Customer Reviews

Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan

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"There was once a daimyo, a powerful lord, whose castle was occupied by a savage rat," begins Three Samurai Cats. The daimyo seeks help from a distant shrine that is famous for its fighting cats who are tough, skilled fighters. Eric Kimmel's adaptation of a Zen story is a strange and entertaining tale where the wisest cat allows his enemy to defeat himself. Karen Woodworth-Roman, Librarian

The Eastern mind reveres its elders. An important point.

"Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan" retold by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein emphasizes this point.

A rat walks into a dog's castle and basically assumes control. The dog daimyo goes to a distant shrine where samurai cats are known far and wide for their skills. He asks the docho to send his best warrior to defeat the rat. A samurai of flash and beauty is soundly defeated. A second tougher samurai cat is sent. He is heavily armored, but he too must show off his skills and is defeated.

At last, a master samurai arrives, but insists on fighting the rat in his own way. He sleeps, eats, sleeps, eats. The rat grows bolder. How the samurai cat defeats the rat is so easy. He uses the rat's own vices against him.

Children never fail to understand the lessons, love the art, and clamor for more stories about the Samurai Cats!

What an awesome book, for children and the adults who sometimes read to them! Other reviewers have recounted the plot, so I won't do that. I'll just say that this is a really fun book, and everyone will love it! Eric Kimmel tells the tale in a way that will hold you breathless, and Mordecai Gerstein's witty, colorful illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. Long after reading this book, you'll find yourself chuckling over the characters and meditating on the moral of the story. The library is full of great children's books, but this is one you'll want to buy and have at home.

Three Samurai Cats: A Story From Japan is a folktale from Japan retold for young readers by Eric A. Kimmel and impressively illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. After a rat takes over his castle, a canine lord knows that he needs the help of a samurai cat. The first one arrives, draws his sword, charges the rat -- and is soundly defeated. The next samurai cat arrives in full armor -- but is also defeated. Then an old, toothless, ragged-tailed cat limps to the castle -- but how can such a one succeed where other younger, stronger, sword wielding samurai felines have failed? Three Samurai Cats is a elegantly wonderful picture book story that will utterly fascinate and thoroughly delight young readers.

I've read many a book to my three sons over the years. And this is one they keep coming back to, one that never gets old. The writing is poetic, the action is well paced, and the "telling" is just enough - letting the rest of the character descriptions come from the illustrations. All in all, it's so well written that I have not minded reading it again and again over the past ten years, and I have also enjoyed making up different voices for the different characters. Visually, the illustrations are full of motion, and always reveal little hidden gems. And of course, "draw strength through stillness" is as good a parenting lesson as it is a message for the children. What fun!

Gerstein designs the book like a comic, despite the author's prose style. And every picture has wonderful, funny details my daughter and I both never tire of. My daughter loves the line where the savage rat wakes up the old decrepit master samurai to ask him if he'd like to fight, and replies,'tomorrow, perhaps.'
We live in Japan and visited a castle just like the one in the book - great fun.

I loved the story of Three Samurai Cats but bought it because it is illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. Gerstein's Mountains of Tibet is my favorite but I totally enjoyed this book written by Eric Kimmel. I even brought it to work, e-mailed my co-workers, and everyone took turns reading it. We had our own rat problem at the time. It lightened the discussion of rats!

This is truly a great story, and the illustrations are wonderful as well. It teaches kids a valuable lesson.

We have read many, many childrens' books with our three children and this remains one of our favorites. It's exotic and funny, fun for girls and boys and has a nice lesson.