still plugging away

...at reading Newbery winners...

The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Elizabeth Coatsworth, was the 1931 Newbery medal winner. This is a very short (thank God!) story about a poor Japanese artist whose life begins to turn around after his housekeeper brings home a cat which they name, “Good Fortune,” (as soon as I read that I simultaneously groaned and wanted to shout, “THE CAT IS GOING TO BRING YOU GOOD LUCK!! I GET IT!!”)

Lucky kitty in tow, poor artist now gets very prestigious work--commissioned to paint Buddha’s death. As the artist tries to decide which animals will be in this mural (each animal represents different aspects of Buddha’s life and reincarnations!) his cat watches on with admiration and a desire to be included in the painting...while I won’t give away the ending (keep in mind the cat’s name is Good Fortune), I will say I was so glad when it ended.

Would I recommend it: Yes, to extreme cat lovers and aspiring Buddhists..and maybe someone I was mad at.

Ages: Amazon recommends 8 and up

Comments

Unknown said…
I, too, was disappointed with this book. You usually think award winners will be exceptional -- but this one was just average. Predictable and not that engaging. *sigh*

Have you tried "Secret of the Andes" (1953)? It was well worth the effort, in my opinion.
April 26, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

eggnog with lighter fluid and other cherished Christmas memories

Image
I started digging to find my favorite Christmas-esque scenes/lines from movies and I was pleased with what I found. In spirit of my 14's lists, here goes: 1. Charles De Mar: "Ah, come on! It's Christmas Eve! I could be home right now, drinking this *monster* eggnog my brother makes with lighter fluid." ~ Better Off Dead I also love the present opening scene on Christmas day, where his mother is dressed like a reindeer, his father gets an ardvark jacket and the kids get freezer dinners. Pan out to the neighbors Christmas when the French foreign exchange student gets a framed picture of Ricky. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! 2. When Zuzu says to George Bailey, "Look, daddy! Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an Angel gets his wings." George quietly agrees, "Attaboy, Clarence," as "Auld Lang Syne" rings out. That scene makes me cry everytime. (I also love that if George had never been around, Mary became a spinster librarian--see pic) ~ It's a W
Read more

sample retirement acceptance letter

Image
The hardest part of being the Director in a small library is that we don't have an HR person, so on top of everything else we do we also get to do the paperwork for the new hires, and retires. Thank God for the internet or these processes would take a lot longer!  One of my board members pointed out that though I'd been informed of staff retirements, I had to officially accept them with a letter...I am finding that a paper trail is an important thing. So, I found a short and simple letter on one university's HR website (sorry forgot which!?) and honed it to work for us. Attached is my sample of a retirement letter.  Is anyone else out there going through this process too?
Read more

Juvenile Collection Librarian in a college setting?

This afternoon the Human Resources lady at the university (the one who helped me fill out all my paperwork when I was hired in) called our library, looking for the name of an author for a children's book. She did not provide an explanantion, rather just told me about how someone had told her about this book. As it is a children's book, I assumed that it might be a gift for one of the girls who just went out on pregnancy leave. (Her) Now, I can't remember the name of the author. (Me) Well, ok, what is the name of the book? (Her) The Very Hungry Caterpillar . (Me) Oh, that is Eric Carle, he is one of my favorites. I actually collect his books. I collect all children's books. (Her)Hmmm, you know that yada yada yada is retiring soon, and she is in charge of the Children's Collection here. (Me) Yes, I knew she was retiring. End of August, right? (Her) When are you graduating again? (Me) I finish classes in December. (Her) Well, if you have Children's Books as a speci
Read more