binding)

When Yohei's father becomes ill, Yohei has to do the work of two, catching fish and selling them door to door. When his father's illness becomes more serious, Yohei cannot leave home to sell the fish. Then comes a tapping at the door, and Yohei takes pity on a bedraggled white cat, sharing his meal with her. Thus begins a series of wondrous events, reminding readers that no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.

I was charmed by the story and how it was told. The voice is delicate and gentle, like the story itself. The illustrations are simple and elegant. This is a book youngsters will want to hear -- and later read -- again and again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real treasure, February 9, 2009

By 

J. C. Barker (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beckoning Cat: Based on a Japanese Folktale (Library Binding)

Nishikuza'a gentle tale will both open hearts and open minds. In this world of crumbling values, her story reminds us that good really does exist in the world. This book is a treasure for any child.