The Boy Who Drew Cats and Other Japanese Fairy Tales

By Lafcadio Hearn

Book Overview

A talking tea kettle, a monstrous goblin-spider that lives in a haunted temple, miniature soldiers that plague a lazy young bride, and other fanciful creatures abound in this captivating collection of eleven Japanese fairy tales. Youngsters are transported to an exotic, faraway world of samurai warriors, rice fields, humble cottages, and a magical spring in five tales excellently translated and adapted by noted writer and linguist Lafcadio Hearn: -The Fountain of Youth, - -Chin-Chin Kobakama, - -The Goblin-Spider, - -The Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumplings, - and the title story. Six additional stories -- in versions by Grace James, Basil Hall Chamberlain, and other authorities on Japanese folklore -- include -The Tea-Kettle, - -The Wooden Bowl, - -My Lord Bag-o'-Rice, - -The Hare of Inaba, - -The Silly Jelly-Fish, - and -The Matsuyama Mirror.-

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486403483
• ISBN13: 9780486403489
• Release Date: February 2012
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.2" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 9

Customer Reviews

"My Lord Bag-o'-Rice" and "The Matsuyama Mirror'"and more

"The Boy Who Drew Cats and Other Japanese Fairy Tales" is an excellent, inexpensive introduction to the Fairy world of Japan. Inside this book are Oni Demons, Jizo-sama, magical cats, the Tanuki who turns into a tea kettle, Goblin spiders, little men who clean tatami and a host of other magical creatures. Many of the tales are translations by Lufcadio Hearn, author of "Kwaidan" and "In Ghostly Japan." Hearn is famous for his study and work of Japanese folklore in the late 1880s. The translations are authentic and unabridged.This edition is perfect for young readers, with large type and quaint black-and-white illustrations. The stories are very easy to read. The book is very short, only about 60 pages.I recommend this book to any young reader or parent who wishes to be exposed to the myths and fantasies of Japan. Fairy tales are an excellent introduction to foreign cultures, and can be a stepping stone to a broader world.