The cover of the online version of The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger (illustrator) was what caught my attention. This white cat jumped off the screen and meowed “look at my colors, my odd grin and you know you want to read me.” I debated laying down as I was at work and a talking computer screen was more than I was ready for. But I went to get some air and read it a bit later.
I would love to give this a 4.75 but it is not perfect. The main character, Yohei, has a father who is ill. I was hoping to see the father’s progression from illness to health a little bit more and even the village population more. But overall this is a lovely story about how the lucky beckoning cat story came to be. Which is a young boy and his father are fish mongers. But when the father takes ill, it is up to the boy to sell fish and care for the father but is unable to do both. The sweet cat that the family cared for one night and unknowing to the boy, is the one that has the answer they are looking for.
Amazing illustrations capture the story perfectly with a classic and modern feeling, filled with colors and just the right amount of details. The world of Japanese folklore comes to life on these pages. The rich colors are a mix of earthy and more popping colors. The proportions sometimes felt a bit off to me (that could have been my computer screen) but that added to the mystical elements. I would even go a far to say the images are almost frameable. Especially if you like cats with yellow eyes and a paw up to beckon with. There are also historical elements of the story as well as more background information about the culture such as where you could find statues of the magical cat. 