fiction favorites…Heart of a Samurai

Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Manjiro Nakahama, by Margi Preus, with illustrations by Manjiro, Kawada Shoryo, and Jillian Tamaki

Beyond this island was a world about which Manjiro knew nothing.  It was, perhaps, a huge world.  It might be a frightening place, full of demons and monsters.  But it might be a dazzling world, full of wonder and mystery.  It might be, he thought, very beautiful.  If only he had wings, he could fly across the ocean and see all there was to see.  Then he would fly home, his beak full of food, his head full of wonders.

Manjiro stood to look out beyond the edges of his island.  But standing up so fast made him dizzy.  The sky, the sea, the earth all spun around him, in a blur of blue and green and gray, as if he’d been twirling and twirling. 

That is why he did not notice the boats at first…Two small boats moved toward the island…

“Boats!” he croaked.  Finding his voice, he shouted, “Rescue!”

…Manjiro plunged into the sea and swam, head down, toward the boats.  When he finally reached one of them, he raised his head and looked up…His blood turned to ice, and dizzy again, he felt himself sinking.  For when he had looked into his rescuer’s face, he had gazed into a pair of eyes as blue as the sea.

In 1841, a small fishing boat carrying 14-year-old Manjiro and four other fishermen was caught up in a storm off the coast of Shikoku, Japan that left them shipwrecked on a deserted island.  The men barely survived their six months on the island before they were rescued by an American whaling ship, the John Howland.  Manjiro, being less suspicious of the foreigners, grew dear to the American captain while aboard, and chose to go home with him, becoming in all likelihood the first Japanese person to set foot in America.  He arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts at age 16.

Manjiro’s life reads like fiction –  whaling expeditions, daring sea ventures, wrathful sea captains, mutineers, imprisonment; falling in love, panning for gold,  becoming a samurai.  It’s an almost unbelievable life, but it’s true.  Eventually, Manjiro returned to Japan, and when Commodore Perry, the American naval commander charged with opening Japan up to the West after 250 years of isolation, arrived in Japan, Manjiro’s knowledge of English and American culture meant that he became the advisor to the shogun, filling a unique place in history.

Marji Preus’ Newbery Honor (2011) novel is absolutely fantastic.  She has taken Manjiro’s eventful life and spun it out for us in a riveting, clear, fascinating story.  The pain of racism, the wonderment of meeting brand new objects such as leather shoes, blue eyes, and chairs, the fear of foreign ways, the love between Captain Whitfield’s family and Manjiro, life on a whaling ship — all of this is packed into the pages and pages of true-life adventure.  Meanwhile, the book features many fascinating illustrations by Manjiro himself, as well as gorgeous, what appear to be blockprints by Jillian Tamaki.  There’s an epilogue succinctly telling more of Manjiro’s amazing life, a lengthy, helpful historical note, and pages of glossaries for the wealth of Japanese words, whaling terms, and sailor’s lingo that bring such authenticity to the account.  Finally, Preus lists suggested reading on a number of topics which surface in this story, from the world of the Samurai, to the California Gold Rush.

Great historical fiction for a wide range of ages, either as a read-aloud or for independent readers from about 5^th grade and up.  I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Here’s the Amazon link:  Heart of a Samurai

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a list of…five stories to transport you around the world

Orani: My Father’s Village, written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

Orani is a tiny village of narrow, cobbled  streets and red clay tiled roofs, dusky green fig trees, and drooping grape clusters, tucked in a sun-soaked, Mediterranean valley on the isle of Sardinia.  Clarie Nivola was fortunate enough to have a father born in that village, to which he trundled his family frequently throughout Claire’s childhood, crossing seas, driving along winding mountain roads, arriving to fond embraces by cousins and aunts and uncles.

This is Nivola’s exquisite account of life in sunny Orani.  Of scorching sun and cool spring water; wedding dances and wild horse races; women baking bread in clay ovens, and uncles offering ice creams at the cafe.  Accompanied by her achingly-beautiful artwork, Nivola paints a time and a place incredibly sweet, impossibly distant, with precision and fondness.  The jarring juxtaposition of her other world  – New York City — captures the curious experience of having two such disparate places which feel like home.

In a lengthy Author’s Note that accompanies her sparse text, Nivola gratifies us with many more intriguing details of her life, growing up the child of a talented artist, flitting back and forth between these two worlds.  This book is truly, stunningly beautiful, both in its artwork, and its rich, evocative language.  A lovely read for 6-years old through 100.

The Bicycle Man, written and illustrated by Allen Say

In post-war Japan, a small boy attends a little school, nestled on a terraced mountain, perched above the quiet waters of the harbor.  It’s the annual sports day, held each spring; a festive occasion.  Sporting red and white headbands, the children work together to decorate the playground with streamers, chalk the finish lines, and await parents hauling kettles of tea and lovely lacquer boxes filled with pickled melon rinds and egg rolls.  Finally, it’s time for the races to start.

There are running races , piggyback races, races for children, and races for teachers.  And there are prizes!  Exciting little boxes wrapped so beautifully, filled with goodies.   All this is expected on the annual sports day.

What isn’t expected, is for two American servicemen to show up.  ”One of them was a white man with bright hair like fire, and the other man had a face as black as the earth.”  This is a little nerve-wracking, though they had no guns.  And what really, really isn’t expected, is the fabulous show these guys put on by borrowing the principal’s bicycle.  Such cleverness!  Such acrobatics!  The whole crowd of school children and teachers and parents go wild with enthusiasm.  Then, the day is over, and the soldiers politely take their leave.

This exquisite story of a moment of breathtaking connection, of a jewel of a day when two utterly different cultures mingled sweetly, comes from  master storyteller and illustrator, Allen Say.  It is a quiet story, despite the racing and cheering, seen from the distance of time.  Incredibly, Say manages to portray not only the experience of the narrator, but somehow also allows me to share the experience of  the Americans, their delight in goofing off on that bicycle, and entertaining the crowd, and mingling with the villagers, and creating a memory of goodness for this community.

Say’s pure lines and uncluttered scenes, fascinating details and soft colors,  bring the charming children, the beautiful Japanese landscape, and the towering American soldiers to life, perfectly.  We read this book so many times when my kids were young, my copy is worn ragged.  Highly recommended.

My Name is Sangoel, written by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Catherine Stock

Sangoel, a young, tall, Dinka boy, begins his life in Sudan.  When his father is killed in the war, he and the rest of his family flee, escaping the violence, making the long journey to a refugee camp.  Now, they are flying to America.  It is hopeful, and sad, and terrifying, all at the same time.

The assault of neon signs, bizarre escalators, and masses of people speaking English, is utterly overwhelming until kind Mrs. Johnson welcomes them and begins, piece by piece, to teach them how to live in this new place.  There’s a lot to learn:  how to cross a street, cook with a stove, answer the telephone.  Sangoel also has to learn to navigate school.  However, there’s one bit that Sangoel has to teach his friends, rather than learn himself — that is how to pronounce his name.  Sangoel accomplishes this in an extremely clever way!

This is a warm, hope-filled story that brings understanding to those of us on the welcoming side of a refugee’s journey.  It’s a fantastic collaboration between Williams, who has written a number of books we’ve loved through the years, and Khadra Mohammed, with her 20 years of experience working with refugees, and Catherine Stock, whose watercolors I rave about frequently here on Orange Marmalade.  A concluding Authors’ Note gives a bit more explanation about refugees and the Dinka in particular.  Insightful story that’s perfect for ages 4/5 and up.

Megan’s Year:  An Irish Traveler’s Story, by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Beth Peck

Megan Brady is a ten-year-old, red-haired Irish lass who belongs to a group of people, approximately 25,000-strong, known as Travelers in Ireland.

Following the same routine as generations of Travelers before them, Megan and her family move about Ireland throughout the summer, looking for odd jobs — a potato field to cultivate, a stable to muck out, a roof to mend.  Everyone pitches in to work, but it’s work in the fresh air, elbow to elbow with one another, with ponds to swim in, fiddlers by the campfires, and food to share with fellow Travelers, so for Megan, it’s a happy life.

When winter sets in, it’s off to Dublin where Megan’s family lives in a small, cramped house,  Daddy scrounges for jobs, Mammy sells old clothes, and Megan

Travelers from long ago.

goes to school.  School is not so easy for Megan.  She’s late getting there, so she’s behind her classmates, and as a Traveler, she’s the target of cruel, rude remarks.  Even her kind, understanding teacher can’t quite keep Megan’s mind and heart from wandering into the countryside that will be hers again, come summer.

This is a fascinating glimpse by a fabulous author into a small and dwindling culture.  A brief Author’s Note adds a little more information, and a glossary helps with some of the lingo used by Whelan to whisk us into Megan’s world. Beth Peck’s vibrant paintings fill the pages with warm summery scenes, family camaraderie, and the gold-striped caravan that Megan calls home.

Catch That Crocodile! by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Pulak Biswas

Falguni Fruitseller is minding her own business, calling out to buyers, “Banana!  Guava!  Mango!”  When suddenly — there is a crocodile in her way!  Yikes!  All of a flutter, Falguni rushes off, yelling for help!  Can the Policeman catch him?  Nope.  Can the Doctor?!  Oh dear me, no!  How about that muscular wrestler, that Atlas-of-a-guy, can he do it?  Not a chance.  It’s up to little Meena, that very little girl walking by, selling her fish.  Can she do it?!?!  But of course she can.

This delightful story is written in fantastic, rhyming text that rocks and tickles like Dr. Seuss sprinkled with a bit of curry powder.  Excellent fun!  Meanwhile, the illustrations are bold, black and green, folk-art prints on khaki-colored pages.  There’s great lilt and strength to them that perfectly accompanies the energetic storyline.  Varied size fonts accent the exclamations of surprise and alarm as these villagers attempt to catch that crocodile!

This one will please preschoolers and up, who I bet will chant along with the story after just a few listens.

Here are Amazon links for all this global goodness!

Orani: My Father’s Village

The Bicycle Man (Sandpiper)

My Name Is Sangoel (Young Readers)

Megan’s Year: An Irish Traveler’s Story (Tales of the World)

Catch That Crocodile!

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a list of…five books ambling across Asia

Ready for some armchair travel?  Today’s books make a little tour around Asia with stops in Thailand, India, China, Japan, and…southern California, at the home of some Korean-Americans.  These are fascinating glimpses of rich cultures for you and your kids to enjoy.

 

The Umbrella Queen, by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrations by Taeeun Yoo

In the hills of Thailand there is a village of umbrella-makers.  Paper and silk, rainbow-hued, and painted with flowers and butterflies by the women and girls.  On New Year’s Day, and Umbrella Queen is chosen from this village — she is the one who has painted the most beautiful umbrella of all.

Little Noot longs to paint umbrellas, too.  When she is finally given a chance, though, she paints elephants instead of flowers– chasing butterflies, cavorting, parading…elephants!  Noot’s family is not at all pleased.  Elephants do not belong on umbrellas.  Noot understands that she must paint umbrellas to help earn money for the family; umbrellas with flowers and butterflies.  But out of the leftover scraps, Noot fashions tiny doll-size umbrellas, and these she paints with elephants, lining them up on her window ledge to cheer herself.

That year, the King himself is coming to the village to choose the Umbrella Queen!  What a hullabaloo!  As the King strolls along the beautiful, umbrella-lined street, his eye lights upon Noot’s tiny umbrellas.  What’s this?!  Elephants on umbrellas?!  What will the King have to say about this?  And who will he choose to be this year’s Umbrella Queen?

This is a charming story, with an interesting glimpse of the umbrella-craft which really is carried on in northern Thailand.  The illustrations are fantastic, colorful linoleum prints which bring the landscape and villagers and umbrellas to life, infused as they are with an oriental air.  Girls ages 4 and up will enjoy this book.

Balarama: A Royal Elephant, by Ted and Betsy Lewin

Speaking of elephants…

In India, these ginormous creatures have been used for centuries in religious festivals.  A select few are chosen as Royal Elephants, which participate in an annual parade for the festival of Dasara — a Hindu goddess.  This nonfiction book tells of the elephants and trainers of the Karapur Forest in southern India, and in particular the lead elephant — the Ambari elephant — who leads the maharaja of Mysore’s Dasara parade.

In two successive years, the authors traveled to Mysore to observe the elephant camps and the Dasara parade.  The first year they meet Drona, a magnificent elephant who carried the golden howdah in the Dasara parade for many years.  After his death, a new elephant named Balarama is chosen.  Elaborately painted, cloaked in brilliantly colored silks and satins, and topped with a huge golden shrine, Balarama takes his place among the stilt walkers, drummers, dancers, bamboo-wielding performers, and lines of glorious elephants in this exotic festival.

The Lewins give us a unique backstage tour and front row seat, as it were, to the traditions and Hindu beliefs surrounding these special elephants and the Dasara festival.  Their exquisite watercolor pictures magnificently capture the Indian forests, the massive elephants, the jewel-colored silken draperies and smart military uniforms shimmering in the Indian sunlight.  Beautiful book, with lots of information in a brief format.

Long-Long’s New Year: A Story about the Chinese Spring Festival, by Catherine Gower, illustrated by He Zhihong

Long-Long is a little Chinese boy getting ready to celebrate Spring Festival, and for the first time ever, he gets to go to town with Grandpa to sell their beautiful cabbages!  They need to sell lots of cabbages to get money for the festival.

Long-Long has quite an exciting time in town, so full of crowds and activity this time of year.  He helps out a bit at the bicycle repair shop, joins Grandpa to sell cabbages, shops at the colorful market for spices and rice and firecrackers and fish, buys little gifts for mother and little sister in the Hundred Goods Store, watches a glorious parade of dragons and flying fish, enjoys a yummy tang-hu-lu treat, and rides back  home in the cart behind Grandpa’s bike just in time for Spring Festival.

Ahhhh.  This is a delightful story and a captivating peek at this little corner of China.  Happily following Long-Long about the village, we learn many intriguing bits about his life and culture.  The illustrations are…fabulous!  I love them!  He Zhihong studied traditional Chinese painting in Beijing and her fascinating, colorful paintings on rice paper are infused with the mystique of a far-off oriental land.  Exotic marketplaces and Long-Long’s little red shoes with faces; weeping Chinese willows and scarlet Chinese lanterns…all transport us to Long-Long’s intriguing world.

A retelling of the fable behind the Spring Festival celebration, and a guide to the Chinese characters that show up in the story, are included.  Recommended!

Hokusai: The Man who Painted a Mountain, written and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

Most of us are familiar with his print: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

In this book, Deborah Kogan Ray beautifully narrates and portrays the story of Hokusai’s unusual life.  Born in 1760 in what is now Tokyo, Hokusai lived in poverty and was orphaned when he was six years old. He was drawn to art from his boyhood, delighting in forming intricate inky Japanese characters and poring over the beautiful illustrations in picture books.  He learned woodblock carving and painting under several master artisans, but chose to paint “the way my heart tells me” with unrefined subjects such as  humble farmers and fishermen at the docks.  He painted Mount Fuji over and over again.  The Great Wave off Kanagawa is from a series called Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

Hokusai created some thirty thousand works of art and influenced many of the famous French impressionists.  Yet when he died, he felt he had only begun to really see and capture something of the qualities in the world of nature.

Very interesting, clearly told story of this artist’s life.  Deborah Kogan Ray is also a wonderful illustrator who gives us warm paintings full of the landscapes and clothing, architecture and artistry, tools and processes of this era.  It’s a long-ish biography, suitable for ages 8 or 9 and up.

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, by Paula Yoo, illustrations by Dom Lee

He was the first Asian American to win Olympic gold for the USA.  The first male diver ever to win gold for diving in two consecutive Olympics.  Coach to diving greats Greg Louganis and Bob Webster.  And, for good measure, a medical doctor, serving in his parents’ homeland during the Korean War. 

The journey to all these accomplishments was not easy.  In the 1930s, it wasn’t only Black Americans who faced bans from whites-only privileges.  Asian Americans were also sadly excluded — barred from attending prom, from restaurants, and perhaps most important for Sammy Lee, from swimming pools.

Paula Yoo tells us Dr. Lee’s courageous, incredibly hard-working life story, from the first inklings of his talent for diving, through the daunting difficulties of training to dive — without the privilege of practicing in water!, through medical school, the disappointing cancellation of the Helsinki Games during WWII, and finally the 1948 Olympics in London.

Dom Lee’s fantastic illustrations were done, he says, by melting beeswax onto acrylic-painted paper, then scratching out the designs, and finally adding pencil and oils.  Well!  I think that would be fascinating to watch!  At any rate, he has achieved a marvelous, soft, retro feel to these glimpses of Sammy Lee’s world.  Nice little photo on the end papers of author and illustrator with an 84-year-old Dr. Lee.

Here are some links to these books on Amazon:
The Umbrella Queen
Balarama: A Royal Elephant
Long-Long’s New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival
Hokusai : The Man Who Painted a Mountain
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story

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a list of…five books about mingling cultures

A Country Far Away, story by Nigel Gray, illustrations by Philippe Dupasquier 

A young boy from the dry, hot, sandy lands of West Africa, and a young boy from the green-lawn, attached-garage suburbs of America (or Europe), tell us about their lives in this wonderful book.  More accurately, the boys tell us a little bit and some snapshots tell us a whole lot more.  Together, they offer a delightful, intriguing comparison of the two cultures. 

This book does almost all its talking through pictures. Each two page spread has only one short statement on it, such as, “Today was an ordinary day.  I stayed home,” or, “Today we went into town to do some shopping.”  These statements are set in the center of the page, dividing it in half.  Running along the top half of the pages are scenes from West Africa which illustrate that ordinary day or trip to town.  Running along the bottom half of the pages are scenes depicting the same activity as it is carried out in the U.S.  For example, an ordinary day in West Africa shows scenes from the boy’s village and pictures him helping to herd goats, while the ordinary day in the U.S. shows the boy’s neighborhood and pictures of him helping to wash the car. Both boys have ordinary days, which are extraordinarily different.   In the course of this book we compare chores, schools, bike rides, new baby arrivals, days of swimming and shopping, soccer games, and so on. 

The illustrations are joyous, colorful depictions of the boys’ lives, which are both made to look appealing.  The ingenuous means of comparing the two lives works very well.  We purchased this book many years ago when we were living in West Africa with our children, and happily concur with its portrayal of the similarities and differences between the two homes.

Dear Primo:  A Letter to My Cousin, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh 

This book is similar in approach to A Country Far Away as it compares and contrasts two boys’ cultures – this time, that of cousin Carlitos, who lives in Mexico, and cousin Charlie, who lives in a large city in the United States.  These two cousins write letters back and forth, telling one another about their lives.  They talk about the neighborhoods where they live, how they get to school, sports, favorite foods, shopping, holidays, and more.   Once again, their lives consist of many similar activities, which are also delightfully different.  Carlitos rides his “bicicleta” to school past cacti, while Charlie hops on the subway.   Carlitos enjoys the mariachi troupes during local festivals, while Charlie watches the marching bands in the parades. 

The text is nicely brief, yet interesting, with colorful detail.  Each entry from Carlitos includes some Spanish words which are conveniently illustrated so that we non-Spanish-speakers can understand!   The illustrations are bright, fill-up-the-page, highly-stylized mixed media.  They are visually strong and attention-grabbing.  Mr. Tonatiuh was born in Mexico City and has spent his life living in both Mexico and New York City.  His voice and illustrations feel very authentic. 

The Journey, written by Sarah Stewart, with pictures by David Small

You don’t have to leave the country to find a new culture.  In The Journey, we meet Hannah, a young Amish girl whose life is centered on her family’s farm and their quiet, plain ways.  In a series of diary entries, Hannah describes for us her first visit to Chicago with her mother and their friend Maggie. 

“We spent the entire day walking in and out of stores.  I wonder who buys all those things and where do they put them when they get home?”  Hannah writes on Monday. Each day is full of spectacular wonders – skyscrapers and aquariums, fashions and cathedrals.  At the end of the week, though, during her trip to the Chicago Art Institute, we see Hannah gazing at Monet’s famous haystacks, misty-eyed with longing for the sweet family and farm she’ll soon be greeting once again. 

The book is beautifully illustrated by yours-truly David Small.  We get a two-page spread with Hannah’s diary entry and a vivid picture of the day’s outing in Chicago, followed by a two page, wordless spread, illustrated in more subdued tones and depicting a kindred activity back on the farm.  When Hannah goes shopping, for instance, we see a glamorous department store and a pink-dressed, high-heeled saleswoman showing a flouncy, polka-dotted dress to Hannah, while the following pages show serene Aunt Clara in her apron, standing near her treadle sewing machine, working on a plain blue shift for Hannah.  Consistently, the Chicago pictures are more brash, detailed and colorful, while the farm pictures radiate a soft warmth and use simpler lines.  A beautiful study in contrasts.  Hannah sure enjoys her trip, but in the end, there is clearly no place like home.

How My Parents Learned to Eat, by Ina R. Friedman, illustrated by Allen Say 

This book tells the story of a charming romance between a young Japanese girl and an American sailor stationed in Japan.  Although the two are in love, they both harbor a secret fear:  eating dinner together.  For John does not know how to eat with chopsticks, and Aiko does not know the intricacies of knives and forks.  John’s days in Japan are almost over and it is imperative that they get this eating-together problem worked out if he is going to marry her, for goodness’ sake!  So they both set about secretly learning to eat.  John practices not letting his tidbits of meat fall into his lap; Aiko practices balancing her peas on her fork.  They are all set to accommodate themselves to the other’s manner of eating.  In the end, of course, they happily marry, and it is their daughter who tells us this tale, which explains why she eats, quite naturally, both ways. 

This is a sweet, gently funny story, and Allen Say’s always-beautiful illustrations complement it perfectly.  Mr. Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, and has written and illustrated many gorgeous books set in Japan.  I always enjoy his work.

Madlenka, written and illustrated by Peter Sis 

This is a very unusual book by a master-illustrator in which, once again, we don’t leave the United States, yet encounter many different cultures. 

Madlenka is a little girl who lives in New York City.  The pictures for this book begin on the inside of the book cover, where a far-off blue earth bears a tiny red dot showing us Madlenka’s location.  Page after page we zoom in closer and closer, seeing everything from an aerial view, until we arrive at Madlenka’s very window.  Madlenka, we learn, has a loose, wiggly tooth, and this exciting news just has to be shared with all her neighbors around the city block.  Madlenka’s neighbors have come from all over the world to make their homes in New York City.  We meet Mr. Gaston, the French baker, Mr. Singh, the Indian man who runs a newsstand, Mr. Ciao from Italy with his ice-cream truck, and several others as Madlenka spreads her news. 

The illustrations are completely out-of-the-box.  You have not seen anything like this.  Aerial views of Madlenka’s block are decorated with colorful bits and pieces from the homelands of her neighbors.  Elaborate shop windows open up to show us the amazing worlds and cultures these folks have left behind.  And always, there is perky little Madlenka in her pink clothes and lemon-yellow rain boots skippeting through the pages.  Differing scripts distinguish the greetings in all the various languages these neighbors speak.  At the end of the book, a globe pinpoints the countries all these interesting people came from.  This book is enticing; it got rave reviews from all my teen-and-above kids.  Check it out!

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