Jûippiki no Neko is a picture book with amusing illustrations in a comic style and with humorous conversation. It is printed in lithograph divided by color, a style often used for Kogumasha's picture books. The outline of cats drawn in curved lines and neutral tints of the picture are lively and attractive.
The story is about eleven hungry cats. They go fishing on a raft on
a big lake. They find an enormous fish, and, after a big fight, catch it.
They are very proud and happy, and wish to show the fish to other cats.
They make a promise not to eat it on their way home. They are, however
restless and look back at the fish quite often. They sail at night, and,
in the morning, the cats have very big bellies, and only the bones of the
fish are left.
Animal characters, the theme of eating, the idea of cooperation was
often seen in the picture books published in the 1960s and 1970s. This
tendency is a common element of long-selling picture books. Especially
in Jûippiki no Neko, not only the cooperation but the mischievous aspect of cats who break their promise, is described, which attracts children who are as curious and adventurous as the cats.
The author Baba Noboru (1927 - 2001) used to be the author of comics,
whose works appeared in Bôken Ô [The King of Adventure], or Yônen Bukku [A Book for Young Children]. He received the Shôgakukan Children's Manga Award with Bûtan (1954). Later he began drawing picture books and comics for adult readers. Jûippiki no Neko and its sequels are his representative works in the field of picture books. He also received the Sankei Award for Children's Books and Publications in 1968.
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