The Boy who loved to Draw Cats A tale from old Japan Retold by Aaron Sheppard Adapted into an illustrated book by Stephen McCoy Illustrated Molly Anne McCoy

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About the story Joji is pronounced “JO-jee.” The temples and priests in the story are Buddhist. Aaron, in his adaptation, thanks storyteller Grace Megumi Fleming for her suggestions and help with cultural details. Aaron also thanks to all who have the patience and perseverance to translate and adapt these stories. 24

The original story can be found at : Aaron Shepard Stories This Japanese tale is retold by Aaron Shepard from “The Boy Who Drew Cats” in Gleanings from Buddha-Fields, by Lafcadio Hearn, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1897. The original story can be found at : Aaron Shepard Stories 25

For this assignment I wrote several more chapters to round out Joji’s adventure. I make no claim of authorship, only adaptation. The illustrator is my daughter, Molly Ann McCoy. Molly drew the details of Joji’s adventures from her memories of living in Japan. She has a flair for drawing cats and many other things. She, like Joji, is an artist. Stephen E. McCoy 26