Product Description

"Before you go out into the world," Ming Miao told her five kittens, "you must know the true story of your ancestors...."

And so begins the story of Sagwa of China, a mischievous, pearl white kitten. Sagwa lived in the House of the Foolish Magistrate, a greedy man who made up rules that helped only himself. One day, Sagwa fell into an inkwell and accidentally changed one of the Foolish Magistrate's rules. Little did Sagwa know she would alter the fate -- and the appearance -- of Chinese cats forever!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67159 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689846175
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
"In this charming original folktale, a mother cat tells her kittens the true story of their ancestry. Schields's energetic illustrations prove an atmospheric counterpart to Tan's vivacious narration," said PW. Ages 5-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-A Siamese cat tells her children about their "great ancestor, Sagwa of China." That feline started off as a mischievous, pearl-white kitten who lived with her parents in the house of a greedy, autocratic magistrate. Her penchant for trouble lands her in a pot of ink, which stains her paws, nose, ears, and tail. The accident starts a chain of events that leads to the magistrate's tearful reformation, as well as to generations of cats that look Siamese but are actually Chinese. The artwork is a pastiche of images drawn from different sources. Many borders reproduce ancient Chinese textile patterns. While some of the human figures seem to have stepped from poster art done in the style of socialist realism, most resemble contemporary paintings from mass-produced Chinese New Year calendars. Librarians with long memories might recognize Kurt Wiese's exaggerated caricatures in the features of the magistrate and his Reader of Rules. Human and feline emotions are overdrawn and cliched, and the tightly controlled, prolix compositions employ a cacophony of colors. With its lengthy, precious text and derivative art, this whimsical look at Imperial China falls far short of the standards set by innovative artists working within the Chinese tradition, notably Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Meilo So, and Ed Young. Chinese or Siamese, this cat is strictly a commercial product and hardly worth considering.
Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 6-9. Ming Miao tells her kittens the story of their ancestor, Sagwa of China, to explain the dark markings on their faces and tails. Sagwa lives in the house of the Foolish Magistrate, his foolishness taking the form of impossible rules. When he declares that no one can sing until the sun goes down, Sagwa changes the rule by falling into an ink pot and getting paws, ears, nose, tail, and selected parts of the Scroll of Rules covered in ink. The Foolish Magistrate has a change of heart after everyone begins following the new rule--people must sing until the sun goes down--and becomes the Wise Magistrate, beginning by forgiving Sagwa. Though the story has some inherent charm, the telling is overly long, often dragging. Schields' decorative, ornate illustrations are a running commentary on the elaborately staged tale, reflecting content and tone with a splashy if somewhat garish vigor. Janice Del Negro

Customer Reviews

Yes, a little kitten CAN change the world!
Amy Tan is best known as the author of several wonderful books for adults on the experiences of Chinese and Chinese-American women, but she proves here that she is equally talented as a writer for children. I suspect that this charming book will receive a lot of interest now that it has spawned an equally delightful PBS series. As a cat lover with an interest in Chinese culture and a desire to eventually write for children, I found it irresistible.

Ming Miao, a modern day feline, instructs her kittens about their heritage - they are CHINESE cats, not Siamese cats, and they take after their most illustrious ancestor Sagwa. Sagwa is a pearl-white kitten who lives in the court of a Foolish Magistrate who makes life miserable for his subjects by decreeing all sorts of oppressive rules. 'Sagwa' means 'melon head' and she is just as silly and mischevious as the her name implies, getting into all sorts of trouble by accident. Her parents, Baba and Mama Miao, are calligraphers forced by the Foolish Magistrate to write down his rules, using their tails as brushes. The Foolish Magistrate's latest rule is 'People must not sing until sundown'. Even though Sagwa's parents know how cruel this declaration is, they feel they can do nothing about it because they are only cats. After everyone else leaves the room, Sagwa jumps down from her hiding place on a high shelf onto the Foolish Magistrate's desk ...and lands in a pot of ink. Rubbing the ink off her face onto the nearest scroll, she discovers that she has blotted out the character for 'not' in the rule, turning it into 'People MUST sing until sundown'. Sagwa is so delighted by this change that she puts an exclamation point at the end of the rule (so people will sing really loud and happily), and then proceeds to blot out the list of people who must be fined for breaking it with the ink on her paws. She is then horrified to discover that the ink from the pot has permanently dyed her face, paws, and tail black - surely the Magistrate will now know it is she who changed the rule and throw her and her family out onto the street. However, the Magistrate's subjects are so delighted by this new rule that they sing their hearts out about how wonderful and kind he is. The Foolish Magistrate, in turn, is so touched by his people's love and gratitude that he becomes the Wise Magistrate. Not only does he take back all his oppressive decrees (and make several cat-friendly ones!), but he honors Sagwa by decreeing that in the future ALL Chinese cats will have dark markings on their face, paws and tail like 'the greatest of felines'. So that is why Chinese cats today look just like Sagwa, and, as one of Ming Miao's mud-covered kittens proves, are just as adept into getting into mischief as she is.

Gretchen Shields' illustrations are delightful, not only true to place and period and full of explosive color, but also really capturing Sagwa's constant motion and mischief. The border paintings are particularly detailed in depictions of Sagwa, her family, and the various villagers and customs.

This is a new paperback edition obviously intended to tie in with the aforementioned PBS series - the original hardback edition does not have the word 'Sagwa' in the title. Since it is exactly the same book otherwise, I would recommend this edition instead simply because it is half the price of the hardback.

Children who like this book might want to read another story set in China, 'Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat' by Jennifer Armstrong, where a nasty old widow is transformed into a good person through her friendship with a cat. For older children and adults (who might read this book to the youngsters), I would of course recommend one of Tan's adult novels such as 'The Joy Luck Club'. They might even be interested in the adventures of a REAL 'Wise Magistrate', Judge Dee (the Chinese Sherlock Holmes!) in a series of excellent mystery novels by Robert Van Gulik.

By the way, Amy Tan actually had a cat named Sagwa who was very ill while she was writing this book. When Tan finished the book and read it to her, Sagwa recovered and lived another 4 years!

Siamese cat lovers....
The most exquisitely illustrated book I've ever owned! A fun, fictitious way to describe how white siamese kittens get their colors.
It's a bit long for a bed time story, but really fun! Kids ages 8 or 9 and up may be able to read it themselves, but the beginners may have a hard time.

Beautifully written and illustrated book!
I've read Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club" and "Kitchen God's Wife" and had no idea that she's a wonderful children's author as well. I learned about this book from watching the same titled PBS series. The series is cute for kids, but the book is a wonderful story, rich in history and beautifully illustrated. Tan is a gifted writer that children and adults can appreciate.