The Cat From Hunger Mountain

by Ed Young

Pub 2018-05-01 32 CITIC Publishing Group This is an oriental picture book with powerful emotional power. called Stunning Visual Symphony by the media. Once upon a time. lived in a place called Hunger Mountain. a wealthy. selfish cat rich man. It is a day of luxury and waste. and it is very contemptuous to servants. Until one year. it happened...

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Cats, Folklore, Fiction, China

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 16, 2016

About the author

Ed Young is the illustrator of more than eighty books for children, seventeen of which he has also written. Among his books is the Caldecott Medal winner Lon Po Po, which he both wrote and illustrated. He says that his work is inspired by the philosophy of Chinese painting. He lives in Westchester County, New York.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know this is going to be a different kind of book when you open it up and see the dedication. Instead of dedicating this to a friend or family member, Ed Young writes:

TO:
the strange virtue in deprivation,
an unwanted and the least understood gateway
to humanity and life's riches.

Mmmm, highly excellent.

The book deals with a rich cat who lives high on a mountain, way above everyone else. Lord Cat wears the finest clothing of gold thread. He eats lavish meals.



When Lord Cat's servants asked if their master had finished his meal, they were scolded. "Are you blind? Can't you see that the bowl is half-empty? Take it away."



He yells at his servants who wash the rice grain in the river, urging them to go faster. The servants who wash rice are pandas.



The land gets struck with drought. But Lord Cat continues living his posh lifestyle. Until year two of the famine arrives, and everyone in the village moves away. Now Lord Cat is lord of nothing.

Still he refused to leave. What would life be without all of his possessions?

But after he is starving for a while, he is forced to leave his pagoda and wander as a beggar to all corners of the land. But no one is around to help him. So he travels farther and farther.

Eventually he finds two beggars warming themselves over a fire. They tell him there is a monk in a nearby temple who is feeding the hungry.

The next morning Lord Cat gets into the long line of people waiting for food.

Lord Cat's turn finally came. The monk scooped a spoonful of steaming rice into his bowl, filling it halfway.

It was the fullest bowl of rice he could remember having eaten.

"I must ask you," he said to the monk, "how have you managed to come across such fine grain in such difficult times?"

The monk heaved a sigh and said, "I am so fortunate to live at the bottom of Hunger Mountain, where for years a rich lord would wash his rice carelessly in the Great River. The wasted grains trickled down to my stream, where I collected and stored them over the years. Now I have more than I could eat in a thousand days, so I am happy to share with all in need."



Lord Cat looked at the now empty bowl in his hands. He realized he had been fed with his own wasted food. And for the first time ever, he knew what it felt like to be truly blessed.

THE END


This is a great book for many reasons. One, it has some great messages: anti-materialism, generosity to the poor, and the importance of examining your own life. Lord Cat is laid low, but this isn't a book about humiliating someone for their past lifestyle. Instead, Lord Cat figures things out for himself. He isn't shamed by anyone. He realizes what is truly important in life (having a full belly, and sharing your wealth if you have wealth) and realizes that owning fancy stuff is not important.

Food is so important and starving is so horrible and life-altering. Anyone who is familiar with hunger and starvation will realize this and this book will be extra-special to those people. You never forget the times in your life when you were so hungry you couldn't sleep.

Hopefully your child(ren) has never experienced starvation, but perhaps you as a parent HAVE, and perhaps you want your child to be able to appreciate a full belly. They can't... no one can truly appreciate it until they've been without (and I'm not just talking about skipping a meal here, I'm talking about true hunger), but you don't want to see your child suffer so you just read them this book and hope they absorb some wisdom about the hungry, the homeless, and poverty.

The illustrations of this book are also wonderful - Young employs a kind of "scrap illustrations" in which paper and cloth scraps are photographed to make the pictures. It's wonderful and rough.

The other Chinese animals in here are also great. Panda, rats, macaque, tortoises, and peacocks are all featured here. It's a fun kind of "Kung Fu Panda" atmosphere where all animals live together and share the same language.



Tl;dr - Great book.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Hunger Mountain, there lived a great lord who was wealthy and had anything he ever dreamed of. He lived in the tallest pagoda, had his rice washed in the stream, ate only the first half of his food, and wore the most beautiful fabrics. Then drought came to his land, yet the lord did not stop his consumption. A second year of drought and famine came and the others left his land. The lord finally realized he would starve alone in his pagoda so he left the mountain and tried to find food. When he met two beggars, they told him of a generous monk who would give others food. The monk gave the lord food and the cat realized that this was lovely grain and some of the best he had ever eaten. He asked the monk where he had gotten the rice and was told that it was washed down the river from Hunger Mountain where a wealthy lord had wasted it.

Young writes this story with real precision. He keeps his prose short and child-friendly with a tone of a storyteller who offers just enough detail yet keeps the pace brisk. Young allows the story itself to stand, not adding judgment in the text about what should be learned from it.

The illustrations are the opposite of the pared down text with a rich opulence built from layered collage. Some of the collage is patterned paper while others are photographs of fur, water or mountains. They have a serious energy to them, filled with motion and expression.

A vibrant picture book that looks at waste, consumption and humility. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

There once was a wealthy lord who had the best of everything -- food, clothes and home. A drought happened and the servants left for the city. During the second year of the drought, the Lord left his home to beg for food. He met two beggars who said they knew a monk who gave out food. The next morning, they left and stood in line to receive a bowl of rice. When the Lord asked the monk where he got such fine rice, the monk said there was a wealthy lord who wasted his rice when his servants washed it in the stream. The monk collected the rice grains and stored them. He has enough rice to share with others. The Lord learned humility and what is important in life.

This book, foremost, does not judge. It teaches a lesson about wastefulness, priorities and humility. The illustrations are collage images and beautiful drawn. The text is for first grade and up.

[Ursula · Rating 5 out of 5]

 
A beautifully illustrated tale of greed and waste that turned into humility and recognition of blessings.

Share & ENJOY!
 

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the telling of the tale which reads as if it were a traditional fable. A rich, greedy and somewhat cruel lord discovers he is only truly blessed when he becomes impoverished and receives aid from a monk who shares the lord's previously wasted food. The collage artwork is beautiful but also busy and confusing at times -- it can be difficult to distinguish the characters and discern the landscape, etc.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story, but a lot of the illustrations were hard to decipher. You can definitely tell a lot of love went into the collages, but that's about all I can peel away from them.

The story had a wonderful message of being careful with resources and the main protagonist was well developed (and well matched with species, being a cat and all).

Overall, I liked the book a lot, but I would have rated it higher if the illustrations had been a little easier on my eyes.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting illustrations. A folk tale about a rich emperor who becomes a beggar after years of being rich. Starving, he hears of a kind monk who feeds the starving and comes to realize he has been fed with the food he wasted when rich.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated and moving tale of greed and waste. While the moral of the story can come on a bit strong, this fable can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

[Mike DeCarlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cat from Hunger Mountain by Ed Young is a traditional literature that has received the Junior Library Guild Selection and Best Illustrated Children’s book. The story is about a cat lord who lives at the top of hunger mountain. The Lord has the tallest pagoda, nicest robe, and best food. The lord cat does not appreciate his possessions and is very wasteful with his food. His pagoda overlooks the rice fields below where the servants would wash the rice in the water of the great river. One day a drought strikes the valley and food begins to become scarce. Over time the servants leave hunger mountain, and the lord cat is alone in his pagoda forcing him to leave since he cannot live without servants. As the lord cat is heading down hunger mountain, he grows cold, tired, and hungry. By not being surrounded by his wealth he is just like the other beggars that he encounters. Two other beggars tell the cat about the modest temple where he can get free food to eat. When he arrives at the temple the monk serves the cat rice, filling it halfway. The lord cat asks the monk where he got the rice during the drought and tells him it was washed down from the rice fields at the top of hunger mountain. The lord cat realizes this is the rice that he had wasted. The tale ends with the quote on an urn in the shape of a cat that reads “only I know what’s enough.” This story has many underlying messages for children of any age. After the drought hits the mountain, the lord cat realized all his possessions are worthless and he must abandon them. The cat lord had no relationships with other cats, he only had his possessions. This teaches readers that value is not in materialistic objects, but rather the relationships with others. Another message the story portrays is being gracious towards others. The cat lord was never kind to the people serving him in his pagoda and the surrounding rice fields. He put himself on a pedestal and acted as if he was above everyone, so when the time came to leave nobody was concerned for lord cat. The lord cat encounters the opposite when he encounters the monk in the temple who is graciously giving away all his rice. The author contrasts the lifestyles of a monk, who lives his life with no possession and constantly gives back, versus a greedy lord who doesn’t share during times of hardship. The monk is happy and gracious while the lord is struggling and weary. Readers will see how sharing, when you can give back, can benefit. This is a WOW book for me because of the beautiful illustrations and how there are multiple themes to the story.
The author compares the two lifestyles of a lord and monk to depict the two lifestyles with different values. This helps drive the theme of being gracious toward others. The author eliminates the bias of the lavish lifestyle of a wealthy lord by showing him after a drought strikes and his possessions become worthless. The author used a diversity of perspectives with the lord and monk analogy, as discussed. When the author portrays the monk as happy during a time of hardship, the reader can see that being gracious can help others and yourself.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wonderful tale this was about a wealthy, greedy Lord Cat who finally fell on hard and learned a valuable lesson. Had it not been for the illustrations which were collaged together and I had a hard time deciphering, I would have given this children’s book 5 stars.

In this book, the Lord Cat had everything he could possibly imagine, although he felt like it was never enough. After having the strongest workers construct him the tallest pagoda, he lived high up on Hunger Mountain, looking down amongst everyone else. Oh, he was a cruel one, demanding this and demanding that. He was never satisfied which even affected the famous rice which grew on Hunger Mountain. He yelled at his servants to work faster gathering the crop and so they did.

When a drought hit the land, it lasted one year, affecting everyone including Lord Cat’s famous rice. This drought didn’t change Lord Cat yet the villagers (his workers) were getting hungry. When the drought continued for a second year, the villagers moved to the city, leaving Lord Cat alone. Who would do his work for him? What will become of Lord Cat?

Finally, with nothing left, Lord Cat leaves his once glamorous life and tries to find food. From fame to famine, Lord Cat is now having to tend to himself. Such a great lesson here, as now he’s seen like everyone else and they’re all equals. The last part of the book sealed the deal for me. Lord Cat had to be feeling mighty low by now but what the monk tells him has to hit him really hard. Not like I want to hit a man again while he’s down but I want to show a man reality while his eyes are open and willing to see.

I really enjoyed this story but the illustrations were hard to enjoy. Sometimes, I could make out the pictures and understand them but other times, the collaged images ran into one another. I also wasn’t sure about the dead animals in the book (since this is a children’s book). 3.5 stars

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

The Cat From Hunger Mountain is a fable about greed, wastefulness, and things that matter most in life. Its dedication is brilliant:

"To the strange virtue in deprivation, an unwanted and the least understood gateway to humanity and life's riches."

Ed Young's patterned paper and photo collage illustrations are artistic and full of texture and varying perspectives, though at times they might be a little bit tricky to decipher (in such cases it really helps to look at them from a distance):

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! I absolutely love the illustrations. A wealthy cat lives on Hunger Mountain and has everything he could ever want...but it it never enough. He is selfish and greedy. Then a drought comes and he learns an important lesson.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible! This story should be on everyone's reading list. Think of the greed it could prevent.

Lesson: be happy with what you have and a little can be just what you need.

[Ruth York · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I needed to read two picture books for my Children's Literature class. I picked this one, simply because the recommended one by the same author wasn't available. It was an interesting fable about cat who is rich, and has all he could ever hope for, but yearns for still more. When he is brought low by a severe drought, he learns the lesson, of waste not, want not. And also to appreciate all you have. The illustrations aren't as bright and cheery as many children's books. However, the collage artwork is intriguing, and children might have fun guessing what items are used for each element of the pictures. Having a cat as the protagonist makes the tale whimsical for them as well.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mixed media collage illustrations in this lovely picture book are simply stunning and filled with textures and images that invite lingering exploration. I suggest reading the book for the story--a fable with an important lesson for all readers--and then spending additional time savoring those images. But then again, I simply adore the work of Ed Young, and never can get enough of it. Each time I look at an image, I notice something more, something I would expect would be the case for many readers who take the time to read this one carefully. The story revolves around a wealthy lord, a cat, who wants for nothing. This lord is never satisfied with what he has and only wants more, more, more. Not only is he insatiable, but he also mistreats his servants, demanding that they work harder, and carelessly never finishing his own meals. When a famine strikes the land, nothing changes for the lord until it enters its second year, and he is left to his own devices as the villagers move to the city. Desperate for food and warmth, he leaves his palace and is befriended by beggars who tell him where he might find some sustenance. As it turns out, the monk who is providing food for others, including Lord Cat, collected the discarded grains of rice over the year from Lord Cat's washed rice grains that were deemed unworthy for his plate. After all, one's man's discards turn out to feed many. This story is a wonderful reminder to be grateful for what we have and to share our own largesse with others. How humbling it must have been for Lord Cat to realize what he had once taken for granted. Maybe now more than ever we need to share fables such as this one with our own students since there is such a great divide between those who have such great wealth and those who have so little.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Ed Young's work, especially his versions of folktales. With this story, I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but like many others, found the collage artwork to be a little distracting, and it's going to be difficult to use this with younger children.
The problem is that the story, upon reflection, is going to be difficult to use with older children. The questions has to be asked: What WAS the point of the story? Was it that the Cat Lord could not do the work to feed himself? Was it that even the mighty sometimes need help? Was it that the things wasted by the rich could easily feed the poor? The ending only further confused the issue, because it seems to refer back to the half-full rice bowl, a symbol of both waste and want, but does it mean that the half-full bowl is enough for a person who needs, but not enough for a lord who merely wants?
So, while beautifully crafted, I can only give this book three stars.

[Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to read The Cat from Hunger Mountain, by Ed Young, primarily because of Young's reputation as a Caldecot medalist and honoree. I also knew that this would be a morality tale with a lesson that is essential for children to absorb - having enough, and sharing your blessings. I had seen some of the collage illustrations displayed on some websites and thought they were energetic and evocative. Why, then, was I so disappointed in the book when it came time to read it? It wasn't my mindset or disposition that were at fault in shaping the let-down. I was very prepared to engage with the storytelling, however I was confused by the artwork when I encountered them on the page, and underwhelmed by the tale and its moral once fully digested. In the end, I found the whole effort to miss the target, not living up to its potential. While it holds such promise, I believe that the book's target audience would not take anything away from the experience of reading this book.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Young brings his deceptive simple storytelling and beautiful collages to this story of a greedy and indifferent cat lord. When famine strikes, even the rich aren’t immune and this tom learns a painful lesson about waste and entitlement when he’s beset with hunger.

The illustrations are just gorgeous, with cut-out details that give a three-dimensional feel to a two-dimensional surface. Along with the collages are artful watercolors of misty horizons and pictures of rocks, sky, waterfalls, pandas, peacocks and various other animals. This is a lovely addition to any collector of Mr. Young’s works, almost on a level of coffee table books that appeal to adult readers.

[Niki Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another apt book to read the day after the inauguration.

I love these collages. They're not the easiest to decipher, but sitting with them and spending time uncovering the details is a joy.

Young's choice of servant animals is deliberate and thoughtful: mice, "the strongest workers," build the greedy lord cat's tall pagoda and remind me of Art Spiegalman's metaphorical anthropomorphizing of cats and mice in MAUS.

A heavier picturebook for sure, which is reflected in the color scheme. Young uses no vibrant hues, instead opting for earthy browns, deep greens, and dark blues. Even the endpapers are treebark brown.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the tale. It's a good message, and I'm a sucker for fairy tales, fables, reimaginings thereof, and stories that read that way. I don't know if this is an original tale or not, but it's a really good message nonetheless (especially today - consumerist society and all)

What kept me from rating it higher were the illustrations. They were beautiful collages, and some very truly striking, but there were several pages where it was very, very hard to decipher what the picture actually WAS. In a picture book, that's rather important, right? Definitely strikes it from my list of story time possibles, simply because I know my audience would be left a bit confused.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Cat lived at the top of Hunger Mountain. His servants washed his rice in the river wasting half of what they washed. When he ate, he sent back bowls of rice because they were half empty. Eventually, all the rice was gone and all the servants left. Lord Cat was left alone and starving because of his greed. When he finally ventured to the bottom of the mountain he joined the line of hungry people who received a bowl half filled with rice. Lord Cat asked where the rice came from and learned that it was the excess rice that had washed down the river to the stream below.

[Melle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Young's collage art is breathtaking -- somehow both timeless and ancient, universal and still evoking a sense of place, with a fable that reads like a long-treasured folktale. Unfortunately, I am not so knowledgeable about my world folktales, so I am not sure if this is based upon one of those or if it is the creation of Ed Young's marvelous storytelling. Regardless, this is a good lesson for readers about greed and about the precarious balances of power. A good book for reflection. Should maybe be read by some political folks.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story, which was a memorable little fable about greed, deprivation, and when to know that enough is enough. The paper collage illustrations are colorful and beautiful but difficult to follow. The story is very appealing but I'm not sure that a young audience would appreciate it. This is one of those picture books that definitely have appeal for adults. A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2016. 3 1/2 stars.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the tallest pagoda on Hunger Mountain, Lord Cat indulges in a sumptuous lifestyle. But when drought and famine strike, Lord Cat is forced to leave his lofty palace and search for food. The artwork is arresting and slightly abstract; Young's mixed-media, collage-style illustrations propel a deceptively simple fable that gently celebrates generosity while cautioning against wastefulness.

[Turrean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the message though I will admit at first I thought the food the monk shared was from the wasted half-bowls of cooked rice Lord Cat insisted be thrown away each day. I completely missed that Lord Cat's command to process the rice from the fields faster led to some of the rice washing away downstream. I had to go back and read more carefully. The artwork was hard to decipher.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the story but some of the illustrations left me confused. The collage style is nice, the papers used are lovely, but they are either too stark or too vague, and in a few cases, muddled. This would be nearly impossible for a storytime read aloud because of the illustrations, unless you were specifically talking about collage and illustration art.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, it was good that he wasted the food, right? Because the drought wasn't his fault. I'm not sure what we're supposed to get out of that. Might be too zen for me :). I liked the story, but the art was not to my taste.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wealthy landowner (portrayed as a cat) only appreciates what he had, and wasted, after it's gone. The collages are interesting, but one in awhile visually confusing. It takes a while to locate what you're looking at.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lord has everything imaginable but never enough. When drought plagues his city, he is left with nothing and taught a valuable lesson about greed and want.

Could be great for spoken word storytelling.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lord of Hunger Mountain is never satisfied with what he has. One day after a long drought, he too is poor and without food. Will some one help him in this Chinese tale.