The Cat Who Went To Heaven 1931 Medal Winner ***

The Cat Who Went to Heaven is a story of a cat who goes to live with a Japanese artist who has been commissioned to draw a picture of Buddha. Japenese tradition says that cats are the only animal who have rejected the teachings of Buddha and so he can not draw a picture of a cat among all the animals paying respect to Buddha. Good Fortune, the artist's cat, is not pleased to discover that he is not in the picture.

I'm amazed this book was written so long ago. It is quite abstract in thought and quite deep in analogy. I don't recommend this book for young readers at all, and even then only for mature young adults. It's a very quick read, I read it in the bathtub before the water even got cold. I found it hard to dive into at first, and half way through the book I felt like I was drifting and the story had no point. Up until the last 3 pages I was going to give it one star, but I feel the ending where the cat dies and is discovered in the arms of Buddha made the book worth the read. It's a powerful lesson on forgiveness and not deciding one's fate based on legend, past traditions, or even what you may think a person is or has become.

Thimble Summer 1939 Medal Winner ***

Garnet finds a silver thimble right before the rains come and save her father's crops. She decides the thimble is lucky and has all sorts of adventures for the rest of the summer living on a farm in the Midwest.

This book would be great to read chapter by chapter to classroom or children at night. The author does a great job describing farm life in the 1930's. She takes great care to talk about the price of things and how a 50 cent piece can make a child feel rich. So much of the life described in this book is now lost to our modern youth. This book would really teach children what life used to be like for their great grandparents when they were growing up.

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze 1933 Medal Winner ***

Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze is about a boy in China who becomes an apprentice and his adventures living near the Yangtze river.

This book is very similar to A Single Shard but not as riveting. I imagine that in 1933 this may have been American children's only exposure to what life was like in China many years ago. But children of today may find the writing tedious and get bored quickly.

Railroad to Freedom 1933 Honor Book ***

Railroad to Freedom tells the story of Harriet Tubman and how she came help hundreds of slaves to freedom using the Underground Railroad.

I really enjoyed this book and think it should have been the Medal Winner. I've heard of Harriet Tubman since I was a child, but never before have I felt like I knew the complete story. Thank goodness for amazing women like Harriet Tubman, we need more of her around today with all the awful things happening in Africa and other parts of the world.

On the Banks of Plum Creek 1938 Honor Book ****