Three Samurai Cats

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Kimmel, Eric. 2003. THREE SAMURAI CATS. Crerstein, Mordicai.  New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0439692563.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The daimyo’s castle is invaded by a rat, who will not fall for the usual tricks of poison, traps, or guard dogs.  The daimyo rides off to speak to the docho about getting a samurai cat to get rid of the rat.  The docho sends a young samurai to the castle to help the daimyo.  He immediately charges the rat, and the rat easily beats him.  The daimyo makes a second appeal to the docho for a more experienced samurai.  The second samurai cat appears and is twice as big as the first and more heavily armored.  He is beat by the rat due to his own arrogance.  The daimyo makes a final appeal to the docho.  Neko Roshi, the greatest martial arts master, is sent.  Surprise and exasperation are evident on the daimyo’s face upon the arrival of Neko Roshi.  Neko Roshi is old and his appearance is shabby and weak.  He repeatedly declines opportunities to fight the rat.  The rat, meanwhile, steals a big ball of rice, but he gets tripped and the ball begins to smash him.  Neko Roshi then helps him after soliciting a promise that he leave and never return again.  Neko Roshi showed patience and let the rat defeat himself.    

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This folktale is a very direct lesson to students about not judging people by the way they look.  It is also a lesson about being patient.  It feels to students, in the last page in particular, that the author is trying to explain and answer questions rather than tell the students the morale of the story.  The author is, in fact, being very direct about the morale.  Characters are stoic and never really change themselves.  While the lesson is splendid and the writing is superb, the topic is more intriguing for boys.

The illustrator did a superb job; it is similar to the techniques of a graphic novel or comic strip style without actually being one.  This will also be a huge hit with the males in a classroom.  The illustrator did a wonderful job of using bright colors for the wealthy and highly regarded people, and then using dull colors to represent the less well thought of characters.  One touch that was especially nice was you could feel the frustration of the daimyo each time he traveled to the docho.  The first time he went the colors were calm blues; however, the last time he goes the colors have changed to reds, yellows, oranges, and blacks.  You can really feel his rage.

 
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Patricia Gallagher Picture Book Award
Starred Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:  “Here's an adaptation of an adaptation of a story Zen masters used to illustrate how unconventional approaches to problems can be disarmingly effective.”

Starred Review in BOOKLIST:  “Kimmel tempers the folktale's heavy message about passive resistance with humorous, perfectly paced language that is ideal for read-alouds, and the characters in Gerstein's colorful, detailed drawings are irresistible--the saggy-jowled hound in robes; the buffoonish, wildly costumed daimyo bulldog; the scruffy, shrunken Neko Roshi; and, best of all, the pot-bellied, gleefully wicked "barbarous rat," who is more comic foil than villain.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*It would be great to use in conjunction with teaching patience.

Other books about patience:

Yolen, Jane.  OWL MOON.  Schoenherr, John.  ISBN 0399214577.

Dewdney, Anna.  LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA.  ISBN 0670059838.

Dewdney, Anna.  LLAMA LLAMA MAD AT MAMA.  ISBN 0670062405.

Krauss, Ruth.  THE CARROT SEED.  Johnson, Crockett.  ISBN 0064432106.

Henkes, Kevin.  LILLY’S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE.  ISBN 1591123488.

Polocco, Patricia.  BABUSHKA’S DOLL.  ISBN 0689802552.