Fairytale Blog: "The Boy Who Drew Cats"

Book Title:

Image from this Cite

The Boy Who Drew Cats

Author:

Margaret Hodges

Illustrator:

Akl Sogabe

Type of Book:

Picture Book

Age Level:

6-9

My Star Rating:

**

Summary

·      A young Japanese boy who was raised in a working family was too clever to work in the fields himself. His parents wanted him to become a priest, but, all he would do was draw pictures of cats…a talent that ended up saving his life.

Image from this cite.

My Thoughts

·      This book was kind of bizarre. I am not a fan. Perhaps it is because it is not a typical fairytale with the predictability I enjoy, but I do give it credit for the use of wild creativity, and imagination. However, as far as the storyline, I was not won-over. The illustrations were not much fun to look at, they appear to be computer-made with a cartoon-type style. All in all, this book will not make my list of favorites.

How to Use in the Classroom

·      This book would be a possible option for a unit on Japanese culture, or unit with cultural topics. Perhaps, this book could be read before an art lesson, to inspire kids to draw their favorite animals. I would not want to use this book in my class, so my options for classroom ideas are rather limited. 

 More Resources:

• For more information about the Japanese Fairytale, click here.
• For more information about the author, click here.