What the Rat Told Me

Author: Catherine Louis
Illustrated by: Marie Sellier
Hardcover: 48 page(s)
Age Range: 3 - 8

Book Description:

One day, the Great Emperor of Heaven invited all the animals to visit him on the Jade Mountain. Twelve animals came, and they became the twelve signs in the Chinese zodiac. But where was the cat? What really happened on that day so long ago? The rat, who was there, knows the true story. Parents, children, and educators will enjoy this sly tale of how the Chinese zodiac came to be.

Told as a pourquoi tale (Why the cat and rat are no longer friends), this introduction to the Chinese zodiac animals is adapted from a Buddhist legend dating from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-??220 CE).

Illustrated by the critically acclaimed team of author, illustrator, and calligrapher that created Legend of the Chinese Dragon.

Booklist
When the Great Emperor of Heaven invites the animals to visit him at sunrise, the rat promises to wake the cat at dawn. Instead, the rascal lets the cat sleep, rides atop the ox, and leaps off to be the first in line for the viewing, followed by the ox, the tiger, and nine other animals. The Emperor greets and assigns each creature a year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. When the cat discovers the rat-???+-?-+s ruse, their friendship dissolves, hence cats chase rats to this day. No source is cited, but Mina Harada Eimon-???+-?-+s Why Cats Chase Mice (1993) tells a Japanese version of the same story with cartoon-style illustrations. This shorter narrative features easily identified animals imaginatively rendered in stylized red-and-black linoleum prints, accompanied by graceful Chinese calligraphy. The tall format adds to the book-???+-?-+s elegant look.