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Three Wise Cats: A Christmas Story
An inspiration tale about three cats and their journey to witness the first Christmas.
The old Siamese Ptolemy was alongside his master when a star of unusual brightness was seen in the heavens, indicating an event of momentous significance, and leading to a great quest. Ptolemy must watch over his frail master, so he sends three young cats to journey in his place and fulfill the The three shall find the one.
The three are Abishag, a sturdy reliable cat who has never shirked her duty; Kezia, a beautiful young tabby, delicate, a bit vain, but of good heart; and Ira, taller and stronger than the others, with a temper. Accompanying them is a fourth traveler? the rat Asmodeus, who can hear of no glorious thing without wanting to spoil it.
Together, the unlikely band will cover many miles, and have many dangerous adventures. And finally they will come to a far land, where the star bends close to the earth over a humble stable.
The old Siamese Ptolemy was alongside his master when a star of unusual brightness was seen in the heavens, indicating an event of momentous significance, and leading to a great quest. Ptolemy must watch over his frail master, so he sends three young cats to journey in his place and fulfill the The three shall find the one.
The three are Abishag, a sturdy reliable cat who has never shirked her duty; Kezia, a beautiful young tabby, delicate, a bit vain, but of good heart; and Ira, taller and stronger than the others, with a temper. Accompanying them is a fourth traveler? the rat Asmodeus, who can hear of no glorious thing without wanting to spoil it.
Together, the unlikely band will cover many miles, and have many dangerous adventures. And finally they will come to a far land, where the star bends close to the earth over a humble stable.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
14 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 2, 2023
A delightful retelling of the Magi following a new Star to find a King. . . .
Only this time the Magi are taking along some helpful creatures that might fall into the "pet" category. . and one stowaway who has altogether different plans.
I fell in love with them all:
Ptolemy - an old Siamese who proposes the venture and encourages the other three to undertake the trip, which he cannot due to the illness of his master, and himself.
Abishag - the one you can count on to do what needs doing!
Kezia - the Diva, but her heart's in the right place.
Ira - the muscle, but he's touchy and Sensitive. . . full of surprises.
That last one? the stowaway? Asmodeus. Not a cat. He's a rat. Cranky, sneaky and ready to change all the plans.
On my list to read each December. . . .a different perspective is always a good way to approach holidays filled with repetitive traditions. . .
Only this time the Magi are taking along some helpful creatures that might fall into the "pet" category. . and one stowaway who has altogether different plans.
I fell in love with them all:
Ptolemy - an old Siamese who proposes the venture and encourages the other three to undertake the trip, which he cannot due to the illness of his master, and himself.
Abishag - the one you can count on to do what needs doing!
Kezia - the Diva, but her heart's in the right place.
Ira - the muscle, but he's touchy and Sensitive. . . full of surprises.
That last one? the stowaway? Asmodeus. Not a cat. He's a rat. Cranky, sneaky and ready to change all the plans.
On my list to read each December. . . .a different perspective is always a good way to approach holidays filled with repetitive traditions. . .
December 8, 2019
A cute version of the Christmas story. 3 wise cats travel to see the Messiah and on the way meet human characters including the 3 kings. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was well done. There are miracles for those who seek and find the Messiah. A lovely addition to my Christmas reading.
October 1, 2018
I have a lot of small books about cats floating around my place that are always a good thing to pick up when I'm not sure what I am in the mood for. This one floated to the top of the stack.
An interesting twist on the Christmas story and the part about the Three Wise Men, this book follows 3 cats who are on a mission to see the Messiah. This journey takes them among Roman soldiers and Greek sailors and at last to the wise men on their way to Jerusalem. The adventures along the way are enjoyable and the transformation of one of their companions is a true miracle.
An interesting twist on the Christmas story and the part about the Three Wise Men, this book follows 3 cats who are on a mission to see the Messiah. This journey takes them among Roman soldiers and Greek sailors and at last to the wise men on their way to Jerusalem. The adventures along the way are enjoyable and the transformation of one of their companions is a true miracle.
November 29, 2013
Although these three cats don't actually talk, they are certainly part of the centuries-old tradition of transformed animals at the birth of Jesus. The book hits a good tone: not too syrupy, but also not too gritty. I don't know how kids would take it, but, speaking as a crusty old bachelor, I really enjoyed it.
November 19, 2017
w o w . . .
December 18, 2009
This was a great little book to keep the Christmas reading season going! We follow three cats on their journey to find the Messiah; they are following the new star and soon join up with the three wise men along the way. They also meet many other people on their journey and they learn what paths they must take after they find the Son of God. I knew I would really enjoy this book since it has cats as the main characters! The ending was especially touching as they meet the Savior and feel of His love for them. It was a great way to keep Christ in Christmas and remember the reason for the season.
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November 19, 2017Three cats make they way from Egypt following the bright star. In their journey, they encounter and travel with Roman centurions, Greek sailors, and finally, the Magi. It tells also, in part, the story of the wise men as they journey towards Bethlehem, in search of the prophesied Messiah. After they find the Babe, the wise men and the cats retrace their steps, which -- without providing spoilers to the story -- to me, is a metaphor for "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
January 26, 2025
Ugh. We had to DNF this one and I won’t return to it with the littles. We just weren’t that interested in the lives and narratives of the cats. We had a good conversation about symbolism and narrative allusion because of the Admodeus the Rat/Satan angle but that was it and we’ve talked about that before in books that we enjoyed more. I found myself dreading reaching for it and, when I “forgot”, the kids didn’t remind me which they definitely would if they were enjoying it.
Want to read
November 27, 2009A gift from my MiL. Not my usual sort of reading but it looks like a fun respite for the Christmas holidays...and she wants to borrow it when I'm finished. ;)
July 25, 2010
What a sweet story about three cats who accompany the wise men to see baby Jesus( although the time when they found Him is off-still a sweet story).
January 16, 2011
This was a fun audio book with great voices for the various characters. It was a variation on the Christmas story of Christ's birth and the Wise Men who sought him. It was joy-filled to hear.
April 3, 2013
This was an amazing story if you are a strong believer in celebrating Christmas, and very funny, too!
December 12, 2014
This is a story of three felines that accompany the Three Wise Men on their journey to see the new Christ child in Bethlehem. A nice story for the Christmas season with a cute feline twist.
December 15, 2018
Cute.
This story was a fun diversion, not to be taken too seriously. It reminded me a bit of Three Bags Full, which was also from the perspective of the animals (though much darker). Konstantelos does not play too loosely with the biblical story, but somewhat. It strikes me that much depends on the religious traditions of the author how much liberty they are willing to take. In this case the story is not harmed.
The cats are only as complex as you might expect a cat to be. They have very cat-centric perspectives and see themselves as more important than they really are. However, a true cat person will be amused by this and see the truth of it. They give a good model for how a person should come to Messiah, humble and ready to serve, knowing they will receive grace more than they ever had a right to foresee.
Read Three Wise Cats as entertainment, not as devotion. But it will serve as a small inspiration as well. It may never be a Christmas classic, but it will be time well spent in the mean time.
This story was a fun diversion, not to be taken too seriously. It reminded me a bit of Three Bags Full, which was also from the perspective of the animals (though much darker). Konstantelos does not play too loosely with the biblical story, but somewhat. It strikes me that much depends on the religious traditions of the author how much liberty they are willing to take. In this case the story is not harmed.
The cats are only as complex as you might expect a cat to be. They have very cat-centric perspectives and see themselves as more important than they really are. However, a true cat person will be amused by this and see the truth of it. They give a good model for how a person should come to Messiah, humble and ready to serve, knowing they will receive grace more than they ever had a right to foresee.
Read Three Wise Cats as entertainment, not as devotion. But it will serve as a small inspiration as well. It may never be a Christmas classic, but it will be time well spent in the mean time.
January 10, 2023
Three cars travel to see the Messiah. They are tempted and distracted by a rat, but helped by humans along the way. Too long for little kids but I’m not sure it would hold the attention of older children. Recommended to me by a friend who loves cats, it wasn’t my kind of book. As a dog person I didn’t appreciate the little episode with Goliath the dog, leaving dogs as the only creature to miss out on being loved by the Child.
November 27, 2023
Three kittens travel to find the new messiah. Along the way two of them find people they would like to spend their life with when their Tripp’s over. One has a crooked leg that he broke on the trip. The second one has a mangled ear from the trip. When they meet and touch the new baby the crooked leg is repaired, the mangled ear is fixed. The third one who had no handicaps now has the shape of a cross in her fur.
January 21, 2018
I enjoyed listening to this book. It was the story of the wisemen, but with cats that meet up with them and travel with them as well to meet the Messiah. A good book to listen to or read during Christmas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
I love the idea of the three cats traveling with the wise men. The cats are individual characters who learn to work together. Reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas and what the first Christmas was.
December 23, 2025
This is a sweet retelling of the Magi story. Three cats belonging to an astronomer go on a quests for the Christ Child. They do meet up with the traditional Magi and continue with them at that point. The have great adventures and act like ordinary cats but their thinking it far more advanced.
October 16, 2018
I kind of weird book. It is a fun read especially if you like cats. The title explains it all.
October 22, 2019
Cute story.
January 3, 2020
A good book to read during the Christmas season, especially leading up to Epiphany. Animal lovers will like what the three wise cats add to the traditional story.
June 5, 2022
Great Christmas story about cats as wise men.
January 4, 2024
Such a cute story of 3 cats trip to see Jesus in the manager on the night of his birth.
January 8, 2025
Very good story. I really enjoyed reading about the first Christmas and Jesus's birth but with cats in the story. And from the cats perspective.
December 15, 2025
It was cute. A lot of characters so I got a bit confused. I liked it, especially the Jesus parts.
December 23, 2019
This was a very sweet book. I enjoyed it very much.
January 11, 2021
Great story about three cats that travel with the Three Kings to the Messiah's birth. Great ending. The ending made me cry.
March 11, 2017
What a delightful little book! I would recommend it to readers of any age.
July 11, 2014
The story of the Three Wise Men told from the perspective of cats. Three cats, Ira, Kezia and Abishag, are sent on a quest by their elder cat and teacher to follow the strange star and find the Messiah. These cats, who are not much more than kitten (1-3 years old) each also find themselves on the journey. After briefly living life in a soldier's garrison and on a ship, the three cats meet up with the Three Wise Men and visit the Christ child. The story was very cute. Any cat lover would like it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews