The boy who drew cats by Arthur A Levine illustrated by Frederic Clement

Avoid large places at night - keep to small

"Now it happened that there was a large and wealthy temple high at the top of a nearby mountain, where for months not a soul had entered or left. Villagers whispered that a terrible Goblin Rat, possessed of a magical sword and a fearsome tail, had claimed the temple as his own."

Kenji is the youngest son of a poor farming family. He is sent to train with the local priests but the oldest monk casts him out because Kenji spends his time drawing and day dreaming. In the next village Kenji walks up to the temple - he has no idea about the Goblin Rat. While he waits for the priests to arrive, he paints a set of huge white screens with cats in honour of his old friend the monk named Takada.

"he painted powerful cats with broad majestic shoulders. Sleek cats with sharp claws and quivering whiskers. Alert cats with twitching tails and watchful eyes."

Have you made a connection here. Kenj has painted cats and the evil goblin is a rat! Kenji grows tired and so he climbs into a small cupboard to sleep. Remember those words "keep to small".  In the morning the scene has completely changed. The screens he painted are shattered, the cats are all gone and best of all the Goblin Rat is dead. 

You can read the full story plot here. I would love to find this audio version read by William Hurt. I you have a class studying Japan this book would be perfect. It would also be a terrific addition to your folklore collection and a perfect book to share with any budding artists. 

I picked up this book from a recent charity book sale for just $2. It is an American book but it looks very Japanese. The illustrator is from France. It was published in 1993 and my copy is in mint condition. 

"According to Japanese legend, the famed fifteenth -century artist Sesshu Toyo created in drawing of animals that were so vivid they could come alive."

The text originally came from: Hearn, Lafcadio, translator. Japanese Fairy Tales: The Boy Who Drew Cats. Tokyo: T. Hasegawa, 1898.

Here are some other editions of the same Japanese folktale: