This fable concerning a cat, an impoverished artist, and an old housekeeper, which won the Newbery Medal for excellence in children’s literature in 1931, is not about the afterlife, or about comforting a child after the loss of a pet. (Spoiler alert for the sensitive: it’s right there in the title, and the little cat Good Fortune’s death as depicted here is both sad and sweet.) 

It is about the creation of a painting of the death of the Buddha for the local temple (once upon a time, far away in Japan) and includes a good deal of animal folklore (several Jataka tales, believed to have been influences on Aesop’s stories), as the artist remembers and is inspired by episodes in the Buddha’s life and his interactions with the various animals. I am not sure if the main story is original to Elizabeth Coatsworth, or also based on a folktale, but in either case, it’s absolutely beautiful. I loved it as a child and I still love it today.

My copy has gorgeous illustrations by Lynd Ward. (There is a newer edition illustrated by Raoul Vitale, but I’m unfamiliar with it.)

The Cat Who Went to Heaven ends, as is only appropriate, with a miracle. It teaches compassion, generosity, humility, and forgiveness. As these qualities seem to be in rather short supply these days, please buy a copy of this book for anyone, young or old, whom it might help.

BOOK: The Cat Who Went to Heaven

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Coatsworth

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1930 

IMAGE: Book cover, Simon and Schuster