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Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan
After a rat takes over his castle, a canine old lord knows there is only one way to get rid of such a bully. He needs a samurai fast-a samurai cat!
A fierce samurai arrives and draws his sword, ready to vanquish the upstart rodent. He charges toward the venomous vermin...
Splat!
The defeated cat slinks away. Next, a samurai cat in full armor takes on the job.
Splat!
The second cat slinks away. Then an old, toothless, ragged-tailed cat limps to the castle, promising to chase away the invader. What could this ancient cat possibly offer a humiliated dog with a giant pest problem on his paws?
A fierce samurai arrives and draws his sword, ready to vanquish the upstart rodent. He charges toward the venomous vermin...
Splat!
The defeated cat slinks away. Next, a samurai cat in full armor takes on the job.
Splat!
The second cat slinks away. Then an old, toothless, ragged-tailed cat limps to the castle, promising to chase away the invader. What could this ancient cat possibly offer a humiliated dog with a giant pest problem on his paws?
32 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Eric A. Kimmel
160 books111 followersEric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 5, 2017
“Three Samurai Cats” is an ancient Japanese folktale about how three samurai cats come to the Daimyo’s castle to defeat a savage rat with the last samurai cat giving the rat a taste of his own medicine. Eric A. Kimmel’s hilarious retelling and Mordicai Gerstein’s colorful drawings combine greatly to make a great and funny story from ancient Japan.
Eric A. Kimmel’s humorous storytelling of an ancient Japanese folktale is extremely inventive and witty as the last samurai cat uses a nonviolent stragety to defeat the rat at the end of the book. I found the part where the rat kicks the fierce samurai cat across the room to be extremely funny since the samurai cat looked funny when he crashed to the ground. Mordicai Gerstein’s illustrations are colorful yet scratchy, giving the story a humourous edge. One of the illustrations that really stood out the most for me was the image of Neko Roshi giving an intense look after he had just woken up when the rat yelled out “help!” when he was stuck in the rice ball. Neko Roshi’s eyes look huge like when a cat sees something that terrifies it and his hair also stood on its end.
“Three Samurai Cats” is an excellent story about how violence does not always solve the problem and how clear thinking can always win the battle if you allow the right moment to come. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the younger children might not understand the Japanese vocabulary, such as daimyo and docho.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
July 19, 2020
A daimyo, or feudal lord, is driven to distraction by the advent of a rapacious rat who takes over his castle in this traditional Japanese tale. Traveling to a distant shrine, he implored the dōchō, or senior monk, to send one of his famous samurai cats to drive out the intruder. When the first two feline warriors fail in their task, the dōchō sends the famous Neko Roshi, the greatest cat master of the martial arts. The daimyo is incensed when this legendary figure turns out to be an old and decrepit cat, one who seems to have no interest in battling the rat. Does Neko Roshi have a hidden plan, or is he just not up to the job...?
The answer to that is revealed at the end of Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan, and is explored more fully in author Eric Kimmel's brief afterword, in which the Zen Buddhist beliefs embedded in the story are discussed. Kimmel also mentions his source - George and Loretta Hausman's The Mythology of Cats: Feline Legend and Lore through the Ages - which greatly pleased me, given the absence of such information in some other titles from the author that I have read recently. The story here is engaging, the conclusion somewhat unexpected, and the artwork from Mordicai Gerstein, done in pen and ink and oil paint, accentuated the humor of the text. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to anyone seeking Zen Buddhist stories.
The answer to that is revealed at the end of Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan, and is explored more fully in author Eric Kimmel's brief afterword, in which the Zen Buddhist beliefs embedded in the story are discussed. Kimmel also mentions his source - George and Loretta Hausman's The Mythology of Cats: Feline Legend and Lore through the Ages - which greatly pleased me, given the absence of such information in some other titles from the author that I have read recently. The story here is engaging, the conclusion somewhat unexpected, and the artwork from Mordicai Gerstein, done in pen and ink and oil paint, accentuated the humor of the text. Recommended to young folklore lovers, and to anyone seeking Zen Buddhist stories.
February 15, 2011
Ummm. It was OK. My daughter (7 y.o.) loved it. She thought it was hilarious.
I think the problem I have with it is that the tone is so American. The humor was overdone and the cleverness of the last samurai was kind of lost in that. I think the story was missing something. I guess it was too harried (?). The daimyo seemed like a doofus, as did the first of the two samurai. Somehow I think that wasn't in the "original" version--granted, the original daimyo probably wasn't a dog, either. So I think it's a fun book for a kid, but it was a bit disappointing for an oldster.
I think the problem I have with it is that the tone is so American. The humor was overdone and the cleverness of the last samurai was kind of lost in that. I think the story was missing something. I guess it was too harried (?). The daimyo seemed like a doofus, as did the first of the two samurai. Somehow I think that wasn't in the "original" version--granted, the original daimyo probably wasn't a dog, either. So I think it's a fun book for a kid, but it was a bit disappointing for an oldster.
February 4, 2011
read to 2nd grade,
part of folktale / good-guy-bad-guy unit
they liked talking about whether it was a fable with a lesson, or a trickster tale.
part of folktale / good-guy-bad-guy unit
they liked talking about whether it was a fable with a lesson, or a trickster tale.
June 19, 2020
Ok, so I get why the first two samurai failed to get rid of the rat. But I needed the author's note to understand why the last one succeeded. It's a Zen thing.
Further reading: The Mythology of Cats: Feline Legend and Lore through the Ages and *The Swordsman and the Cat* by Kenji Sora.
Kimmel seldom disappoints, no matter what culture he's borrowing from, or which artist illustrates each different book.
openlibrary.org
Further reading: The Mythology of Cats: Feline Legend and Lore through the Ages and *The Swordsman and the Cat* by Kenji Sora.
Kimmel seldom disappoints, no matter what culture he's borrowing from, or which artist illustrates each different book.
openlibrary.org
April 14, 2015
As far as folk tales go, this story was not my favorite. I felt that it was anti climactic and just ended abruptly. However, I think it is crucial to incorporate folk literature in to an elementary education classroom.
In a curricular sense, as a read aloud, this book would be great to discuss Japanese folk literature and what these motifs or lessons tell us about Japanese culture and what they value as a group of people. I think it's important to take a critical eye to these things for all cultures because you can learn a lot through their traditional literature. I could also do a social studies unit on Japan because as I said, there are multiple things that the reader can learn from this story about that particular culture.
For independent reading, I think this book would be interesting for a Japanese-American student to read. It would be neat to compare the themes that they still see their parents and families valuing even dating back to a long time ago. The students can look critically at their culture, and also get more connected to their rich heritage.
The literary element that I would focus on here would be the theme. The theme of this story really was surprising to me as I feel like many children don't appreciate this as one of life's lessons. From the story, the theme is "Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting." The reason I would teach upon this is because so many children want instant gratification and immediate results, but this story tells us otherwise. Often times, it's more effective to wait and meditate before acting and the problem can solve itself. This is useful for elementary students who hardly ever do this.
Lastly, obviously this book represents a diverse perspective as it is about a different culture and it's always important to have that representation in a classroom. A great example of multicultural literature will be found in all folk/traditional literature from a given culture.
In a curricular sense, as a read aloud, this book would be great to discuss Japanese folk literature and what these motifs or lessons tell us about Japanese culture and what they value as a group of people. I think it's important to take a critical eye to these things for all cultures because you can learn a lot through their traditional literature. I could also do a social studies unit on Japan because as I said, there are multiple things that the reader can learn from this story about that particular culture.
For independent reading, I think this book would be interesting for a Japanese-American student to read. It would be neat to compare the themes that they still see their parents and families valuing even dating back to a long time ago. The students can look critically at their culture, and also get more connected to their rich heritage.
The literary element that I would focus on here would be the theme. The theme of this story really was surprising to me as I feel like many children don't appreciate this as one of life's lessons. From the story, the theme is "Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting." The reason I would teach upon this is because so many children want instant gratification and immediate results, but this story tells us otherwise. Often times, it's more effective to wait and meditate before acting and the problem can solve itself. This is useful for elementary students who hardly ever do this.
Lastly, obviously this book represents a diverse perspective as it is about a different culture and it's always important to have that representation in a classroom. A great example of multicultural literature will be found in all folk/traditional literature from a given culture.
September 29, 2015
Purrr-fectly written and illustrated. Kimmel's adaptation from two sources is fantastically read-aloudable and fun; the combination of Kimmel and Gerstein's illustrations make the book a blast. Gerstein's cats and dogs are like Richard Scarry's Busytown Cars and Trucks and Things That Go moved to feudal Japan (no pigs or Goldbug though), but rendered in a crazy, unique but accessible style. The rat is Templeton Charlotte's Web all grown up, conniving, evil, a big fat lazy loaf of oaf. There is a not so subtle, valuable lesson here, about the patience verses force, with some anti-bullying thrown in for good measure.
May 6, 2012
A Japanese daimyo is stuck with a big, mean rat who rules the castle. He rides off to a shrine to ask a docho for a cat to defeat this rude rodent. The first two cats are defeated and so a third cat is sent -- he is old, feeble, and spends most of his time sleeping and eating. Finally, the rat is crushed by a ball of rice and ends up slinking away from the castle. The moral? "Draw strength from stillness" and let the opponent defeat himself.
Kids will find the story silly and fun while adults will appreciate the wily wise cat's tactics. My only complaint is that the story feels very Americanized -- I wonder about the tone of the original Japanese tale and how it contrasts will Kimmel and Gerstein's version. Recommended for folktale and trickster tale lovers in K - grade 2.
Kids will find the story silly and fun while adults will appreciate the wily wise cat's tactics. My only complaint is that the story feels very Americanized -- I wonder about the tone of the original Japanese tale and how it contrasts will Kimmel and Gerstein's version. Recommended for folktale and trickster tale lovers in K - grade 2.
July 5, 2019
A humorous yet enriching folk tale of a rat who bullies his way into a feudal lord's castle and takes it over. The lord requests help from a senior monk, who sends him three Samurai cats to defeat the rat. The tale shows how each individual samurai attempts to evict the rat using their learned skills.
October 14, 2022
Spectacular!
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March 1, 2016Title: Three Samurai Cats: A Story From Japan
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Patience, Trust, Strength, Trickster tale
Opening line/sentence: There was once a daimyo, a powerful lord, whose castle was occupied by a savage rat.
Brief Book Summary: A cruel rat takes over a castle where a powerful lord lives. The lord travels to find samurai cats, which are tough, skilled fighters. The samurai cats, however, continuously fail to defeat the rat until Neko Roshi, an old cat, comes along to defeat the rat. The story teaches the moral lesson of “drawing strength from stillness.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2003 (Vol. 99, No. 16))
In feudal Japan, a daimyo (powerful lord) is humiliated when a greedy, bullying rat takes over his castle, eats his food, and intimidates everyone. The daimyo seeks help from a shrine famous for training samurai cats. Two magnificent feline warriors arrive, but the rat effortlessly overpowers them. Desperate, the lord requests the toughest cat of all, and he is surprised when scrawny, aged Neko Roshi hobbles in. He is even more surprised when the cat refuses the rat's invitations to fight. As time passes, the rat's behavior grows more egregious, but Neko Roshi ignores the rodent--until it finally traps itself and leaves the castle defeated. Kimmel tempers the folktale's heavy message about passive resistance with humorous, perfectly paced language that is ideal for read-alouds, and the characters in Gerstein's colorful, detailed drawings are irresistible--the saggy-jowled hound in robes; the buffoonish, wildly costumed daimyo bulldog; the scruffy, shrunken Neko Roshi; and, best of all, the pot-bellied, gleefully wicked "barbarous rat," who is more comic foil than villain. An author's note offers some historical background and sources.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
The villain here is a savage rat, who takes over the castle of a daimyo, or lord in old Japan. The desperate lord seeks help from the docho, or senior monk, of a shrine famous for its samurai cats. The first cat to arrive is humiliated by the rat. The second samurai sent by the monk seems larger and more experienced, but the rat sends him flying. Finally the monk sends Neko Roshi, "the greatest living master of the martial arts." But when he arrives, he seems elderly and uninterested in fighting. How he finally defeats the rat offers a lesson in the Zen art of drawing strength from stillness rather than force. The visual narrative begins on the half-title page, where the cats are busy in the foreground as the rat makes his way to the castle in the back. Gerstein gives us a close-up on the title page as the evil rat is about to enter. His initial conquest is then depicted in action in a series of boxes. Colored pen and ink drawings using translucent oil paint on vellum suggest some Japanese historic scroll paintings. These delicious illustrations are filled with action, animal/human characters, and humor. The author adds a note on background, history, and source.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews discuss the books powerful use of illustrations to express the humor and action that takes place throughout the book. The book’s vivid illustrations are also laid out surrounding the text. This is a book that is appealing to young children because of the illustrations and humorous actions, which would make it a fun read-aloud to do with the class.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Setting plays a large role in this story because of the characters of the samurai cats. The author explains in the back of the book that the samurai are soldiers from Japan. Therefore, this story would not make sense if the setting were not in Japan. The illustrations give a clear picture of the country adding to the impact of the characters and plot. The samurai cats are described as tough, skilled fighters and are an important part of this story.
Consideration of Instructional Application: The author leaves a note in the back of the book about different parts of the story that have to do with Japan’s culture. For example, he explains the meaning of the words roshi and daimyo. I would use this note for a mini lesson about culture in my classroom. I would read this note aloud with my students and ask them to think about the difference between the words used in Japan versus our English words. I would then use this to talk more about culture and use it to create a research activity where my students would find similar words in different cultures and languages to broaden their cultural knowledge.
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Patience, Trust, Strength, Trickster tale
Opening line/sentence: There was once a daimyo, a powerful lord, whose castle was occupied by a savage rat.
Brief Book Summary: A cruel rat takes over a castle where a powerful lord lives. The lord travels to find samurai cats, which are tough, skilled fighters. The samurai cats, however, continuously fail to defeat the rat until Neko Roshi, an old cat, comes along to defeat the rat. The story teaches the moral lesson of “drawing strength from stillness.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2003 (Vol. 99, No. 16))
In feudal Japan, a daimyo (powerful lord) is humiliated when a greedy, bullying rat takes over his castle, eats his food, and intimidates everyone. The daimyo seeks help from a shrine famous for training samurai cats. Two magnificent feline warriors arrive, but the rat effortlessly overpowers them. Desperate, the lord requests the toughest cat of all, and he is surprised when scrawny, aged Neko Roshi hobbles in. He is even more surprised when the cat refuses the rat's invitations to fight. As time passes, the rat's behavior grows more egregious, but Neko Roshi ignores the rodent--until it finally traps itself and leaves the castle defeated. Kimmel tempers the folktale's heavy message about passive resistance with humorous, perfectly paced language that is ideal for read-alouds, and the characters in Gerstein's colorful, detailed drawings are irresistible--the saggy-jowled hound in robes; the buffoonish, wildly costumed daimyo bulldog; the scruffy, shrunken Neko Roshi; and, best of all, the pot-bellied, gleefully wicked "barbarous rat," who is more comic foil than villain. An author's note offers some historical background and sources.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
The villain here is a savage rat, who takes over the castle of a daimyo, or lord in old Japan. The desperate lord seeks help from the docho, or senior monk, of a shrine famous for its samurai cats. The first cat to arrive is humiliated by the rat. The second samurai sent by the monk seems larger and more experienced, but the rat sends him flying. Finally the monk sends Neko Roshi, "the greatest living master of the martial arts." But when he arrives, he seems elderly and uninterested in fighting. How he finally defeats the rat offers a lesson in the Zen art of drawing strength from stillness rather than force. The visual narrative begins on the half-title page, where the cats are busy in the foreground as the rat makes his way to the castle in the back. Gerstein gives us a close-up on the title page as the evil rat is about to enter. His initial conquest is then depicted in action in a series of boxes. Colored pen and ink drawings using translucent oil paint on vellum suggest some Japanese historic scroll paintings. These delicious illustrations are filled with action, animal/human characters, and humor. The author adds a note on background, history, and source.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews discuss the books powerful use of illustrations to express the humor and action that takes place throughout the book. The book’s vivid illustrations are also laid out surrounding the text. This is a book that is appealing to young children because of the illustrations and humorous actions, which would make it a fun read-aloud to do with the class.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Setting plays a large role in this story because of the characters of the samurai cats. The author explains in the back of the book that the samurai are soldiers from Japan. Therefore, this story would not make sense if the setting were not in Japan. The illustrations give a clear picture of the country adding to the impact of the characters and plot. The samurai cats are described as tough, skilled fighters and are an important part of this story.
Consideration of Instructional Application: The author leaves a note in the back of the book about different parts of the story that have to do with Japan’s culture. For example, he explains the meaning of the words roshi and daimyo. I would use this note for a mini lesson about culture in my classroom. I would read this note aloud with my students and ask them to think about the difference between the words used in Japan versus our English words. I would then use this to talk more about culture and use it to create a research activity where my students would find similar words in different cultures and languages to broaden their cultural knowledge.
April 14, 2015
Personal Response: I enjoyed this playful story. I really enjoyed the comic book feel that the illustrations had. I would like to research more about what some of the words in Japanese mean in the book so I can understand the book more thoroughly. The number three was used throughout the book which is common motif associated with folk literature. I think this would be a wonderful book to read aloud to students.
Purpose in the Classroom:
Three Samurai Cats is a story from Japan. It has many words that may be foreign to english speaking students. Some of these words include Docho, Daimyo, karigane, shimo-tatewari, ryo kuruma,geta, and tatami. It will be important to discuss what these located in the story mean in the Japanese language. A teacher could read this story aloud to 1-3rd graders and discuss different words in Japanese and the foreign words in Japanese located in the story. This book can also be used to teach students the lesson of a story which fulfills a standard in the Kansas Common Core State Standards. The lesson of this story is to draw strength from stillness and learn to act without acting.
Purpose in the Classroom:
Three Samurai Cats is a story from Japan. It has many words that may be foreign to english speaking students. Some of these words include Docho, Daimyo, karigane, shimo-tatewari, ryo kuruma,geta, and tatami. It will be important to discuss what these located in the story mean in the Japanese language. A teacher could read this story aloud to 1-3rd graders and discuss different words in Japanese and the foreign words in Japanese located in the story. This book can also be used to teach students the lesson of a story which fulfills a standard in the Kansas Common Core State Standards. The lesson of this story is to draw strength from stillness and learn to act without acting.
July 20, 2012
Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan is a about a daimyo, a powerful lord whose castle was occupied by a mean rat. The illustrations are many with pictures of how the rat affected everyone in the castle. They are funny! Children will find humor in this versus being scared.
The daimyo tried many different ways to get rid of the rat, but the rat outsmarted him. The daimyo sought the help of a docho, the senior monk and abbot of the monastery. The docho sends two different cats to fight the rat but with no luck. Finally, he sends an elderly cat who wore a ragged kimono, worn-down geta, and wooden clogs. He also had not teeth, his tail was a mess, and he walked with a limp. The cat proceeded to eat and sleep for weeks and did not fight the rat; the rat continued to torment all in the castle. Eventually, the rat defeated himself by his own greed. The lesson is to “Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat.” This is funny story with a life lesson about strength, greed, and patience.
The daimyo tried many different ways to get rid of the rat, but the rat outsmarted him. The daimyo sought the help of a docho, the senior monk and abbot of the monastery. The docho sends two different cats to fight the rat but with no luck. Finally, he sends an elderly cat who wore a ragged kimono, worn-down geta, and wooden clogs. He also had not teeth, his tail was a mess, and he walked with a limp. The cat proceeded to eat and sleep for weeks and did not fight the rat; the rat continued to torment all in the castle. Eventually, the rat defeated himself by his own greed. The lesson is to “Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat.” This is funny story with a life lesson about strength, greed, and patience.
May 27, 2012
The best thing about having a niece, is that I can read picture books without shame! Because I quiet like books with pictures in. I liked the story of Three Samurai cats. Loved the quote at the end "Draw Strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat. Especially when he is old and you are a rat who likes rice balls." The illustrations are okay but not to my normal taste. I confess that I have twice read this to my niece but she has been sleeping both time, I just wanted to read it. It is one I will keep and read to her when she stays awake for longer.
May 7, 2016
Neko Roshi, the "greatest living master of the martial arts," is a scruffy, old cat. After two young, strong warriors have tried and failed to dislodge a usurper rat from a lord’s castle, it's Neko Roshi's turn. He eats, sleeps, and watches the rat for so long that the lord becomes enraged. But in the end, Neko Roshi demonstrates that victory comes when you allow your opponents to defeat themselves. My son was so young when we read it the first time, he kind of missed the point, but he enjoyed the book just the same. And I appreciated how careful Kimmel was to credit and praise his source for this adaptation.
February 21, 2019
This book is written based off of a Japanese Mythology story. A nasty rat takes over the daimyo's castle, the daimyo sets out to find a samurai cat that can defeat the rat. Two young and strong samurai cats were not able to defeat the rat, the third samurai cat however, was able to defeat the rat even though he appeared to be old and crippled. This story teaches the lesson of not judging a book by its cover in the sense of not assuming who a person is without getting to know them first. I would recommend this book to children k-5.
April 20, 2012
This is a tale of a cat King who has a rodent invading his palace. He calls in all of these strong and powerful samurais to get of rid of the rodent but they all fail. Then comes the old, wise and weak cat who is no threat at all but yet he gets the rodent to leave.
Great story to show children how to "work smarter not harder" and to use their creativity and their cleverness to get what they need done.
Great story to show children how to "work smarter not harder" and to use their creativity and their cleverness to get what they need done.
Want to read
November 4, 2012FYI everyone, don't tell your kids that this is an 'ancient Japanese folktale' about samurai cats. My understanding is that it's an adaptation of an adaptation of a story of three Zen masters. Maybe it doesn't make a difference either way to some, but even as a kid, old stories had a different weight for me than new ones, and I needed to know the difference. That said, I *wish* there was an ancient Japanese folktale about cat samurai. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
September 2, 2008
My boys thought this was "really good". The illustrations were pretty funny. The story itself was well written although I struggled with some of the Japanese names and words. It's got a nice little moral at the end.
While entertaining and such I didn't think it outstanding. The boys absolutely love samurais though so it was worth a read.
While entertaining and such I didn't think it outstanding. The boys absolutely love samurais though so it was worth a read.
May 13, 2009
I grabbed three books off the shelf for Tuesday's Tall Tales storytime today without even reading them first - a potential librarian disaster! But this book totally came through for me, lots of action & detailed sequential illustrations that totally cracked the kids up. Evil fat rats and cats strapped into samurai armor! Total win!
May 4, 2012
A great story about a feudal lord who is being run out of his home by a fearless rat. He enlists the aid of three samurai cats, and is he surprised at which one solved the problem! Great story, great artwork, and it teaches, not only about a time in feudal Japan, but also a lesson about appearances being deceiving.
September 11, 2012
Three Samurai Cats is a Japanese folktale about how three different cats tried to get a large nasty looking rat out of Daimyo’s castle. Retold by Eric A. Kimmel, this book has colorful pictures and would be a good read aloud for children 5yr-9yr. Also could be used in a lesson for folktales for students to see what kind of folktales is told in other countries.
November 3, 2012
This humorous story from Japan tells of a powerful lord whose castle is taken over by a rat. He then has to appeal for help to the leader of a monastery who sends three successive samurai cats to deal with the problem.
May 5, 2013
With Story of the World, Vol. II
The subject of samurai is not one we are really interested in... and though we love cat stories, the cat angle didn't change things here. But anyway, an OK story to reinforce the notion of the feudal system of medieval Japan...
The subject of samurai is not one we are really interested in... and though we love cat stories, the cat angle didn't change things here. But anyway, an OK story to reinforce the notion of the feudal system of medieval Japan...
August 20, 2014
Good fun, and of course Mordicai Gerstein does a bang-up job with illustrations--but it's NOT a ninja book! Please note that samurai and ninja are, in fact, two very different kinds of warriors in Japanese culture. However, they are both great subjects for picture books!
February 2, 2018
This was an interesting story. At once it seems very Puss in Boots. The castle is overcome with a rat so the the king calls on a cat. But cat number one and cat number two are defeated. Cat number three, bides his time to get his win. The illustrations are gorgeous.
May 16, 2008
My boys absolutely love this book. Since I speak Japanese, I pronounce some of the words authentically which they get a big kick out of. It is a humorous fable about patience and wisdom.
September 11, 2008
A fun story - I particularly liked the author's notes at the end. He briefly describes the Japanese words used and a little about Zen Buddhism.
September 28, 2008
Very Zen ... interesting art
March 11, 2010
This book is really funny...I would recommend this for 2nd to 5th graders.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews