Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan - Hardcover

Kimmel, Eric A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823417425 ISBN 13: 9780823417421

Publisher: Holiday House, 2003

Synopsis

After a rat takes over his castle, a canine old lord knows there is only one way to get rid of such a bully. He needs a samurai fast-a samurai cat!
A fierce samurai arrives and draws his sword, ready to vanquish the upstart rodent. He charges toward the venomous vermin...
Splat!
The defeated cat slinks away. Next, a samurai cat in full armor takes on the job.
Splat!
The second cat slinks away. Then an old, toothless, ragged-tailed cat limps to the castle, promising to chase away the invader. What could this ancient cat possibly offer a humiliated dog with a giant pest problem on his paws?

About this title

About the Author:

Eric A. Kimmel has published more than fifty children's books, many of which have won state awards and appeared on school and library recommended lists. He has won the National Jewish Book Award for numerous books, including Hanukkah Bear and The Mysterious Guest: A Sukkot Story, and the Sydney Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Mordicai Gerstein is a painter, sculptor, designer, and director of animated films. However, he is probably best known as a Caldecott Medal-winning children's book author and illustrator. In addition to The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, his books include The White Ram and A Book. He lives in western Massachusetts.

From Booklist:

PreS-Gr. 2. In feudal Japan, a daimyo (powerful lord) is humiliated when a greedy, bullying rat takes over his castle, eats his food, and intimidates everyone. The daimyo seeks help from a shrine famous for training samurai cats. Two magnificent feline warriors arrive, but the rat effortlessly overpowers them. Desperate, the lord requests the toughest cat of all, and he is surprised when scrawny, aged Neko Roshi hobbles in. He is even more surprised when the cat refuses the rat's invitations to fight. As time passes, the rat's behavior grows more egregious, but Neko Roshi ignores the rodent--until it finally traps itself and leaves the castle defeated. Kimmel tempers the folktale's heavy message about passive resistance with humorous, perfectly paced language that is ideal for read-alouds, and the characters in Gerstein's colorful, detailed drawings are irresistible--the saggy-jowled hound in robes; the buffoonish, wildly costumed daimyo bulldog; the scruffy, shrunken Neko Roshi; and, best of all, the pot-bellied, gleefully wicked "barbarous rat," who is more comic foil than villain. An author's note offers some historical background and sources. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0823417425
• ISBN 13: 9780823417421
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Gerstein Mordicai