The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo; Illustrations by Paul Lee

Harjo, Joy. The Good Luck Cat. New York City: Harcourt Inc, 2000.

The Good Luck Cat is a first-person narrative by an unnamed Native American girl. Taking place in an urban neighborhood, her cat Woogie is said to bring good luck to anyone who pets him. Despite his good luck gifts, the child describes the various ways Woogie unluckily finds himself losing his nine lives. By the end of the book, Woogie proves to have more than nine lives and therefore proves that he truly is a good luck cat.

While the text implies how Woogie lost each of his nine lives, Lee’s use of full-color acrylic paintings creates extremely detailed and realistic illustrations of Woogie’s mishaps, which really extend the story further. The informal presentation of the text allows Lee to extend each life of Woogie over two pages, making the pictures the center of attention. Lee’s uses lines to portray movement, boldness, and danger in various situations. Lee’s use of shadowing, and dark colors further generate the sense of danger Woogie encounters throughout the book.

This book is also considered contemporary Native American fiction. The story itself is has been passed on through the generations. While touching on themes such as life, loss, and love, the book is also raved for its non-stereotypical presentation of Native Americans. Lee presents the Native American characters as everyday human beings, but still subtly manages to incorporate cultural items such as drums, beaded earrings, and the attending of a powwow. This book is intended for children but definitely can be enjoyed by everyone!

[I used the following source to aid me in my review:http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1NOQKHNJPMQV/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp]