Far Eastern Lands
For the fourteenth year, I had a reading game in my children’s library last summer. The theme of these games is always geographical, encouraging readers to encounter books they might never otherwise notice and to be exposed to other cultures. After working our way through the Western Hemisphere in previous reading games, we bounced back and forth between Europe and Asia in subsequent games, and this past year we focused on the Far East, specifically Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. These countries are near to each other, have their own complex pasts with each other, and have been both enemies and friends of the United States.
I had always been aware that Japan and the Philippines are island nations—the Philippines has over 7,000 islands and Japan more than 4,000, but I was surprised to learn that Korea also has many islands—over 3,000 in fact. So that is another way in which these countries are related.
I plan to do two columns on books focused on these countries. In this first one, I highlight some prolific Japanese and Korean authors.
Japanese Authors
First up is the Japanese-American author Taro Yashima. One of his books is a well-loved classic: Crow Boy. Chibi is a small boy and afraid at school. He walks a long way to get there, and the other children ignore him or make fun of him. When the class reaches its highest grade level, there is a talent show, and Chibi reveals that he has learned to make all the voices of crows. After that, everyone treats him with respect.
In Yashima’s Seashore Story, children listen to the famous tale of Urashima Taro, who had saved a turtle and was then taken to the sea-king’s underwater realm, where he saw many wonderful things. When Taro at last returns home, he finds that he has been away for many years, and the children have many questions for him.
A third book by Yashima that I’d recommend is The Golden Footprints, in which a baby fox is captured for its fur and a boy learns about the devotion of its parents.
Picture books by another Japanese author, Keizaburo Tejima, were also popular last summer. There are few words in his books, but beautiful woodcuts make those words spring to life. Among his titles are: Ho-limlim: a Rabbit Tale from Japan; Owl Lake; Swan Sky; and Woodpecker Forest.
Another Japanese author who writes for young ones is Junko Morimoto. Among her books is Kenju’s Forest, in which a young man plants a grove of trees, much to his neighbor’s annoyance. But the grove becomes a place where children play, bringing the man much joy. As the years pass and the town grows up around the trees, the grove becomes an even more beloved spot.
Morimoto’s The Inch Boy is Japan’s version of Tom Thumb, in which an elderly couple prays for a child, and while the boy they receive and cherish is tiny, he is strong and determined. He finds a good path in life, ending well. Mouse’s Marriage is a bit like the tale of the stonecutter, with mice looking for the strongest creature and coming to the conclusion that mice are! Finally, My Hiroshima is a harrowing story of a boy who lived through the dropping of the atomic bomb, as indeed Morimoto did herself.
Japanese-American author Allen Say has written books for different reading levels, mostly autobiographical. His picture books have wonderful illustrations and include The Bicycle Man, which tells about a time when American soldiers came to his school (during the occupation of Japan) and did tricks on a bicycle. Probably his most well-known book is Grandfather’s Journey, which tells of his grandfather’s voyage to America. He loves our country but finds himself missing Japan, so he goes back home. In Tree of Cranes, a young Japanese boy, after disobeying his mother and catching a chill, learns that Christmas is coming. His mother, born in America, has planned a special cross-cultural surprise. Tea with Milk tells the story of his mother, who was raised in America; she has Japanese food and customs at home and American food and customs with her friends. When her family goes back to Japan, she feels out of place there, especially when they want to find her a husband. So she leaves for a larger city and finds a surprising friend.
The prolific Say has written many more books, but I’ll mention just two more. Drawing from Memory, for the slightly older child, is about Say’s own journey as an artist. It is wonderfully illustrated and full of great information. For the better reader is The Ink-Keeper’s Apprentice, which tells a similar story in novelistic form, with no pictures.
A Special Author
One more Japanese author, Yoshiko Uchida, is special to me, because she lived in Berkeley, California, my hometown. Her family was Christian, and this comes into many of her books. When she graduated from high school, her family was sent to an internment camp. Some of her books are set in Japan, others in California. Uchida has retold Japanese folktales, including in the picture books The Magic Purse, in which an act of kindness brings good fortune, and The Two Foolish Cats, about quarreling cats who find a surprise resolution.
Uchida’s collections for better readers include The Magic Listening Cap and The Dancing Kettle. Two novels for better readers are based on her internment experience—Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Another highly rated series for good readers features a heroine who is a Japanese-American girl growing up during the Depression; A Jar of Dreams, The Best Bad Thing, and The Happiest Ending are among the books in this series.
Among her many other books, I’ll mention just two. Takao and Grandfather’s Sword tells of the son of a potter in Japan who causes a serious crisis through negligence, but learns a lesson in courage and sacrifice. Mik and the Prowler (set in Berkeley) tells of a Japanese-American boy who is taking care of a neighbor’s house while she is away. Strange things begin to happen, and the problems are sorted out only when a girl from Japan comes for a visit.
A Korean Author
Lastly in this column, I’ll mention one author representing Korea: Linda Sue Park. A Single Shard is a wonderful book set in ancient Korea. It describes the trek of a young man through many dangers to reach the king’s court with a sample of his master’s pottery. A fine novel of Korea during World War II is When My Name Was Keoko. This is the story of a girl and her brother who are brought up during the Japanese occupation and struggle to remain who they are. Finally, Park has produced a beautiful picture book, The Firekeeper’s Son, set in nineteenth-century Korea. A man is in charge of setting a fire on the nearby mountain every night. Other firekeepers set their own fires in response, passing on a message to the palace that all is well. When the man is injured and cannot get to the mountaintop, his reluctant son must make the journey.
My hope is that introducing young readers to one or more of these authors will inspire them to become interested in other cultures and learn to appreciate them.
Kathie Johnson has always had a love for children's books. She collected many as a teacher and began sharing them with other teachers. In 1986, she opened a children's library in her home, and it has continued to expand over the years. Many home-schooled and schooled children borrow books from it, and she takes great pleasure in finding the "right" book for a child. She attends First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.
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