The Cat Who Went To Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
【窮畫師與被阻擋於極樂世界門外的貓】
窮困潦倒的畫師只求老管家婆能用所剩不多的幾塊錢，到市場裡買一兩根蘿蔔來果腹，沒想到婆婆竟然因為感到孤單、想解決鼠害，因此買了一隻貓回家，簡直氣炸了餓扁的主人！雖然憤怒與飢餓感衝撞著精神，畫師仍然軟下心來決定收留並飼養牠，沒想到打開管家拎的竹籃後，跳出來的貓咪花色竟是代表福氣的玳瑁色，因此他便幫這隻三花貓取名叫「幸運」。
日漸相處，畫師發現幸運不同於一般的貓，除了擁有人類一般的禮貌，例如在畫室作畫時，幸運便會離開房間不打擾工作，牠也會對佛祖的畫像致敬，這讓畫師反思自己近年來為了攢錢早已疏忽對神的祈禱與膜拜。而幸運也真的為家中帶來財運，鎮裡寺廟的住持依照占卜的指示請託畫師為佛祖做一幅般涅槃(佛祖圓寂)的宗教畫，並要求畫上各種動物在一旁哀悼。雖然對畫師來說，幸運是一隻充滿靈性且乖巧的貓，可惜貓的形象在佛教經典中被視為驕傲無理的物種，充滿優越感的貓拒絕向生前的佛陀鞠躬，這樣的傳說讓廟方不願意讓獻神的畫中出現貓，但畫師發現幸運似乎因此而相當消沉、日益衰弱...
A Newberry Medal Winner
This timeless fable has been a classic since its first publication in 1930, and this beautifully reillustrated edition brings the magic and wonder of the tale to a new generation of readers.
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.
According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha's blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist's life is ruined as well--until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.
