Synopses & Reviews
Each year a festival is held on the sea coast of Japan, commemorating a true event of 1576; this beautiful picture book presents the history, then and now.... In a story that cries out to be performed, the people of Nabune Japan, on the Noto Hanto coast, cleverly save their village from invading samurai by frightening the enemy away with masks and fires on the beach andÖdrums. From their ships the samurai believe that evil spirits are attacking them, but it is a marvelous trick that children will recognize as one they might play. And here is a glory of this dramatic book: It invites play and participation. Small and giant drum sounds -- titi tiki, Podo pada Poda pada, Ko to Ko to, DON kada DON kada DON DON DON -- pervade the telling. Children will join in. Another glory is the artwork, cut-paper "paintings" unlike any you've seen; they seem to swell with sound themselves, conveying the beauty of seaside landscape, the high-spirited action of the characters, the drama of the facts.
Review
The heavy beat and capering, fearsome-looking creatures creatures create a wild rumpus that not only will have readers and viewers pounding along but also brilliantly evokes the heart-stopping power of Japanese drumming. (Booklist, September 1, 1999)
Review
Readers are sure to have the pounding of drums in their ears by the story's conclusion. (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1999)
Review
Gorgeous cut-paper illustrations capture the drama and atmosphere of this wonderful tale from ancient Japan. (Manchester Journal Inquirer, November 24, 1999)
Review
Öan unforgettable tale that adults will enjoy as much as children. (Friends Journal)
Synopsis
The people in a small village in ancient Japan manage to drive off the forces of a powerful warlord using only their ingenuity and the many different village drums.
About the Author
J. Alison James is the author of two novels, Sing for a Gentle Rain, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an ABA Pick of the Lists, and Runa, as well as the translator of more than seventy books for younger readers. She visited Noto Hanto and met descendants of the original villagers after hearing a taiko drumming group perform "go jinjyo daiko," which tells this story using drums and masks, in Burlington, Vermont, near her home. Tsukushi is well known as an artist in her native Japan, where she has created three wordless books for adults: Roadmovie, Sentimental Journey, and Salaryman. The Drums of Noto Hanto marks the first appearance of her work in America, and is her first for children. She now lives in Riverdale, New York.