This is the story of a cat who came to live in the household of a struggling Japanese artist and in the end brought him great luck. At the time that the cat enters the picture, the artist and his housekeeper barely have anything to eat but that does not stop the housekeeper from doing an illogical thing. She brings home another mouth to feed, the cat. The artist who knows better than to go along with this action is nevertheless so kind hearted that the cat stays. With the introduction of the cat into this household it seems that there is a change in the fortunes of this household. The artist is suddenly given an important commission to paint a portrait of Buddha by the local temple. While the artist commences to create his painting carefully and thoughtfully, the cat who may have had something to do with the reversal of fortune for this household, sticks by close to the artist almost begging to be included in the commissioned work. That a cat be included in a portrait of Buddha seems an insurmountable obstacle in that it is was believed that the cat along of all animals refused to accept the teachings of Buddha. The reader will no doubt be profoundly touched by the answer to the question as whether the cat will get his wish. This is a beautifully written and illustrated work. The pictures bring the work of the artist to us, a living canvas as the painting grows and grows. Whoever introduces this book to children does them a profound favor.
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