Interviewed by Leonard Chan

I have the great pleasure of introducing you to one of the editors of this newsletter. She is also an illustrator, an author, and an AACP board member.

She has just republished a children’s book that she authored and illustrated called “Why Cats Chase Mice: A Story of the Twelve Zodiac Signs.”

Mina, please tell us a little bit about your background, such as the places you’ve lived, your travels, and your upbringing and education.

I was born in Tokyo, Japan and when I was four, my family moved to Warsaw, Poland because of my father’s work. There, I adopted Polish as my second language (Japanese was my first), and remember being very confused on my first day at the American School because I didn’t understand a word of English. Growing up, I’ve been fortunate to attend schools in Japan, Singapore and Spain. Eventually I found my way to the United States to attend Brown University in Rhode Island, where I majored in Visual Arts and Comparative Literature, while cross-registering at the Rhode Island School of Design to study illustration. While I don’t travel much these days, “Why Cats Chase Mice” apparently does, and reunited me with my long lost friend from Singapore, who happened to come across my book in Canada!

What inspired you to write “Why Cats Chase Mice”? When did you first hear this folk story and how does your telling of the story vary from the version you first heard?

The inspiration came from my maternal grandfather, who was a skilled story-teller, and he was the first one who introduced me to this tale. I think he also familiarized me with Greek mythology and other tales from around the world. This was the only version I had heard as a child in Japan, and I thought that a story explaining the origin of the Asian zodiac signs would capture the imagination of kids. Also, two other factors made me choose this story. One was the fact that I felt there was a lack of Asian themed children’s books. The other stemmed from my love of animals and rendering anthropomorphic animals.

Did you study other versions of the great race folk tale for the making of your book? If so, tell us what you learned and also about the variation in the story, particularly between the Chinese and Japanese versions.

While I was only familiar with the Japanese version, I have learned that there are so many cultural variations that it is impossible to cover them all here. For example, in the Vietnamese zodiac, the rabbit is replaced by a cat, and the ox is replaced by a buffalo. The Japanese zodiac has replaced the pig with the boar, and most cultures have a goat instead of the sheep. In Thai tradition, the dragon is replaced by the naga, a mythical water serpent. The Myanmar zodiac signs are based on weekdays, and have eight animals, because Wednesday is split into two.

Despite a few differences, “Why Cats Chase Mice” has a similar overall plot to the Chinese version, with the Jade Emperor (in the Chinese version) or Kami-sama (in “Why Cats Chase Mice”) calling all animals to a race.

Someone once asked me why I depicted Kami-sama resting under what she noticed was a Shinto gate, instead of a Buddhist temple. The story, she pointed out, was of Buddhist origin. That was an interesting question because, for anyone who is curious, Shinto and Buddhism do coexist in Japan, where one can often see Shinto gates standing at the entrance of Buddhist temples. There is a concept called honji suijaku, a theory that Buddhist deities became manifest as local Shinto deities, and later, there was a belief that Buddhist deities were manifestation of Japanese deities. The bottom line is that local Shinto deities were thought to join forces, complement, or supplement Buddhist deities. (Many thanks to my sister-in-law, Janet, who works at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York and always shares her vast knowledge.) My story is one version which happens to be set in a Japanese context, which I grew up with. It is written for everybody who wants to enjoy a good folktale, regardless of their backgrounds.

I’ve always interpreted the great race story of the zodiac as a means to describe the various characteristic of the animals that participated in the race and that it was also meant to be symbolic for the traits of the people that were born in that animal’s year. However, the focus on the cat and rat seems to have an additional moral. Is there a deeper moral to their part of the story?

The obvious morals are the need to be kind to our friends and neighbors, and the downside of not paying attention. In republishing this book, I noticed another thing that can serve as a discussion point. Navigating through a sea of misinformation is a necessary skill, especially in today’s world. All the poor cat wanted was information so he could participate in a race just like everyone else, but he was instead fed inaccurate information from a dubious source. Naturally, it’s the trickery that fuels the amusing plot, but it’s important to note that the cat could have asked around more, or tried reading the instructions himself. In other words, we are reminded that responsibility comes with doing our own research. But again, the real message is the importance of friendship, and not letting greed get in the way. Working to forgive can be another valuable lesson. In my household, the dogs, cats, rats, and turtle all got along well, so it seems no one held on to grudges.

Tell us a little bit about the illustrations – your inspirations, how you came up with the ideas for some of scenes, the medium used, and anything else you’d like to tell us about the art.

The illustrations are done in watercolor, which I enjoy when working on a relatively small surface. What I had most fun with, was drawing animals that show a range of emotions. I spend a lot of time rescuing and caring for them, and because it never ceases to amaze me how expressive they are, it’s not that difficult to imagine a mouse having jealous thoughts, or a cat showing frustration at being tricked. Inserting Asian details in the scenes, like onigiri (rice balls) or animals holding fans, was also a neat part of creating this particular book as I got to draw motifs from my own culture.

Is there a difference between the new and old edition of “Why Cats Chase Mice”?

The new edition contains a glossary of 13 animal names in Japanese written both in English and Japanese (hiragana) with an easy pronunciation guide.

What can you tell us about fostering children’s creativity, and what tips can you give an aspiring young artist and writer that hopes to make their own children’s book someday?

I think it’s important that children’s creativity be fostered at a young age, to allow them to develop one extra language that serves as a window to self-expression, which is a useful tool when verbal communication is difficult. With my kids, I always had craft material available, which never got put away. It basically meant the living room was an art room, but it’s the same idea as having your guitar in a place where it’s easily accessible, so it’s there when you want to practice or play it. Even now, if I don’t have my stuff in plain sight, it’s hard to get motivated to make sketches.

I always like to remind young children that it took practice for me to draw fast, so it’s okay to work up to it, and they can even start by tracing cartoon characters. And if they want to make a book, I encourage them to start writing what’s close to their hearts, and it can range from something that happened that day, or a story from their own imagination. Next, they can let the drawings tell the story, so they don’t have to describe every little detail. When I was a kid, I had a very kind teacher who would set aside a few minutes to let me read my books to class. I hope every child is encouraged to share their story, and that they keep making more books.

Thank you very much Mina. We look forwards to your future projects and your continued help with AACP.