New York Times
Library Recommend
Newbery
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
Details
Pages
96
Word Count
11140
Lexile
1000L
AR
5.9
Grade Level
G3 - G4
Genre
Historical Fiction
Summary
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village’s head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck. According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha’s blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist’s life is ruined as well?until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.
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