The Japanese legend of Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat, who is a symbol of good luck and good fortune in many Asian countries.

Susan Lendroth enjoys telling tales set in the past and has written two previous picture books. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her daughter and an ill-mannered orange cat named Jr, who has never learned to beckon.

Kathryn Otoshi is a cat lover and an award-winning author and illustrator who has always wanted to do a children s picture book based on her own Japanese heritage. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, Daniel, and two cockatiels.