The Boy Who Drew Cats

A beloved Japanese folktale retold by Lafcadio Hearn and brought vividly to life by artist Anita Kreituse.

What are they going to do with that boy? A large farm family has been cursed: they have a son with artistic talent! Yet it’s a very specific calling: he’s obsessed with drawing cats. When they pack him off to the temple for some serious monk training, his doodling only increases.

But talent and fortitude save the day. Threatened by a ferocious rat goblin, his fantastic felines come to life in the night and defend their creator. These artsy kittens have real claws!

A powerful testament to being yourself and finding your true calling, The Boy Who Drew Cats will delight readers of all ages. Lafcadio Hearn’s classic retelling finds the perfect pairing in Kreituse’s fabulous and whimsical artwork.

Author Biography

Lafcadio Hearn was born in Greece, eventually settling in Cincinnati where he became the city’s best-known crime reporter but was fired after marrying a black woman. Devastated, he moved to New Orleans, where he championed French Creole and Caribbean culture and created the city’s image as a place of voodoo and debauchery. Hearn arrived in Japan at a time of historic change. Sent there as a correspondent, over the next dozen years, he published 15 books on his adopted home and emerged as the leading writer on Japan and Japanese culture.

Anita Kreituse is a Latvian artist, painter and illustrator. She worked as a magazine art director, book illustrator, illustrator for package design, stage and costume designer and is a member of Aritsts’ Union of Latvia since 1992 and has participated in numerous important art exhibitions. Her illustrations of Puika, kas zimeja kakus (The Boy Who Drew Cats) were nominated for Janis Baltvilks Prize in 2017.