The Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan and Gretchen Schields - First Edition Children's Books - Chinese Culture, Cat Stories, Siamese Cats

First edition of The Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan and Gretchen Schields. Ming Miao tells her five kittens the story of their ancestor, Sagwa, who's heroic (or mischievous) acts are the reason they're Chinese rather than Siamese cats.

Written by Amy Tan. Illustrated by Gretchen Schields. 1994, first edition, first printing. Macmillan Publishing Company.

On the day mother cat Ming Miao sends her five kittens out into the world, she tells them the story of their illustrious ancestor Sagwa, and that because they're descended from her, they're really Chinese rather than Siamese cats.

"A thousand cat lives ago", Mama and Baba Miao and their three kittens lived in the House of the Foolish Magistrate. Their value to the Foolish Magistrate was in their long, silky, pointed tails; he dipped their tales in ink to write his many silly rules. One day he issued one of the worst rules ever: "From now on, people must not sing until the sun goes down!" For if they're singing, they must be happy, and if they're happy, they must not be working hard enough.

Mama and Baba thought the rule absurd and most unfair but they're resigned to being powerless to stop it. Not Sagwa. Left behind in the Foolish Magistrate's study, she jumps from a shelf onto his desk and splashes the ink pot everywhere, proud of herself, until she looks to down to see that she's standing on the Scroll of Rules and smeared the word "not" on the newest rule. Uh-oh. Sagwa knows she's in big trouble and hides behind the Magistrate's chair. The Reader of Rules enters the study to take the scroll in order to read the new rule to the citizens of the provence. When he announces that everyone must now sing until sunset, the people rejoice! Wonderful! How generous of the Magistrate to be so thoughtful of us! And they sing and sing. The Magistrate's anger melts away as he listens to their songs of thanks, and he immediately issues three new rules: All previous rules are rescinded; all stray cats are welcome in his house; and...

"...from now on, all Chinese cats shall have dark faces, ears, paws, and tails - in honor of the greatest of felines, Sagwa of China."

And that, according to Ming Miao, is the real history of 'Siamese' cats, and why they can't stay out of trouble.

Amy Tan is the celebrated author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Bonesetter's Daughter, and most recently, The Valley of Amazement. Her other children's book is The Moon Lady.

Connect with Amy Tan at Goodreads.
Goodreads.com/author/show/5246.Amy_Tan

Condition*: Fine/Near Fine. The dust jacket has a small scrape in the front top right corner and a small bump on the back top left corner.

*Based on guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.

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