The Chinese Siamese Cat [Hardcover]

Amy Tan (Author), Gretchen Schields (Illustrator)

Book Description

"The Truth is," Ming Miao told her five kittens, "you are not Siamese cats but Chinese cats. As a matter of fact, one of our family's ancestors from a thousand cat lives ago was the famous feline Sagwa of China..."

One day Sagwa was napping in the Foolish Magistrate's study. From her perch high on a bookshelf, she heard the newest rule: No singing until the sun goes down. A terrible rule, Sagwa thought. After the Foolish Magistrate left the study, Sagwa jumped down from the bookshelf -- pwah! -- and landed right in the ink pot!

Sagwa was instantly covered with black ink, and before she knew what she was doing she rubbed her nose on the new rule, blotting out the word not. Now it ordered the people to sing all day -- until the sun went down.

When the people heard this new rule, they were thrilled. They raised their voices in song, praising the Foolish Magistrate for thinking of them. And when the Foolish Magistrate heard their praise, his heart warmed. From that day on, he was a wise magistrate. And Sagwa became the greatest of felines!

Gretchen Schield's detailed, colorful paintings bring Amy Tan's charming story to wonderful life, making The Chinese Siamese Cat a book to be treasured for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this charming original folktale from the pair who produced The Moon Lady , a mother cat tells her kittens the true story of their ancestry: "You are not Siamese cats but Chinese cats." She proudly informs them that they are descended from Sagwa of China, who lived during the reign of the Foolish Magistrate. Sagwa's parents, we learn, had the hapless task of dipping their tails in ink to record the dour dictates of the Foolish Magistrate. After inadvertently landing in the ink pot one day (hence acquiring the familiar dark markings of the Siamese cat), Sagwa uses her blackened pawprints to delete the word "not" from the magistrate's latest ruling, whereupon it is promulgated that "People must sing until the sun goes down." Foolish Magistrate is outraged, but when he suddenly realizes his subjects are chanting his praises, he changes his tune, reversing the laws and declaring that henceforth all Chinese felines will have dark faces, ears, paws and tails--in honor of Sagwa. Featuring inventive borders and vivid, if occasionally garish hues, Schield's energetic illustrations prove, once again, an atmospheric counterpart to Tan's vivacious narration. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A Siamese cat tells her children about their "great ancestor, Sagwa of China." That feline started off as a mischievous, pearl-white kitten who lived with her parents in the house of a greedy, autocratic magistrate. Her penchant for trouble lands her in a pot of ink, which stains her paws, nose, ears, and tail. The accident starts a chain of events that leads to the magistrate's tearful reformation, as well as to generations of cats that look Siamese but are actually Chinese. The artwork is a pastiche of images drawn from different sources. Many borders reproduce ancient Chinese textile patterns. While some of the human figures seem to have stepped from poster art done in the style of socialist realism, most resemble contemporary paintings from mass-produced Chinese New Year calendars. Librarians with long memories might recognize Kurt Wiese's exaggerated caricatures in the features of the magistrate and his Reader of Rules. Human and feline emotions are overdrawn and cliched, and the tightly controlled, prolix compositions employ a cacophony of colors. With its lengthy, precious text and derivative art, this whimsical look at Imperial China falls far short of the standards set by innovative artists working within the Chinese tradition, notably Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Meilo So, and Ed Young. Chinese or Siamese, this cat is strictly a commercial product and hardly worth considering.
Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1ST edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027888355
• ISBN-13: 978-0027888355
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, a little kitten CAN change the world!, November 3, 2001

By 

Joy Fleisig (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat (Paperback)

Amy Tan is best known as the author of several wonderful books for adults on the experiences of Chinese and Chinese-American women, but she proves here that she is equally talented as a writer for children. I suspect that this charming book will receive a lot of interest now that it has spawned an equally delightful PBS series. As a cat lover with an interest in Chinese culture and a desire to eventually write for children, I found it irresistible.

Ming Miao, a modern day feline, instructs her kittens about their heritage - they are CHINESE cats, not Siamese cats, and they take after their most illustrious ancestor Sagwa. Sagwa is a pearl-white kitten who lives in the court of a Foolish Magistrate who makes life miserable for his subjects by decreeing all sorts of oppressive rules. 'Sagwa' means 'melon head' and she is just as silly and mischevious as the her name implies, getting into all sorts of trouble by accident. Her parents, Baba and Mama Miao, are calligraphers forced by the Foolish Magistrate to write down his rules, using their tails as brushes. The Foolish Magistrate's latest rule is 'People must not sing until sundown'. Even though Sagwa's parents know how cruel this declaration is, they feel they can do nothing about it because they are only cats. After everyone else leaves the room, Sagwa jumps down from her hiding place on a high shelf onto the Foolish Magistrate's desk ...and lands in a pot of ink. Rubbing the ink off her face onto the nearest scroll, she discovers that she has blotted out the character for 'not' in the rule, turning it into 'People MUST sing until sundown'. Sagwa is so delighted by this change that she puts an exclamation point at the end of the rule (so people will sing really loud and happily), and then proceeds to blot out the list of people who must be fined for breaking it with the ink on her paws. She is then horrified to discover that the ink from the pot has permanently dyed her face, paws, and tail black - surely the Magistrate will now know it is she who changed the rule and throw her and her family out onto the street. However, the Magistrate's subjects are so delighted by this new rule that they sing their hearts out about how wonderful and kind he is. The Foolish Magistrate, in turn, is so touched by his people's love and gratitude that he becomes the Wise Magistrate. Not only does he take back all his oppressive decrees (and make several cat-friendly ones!), but he honors Sagwa by decreeing that in the future ALL Chinese cats will have dark markings on their face, paws and tail like 'the greatest of felines'. So that is why Chinese cats today look just like Sagwa, and, as one of Ming Miao's mud-covered kittens proves, are just as adept into getting into mischief as she is.

Gretchen Shields' illustrations are delightful, not only true to place and period and full of explosive color, but also really capturing Sagwa's constant motion and mischief. The border paintings are particularly detailed in depictions of Sagwa, her family, and the various villagers and customs.

This is a new paperback edition obviously intended to tie in with the aforementioned PBS series - the original hardback edition does not have the word 'Sagwa' in the title. Since it is exactly the same book otherwise, I would recommend this edition instead simply because it is half the price of the hardback.

Children who like this book might want to read another story set in China, 'Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat' by Jennifer Armstrong, where a nasty old widow is transformed into a good person through her friendship with a cat. For older children and adults (who might read this book to the youngsters), I would of course recommend one of Tan's adult novels such as 'The Joy Luck Club'. They might even be interested in the adventures of a REAL 'Wise Magistrate', Judge Dee (the Chinese Sherlock Holmes!) in a series of excellent mystery novels by Robert Van Gulik.

By the way, Amy Tan actually had a cat named Sagwa who was very ill while she was writing this book. When Tan finished the book and read it to her, Sagwa recovered and lived another 4 years!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Siamese cat lovers...., January 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat (Paperback)

The most exquisitely illustrated book I've ever owned! A fun, fictitious way to describe how white siamese kittens get their colors.
It's a bit long for a bed time story, but really fun! Kids ages 8 or 9 and up may be able to read it themselves, but the beginners may have a hard time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and illustrated book!, July 7, 2003

By 

Danielle Valdivia (Encino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chinese Siamese Cat (Hardcover)

I've read Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club" and "Kitchen God's Wife" and had no idea that she's a wonderful children's author as well. I learned about this book from watching the same titled PBS series. The series is cute for kids, but the book is a wonderful story, rich in history and beautifully illustrated. Tan is a gifted writer that children and adults can appreciate.