The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth (published 1930) is a short illustrated children’s book about a painter who has been commissioned to paint a reverent painting of the death of Buddha and the gathering of the animals that attended him.
Although I found little to like about the plot of the story, the writing is notably well done. The shaded woodcut (Japanese style maybe?) illustrations and other more detailed illustrations add a little interest to the book. It is a book a cat-lover will enjoy because the cat is an important character with a distinct personality. The cat in this story is proud. Our painter and his housekeeper are poor and out of food, but the cat adds some new interest to their life.
According to the tradition as explained in the book, the cat was too proud to give respect to the Buddha upon his death. In this story, as the painter adds to his picture, his own cat keeps expressing disapproval, until, at last, (spoiler) the painter decides to add a cat to his painting. With this, the cat dies of happiness (hence the title). Interspersed into the story about the painter and the cat are short poems from the “housekeeper,” who was the one who decided to bring home the cat in the beginning. She is given a bit of a voice, almost as if it is on behalf of the cat.
I have some issues with this short book. First, although it seems there is authenticity to the “Buddha and the animals” tradition, this does not seem to be a traditional story as it purports to be. This is not written by a person from Japan, as far as I know. Second, it stands out to me as a purely ridiculous story. This particular Newbery Medal winner from 1931 has been republished many times since it’s original publication, but I simply don’t like the story, especially because it claims to be a traditional Japanese story. Maybe those who have proud cats relate to the cat in the story and enjoy that aspect. I suspect that since I’m not a cat person, I’m missing something.
Newbery Medal Winner 1931
