Three Samurai Cats

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Here’s an adaptation of an adaptation of a story Zen masters used to illustrate how unconventional approaches to problems can be disarmingly effective. When a daimyo’s castle is besieged by an enormous, ferocious rat, the lord beseeches the abbot of a nearby monastery to send a samurai cat to drive the beast away. The first and second samurai to confront him are overwhelmed by the rodent’s martial-arts skills, but the third, a tattered, disreputable-looking old feline, allows the rat’s greed to work against him and emerges triumphant. Kimmel’s telling is reasonably successful and the message to "Draw strength from stillness. Learn to act without acting. And never underestimate a samurai cat-" is conveyed without any element of preachiness. Gerstein’s lively cartoon illustrations are at their best in depicting the loathsome rat. The daimyo and the abbot are depicted as dogs, but there’s no question as to who has the upper paw. (Amazon.com)