Customer Reviews

The Chinese Siamese Cat: With Full-Color Poster

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I am the mother of 2 boys and have little knowledge of "girl" books. I bought this book for 2 little girls ages 4 and 5. The parents of each girl said their daughters were thrilled with the book and asked that it be read to them twice the day the book arrived. I bought the book because I love Amy Tan's novels and assumed that a child's book would be just as engaging. Amy Tan's story and the beautiful illustrations did not let me down.

This is a great little story book. I bought this especially for my niece who loves the cartoon. It's a bit long so I read it in installments before her afternoon naps and she loves it and can't wait to hear the other parts. This helps her to look forward to nap times now (phew). Although another reviewer labels it as stereotyped I think it still helps kids to learn of and tolerate lifestyles other than their own. The book does so in a simple way after all it is for kids and at that stage of life it is not harmful as they have more time to get into further details.

This is a fantastic story. It sparks children and adults (I'm 53!) the imagination and creativity that will help make the world a more beautiful place. I hence started to write my own children's stories. Amy Tan is my inspiration, and I hope she becomes yours.

Amy Tan proves her talent with this book. She shows a young kitten's innocence and how it changes the province. A wonderful read for children and adults alike. Amy's got a hit!

A WONDERFULLY TOLD CAT-TAIL! THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE LOVELY AND APPROPRIATE TO THE PLAYFUL THEME OF THE BOOK.

My kindergarten students will but put off by the wordiness in the story, but for 1st grade and above, they will love this book. My Chinese-Vietnamese students will be happy to share their culture with my other students. I bought this for Chinese New Year.

I would say this book is OK - I purchased it because my daughter loves siamese cats and my daughter is chinese. Not my favorite story line...it's unique...but she likes it.