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 (Amazon.com).
Comments by Hannah M., 4th grade and Jordan S., 3rd grade
2 comments:
In Japan, a young artist is asked to pain a picture of the death of Buddha. He works very hard and painted the animals that were blessed. He has a cat named Good Fortune and she has been watching the artist. She notices he never paints cats. The artist see her saddnes and paints a cat. When the painting was given to the priest, he said he would burn it. In the morning, the painting has changed. Buddha was giving the cat a blessing. The picture stays there and sadly Good Fourtune dies, but the artist will always remember her.
I think it was okay. It was alot about the beliefs of Buddha. It was about how Buddha lived in animal forms.
2 stars - it was ok.
by Hannah M., 4th grade
The housekeeper came home with a cat inside her basket. They named it Good Fortune. The artist started to draw pictures with spring water and ink. Good Fortune was in one. At the end, Good Fortune dies. The artist was sad. The housekeeper was sad, too.
It was a good book.
4 stars
by Jordan S., 3rd grade
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