Genre: Children's Fairy Tale
Subject: Retelling of a Japanese tale about three cats who try to rid a castle of a horrible rat
This is a great combination of a retold folk tale from Japan and some wonderful illustrations by Mordicai Gerstein. The story is retold in a way that makes it exciting and enjoyable and the illustrations complement the story. This tale has a strong message within the story about patience, rash judgements, and the Samurai way. It was fun for me to read as an adult, and I certainly believe it would be a fun read for kids. It might be an interesting alternative to standard fairy tales as a class, or a good book to look at when studying the past culture of Japan.
