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Kamishibai Man
by Allen Say
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780618479542 |
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
The Kamishibai man used to ride his bicycle into town where he would tell stories to the children and sell them candy, but gradually, fewer and fewer children came running at the sound of his clappers. They were all watching their new televisions instead. Finally, only one boy remained, and he had
no money for candy. Years later, the Kamishibai man and his wife made another batch of candy, and he pedaled into town to tell one more story—his own. When he comes out of the reverie of his memories, he looks around to see he is surrounded by familiar faces—the children he used to entertain have returned, all grown up and more eager than ever to listen to his delightful tales.
Using two very different yet remarkable styles of art, Allen Say tells a tale within a tale, transporting readers seamlessly to the Japan of his memories.
Review:
"Caldecott-winner Say (Grandfather's Journey) has often written about children adrift between the cultures of East and West. Here, he imagines an old man straddling past and present. The kamishibai man of pre-war Japan brought to neighborhood children cliff-hanger tales, storyboard paintings and homemade sweets. Say's retired kamishibai man — lean and spare, with a face full of kindness — decides one day to return to his old route, familiar landmarks of the city having disappeared under a blanket of asphalt. This time, he tells a new story: his own. 'Ah, yes, I can see you now, all your bright faces,' he remembers, 'clasping coins in your little hands... Patience, everyone! You'll get your sweets.' When television arrived, he recalls, his once-eager listeners disappeared, too. 'One day a little girl poked her head out the window and shushed me.' As he talks, and passersby realize who he is, a great crowd gathers around him — 'We grew up with your stories!' 'Tell us 'Little One Inch' again!' Say's gift is to multiply themes without struggling under their weight. Aging, cultural change, the way humans seem to lose warmth with technological advances — he gestures toward all of these while keeping the lens tightly focused on the kamishibai man. Readers who worry that Say may be thinking about the fate of his own career should be reassured; his artistry and power of invention are as strong as ever, and so will be his readers' enthusiasm. Ages 4-8." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"Say's gift is to multiply themes without struggling under their weight. . . . His artistry and power of invention are as strong as ever, and so will be his readers' enthusiasm." —Publishers Weekly, starred
Review:
"The quietly dramatic, beautifully evocative, tale contains a cliffhanger of its own, along with exquisite art in the style of Kamishibai picture cards that will attract even the most jaded kid away from the TV screen to enjoy a good, good book." — Booklist, starred
Review:
"Say's paintings are lovely: eloquent characterizations, evocative landscapes, and, for the memory sequence, a more freely drawn style that recalls the vanished art form he celebrates." —Horn Book
Synopsis:
An old storyteller returns to the city to tell his own tale and discovers thechildren he used to entertain have not forgotten him in this picture book setin Japan. Full color.
About the Author
Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He dreamed of becoming a cartoonist from the age of six, and, at age twelve, apprenticed himself to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. For the next four years, Say learned to draw and paint under the direction of Noro, who has remained Say's mentor. Say illustrated his first children's book — published in 1972 — in a photo studio between shooting assignments. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis. But in 1987, while illustrating THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (Caldecott Honor Medal), he recaptured the joy he had known as a boy working in his master's studio. It was then that Say decided to make a full commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated many books, including TREE OF CRANES and GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal. He is a full-time writer and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon."During the retrospective show of my work at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to see its exhibition of the World War II internment camps in the United States. Some facts and numbers were familiar to me--more than 120,000 Japanese Americans interned in ten camps in six western states--but now the statistics took on a human face and voice. I stared and listened. And what I saw and heard turned into yet another personal journey. This is that story."Allen Say
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
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dlsteinman, November 1, 2006 (view all comments by dlsteinman)
I read this book while visiting Portland recently and am purchasing it for my grandchildren. Their mother's family is still living in Japan and this book is a very nice way for me to participate in maintaining Japanese culture in their lives while they are in America. Finding English language books like Allen Say's is a real joy. The story is quiet, yet very powerful, and the illustrations are beautiful.
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780618479542
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Walter Lorraine Books
- Author:
- Location:
- Boston
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General
- Subject:
- Japan
- Subject:
- People & Places - Asia
- Subject:
- Juvenile fiction
- Subject:
- Storytelling
- Subject:
- General Juvenile Fiction
- Copyright:
- 2005
- Edition Description:
- HARDCOVER
- Publication Date:
- October 2005
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Grade Level:
- Children/juvenile
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 32
- Dimensions:
- 11.00x10.06x.36 in. 1.15 lbs.
- Children's Book Type:
- Picture / Wordless
- Age Level:
- 05-08
