More on the Far East
My summer reading game drew 26 kids last year and got quite competitive. Between them, the children read 1,214 books, and when we had our end-of-summer reading party, it was clear that they remembered many of the stories. In this article, I will—as usual—only scratch the surface of the rich offerings available.
Philippines & Korea
My library has few books on the Philippines, so I’ll just include one here. It is Eagle, by Judy Allen. A teacher and his students are on a field trip in a forest, and a great eagle swoops down, terrifying one boy particularly. At a later point, the eagle swoops down again, but this time it is to catch a deadly snake that was near the boy, probably saving his life.
I have quite a few books about or set in Korea, but I could have used more, as several families taking part in the reading game were of Korean origin. For general information about the country, see K Is for Korea, by Hyechong Cheung, illustrated with photos, or Count Your Way Through Korea, by Jim Haskins. A nice simple introduction for a young child is I Am the Subway, by Kim Hyo-eun, in which various people get on the Seoul subway, and you learn something about their lives. Shirley Climo has written The Korean Cinderella, whose heroine is helped by magical animals. Kongi and Potgi, by Oki S. Han, is another variation on the Cinderella theme. Mr. Pak Buys a Story, by Carol Farley, is ridiculous (and memorable because of it). A silly story is repeated over and over and stymies a thief.
The Magic Amber, by Charles Reasoner, tells of a kind couple and their greedy neighbor. The couple do a good deed and are richly rewarded. On a similar theme, Older Brother, Younger Brother, retold by Nina Jaffe, compares two brothers—one greedy and proud, the other humble and kind, and their different fortunes. This story has some forgiveness at the end. In The Princess and the Beggar, by Anne Sibley O’Brien, a young princess does not want the typical royal life of frivolous court parties and asks to be married to a notorious beggar. She helps him develop into a great man—a “prince.” Finally, a book based on the real story of the author’s grandfather—The Royal Bee, by Frances Park—tells of a poor boy who is determined to learn. He stands outside a schoolhouse to hear the lessons, until he is eventually invited in.
Japan
Most of the books I had available are about or set in Japan. I’ll mention just one of the many books of general information. I Live in Tokyo, by Mari Takabayashi, has delightful, detailed illustrations. In addition to descriptions of Tokyo, there is a spread for each month, which tells about the festivals and what children do at that time of year.
There are three books about the famous artist Hokusai. One Day in Japan with Hokusai, by Julia Altmann, tells of the artist’s grandchildren visiting him and having adventures. It includes gorgeous paintings. Hokusai: The Man Who Painted a Mountain, by Deborah Kogan Ray, tells about the artist’s early life. I was particularly taken with The Old Man Mad About Drawing, by François Place, in which a boy begins doing errands for Hokusai and gradually learns about how woodcuts are made and other artistic techniques. This book has beautiful little pictures on every page. One last book about an artist is Sato and the Elephants, by Juanita Havill. An ivory carver learns in a vision of the destructiveness of the ivory trade and becomes a sculptor in stone instead.
Poets are revered in Japan. Grass Sandals, by Dawnine Spivak, tells of the poet Basho’s many travels to gain inspiration and includes several of his poems. In the fictional Basho and the Fox, by Tim Myers, the poet has to keep working to impress a fox; this story has a delightful conclusion. Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! by Matthew Gollub, presents the life and poems of Issa.
Collections of poems for little kids include Don’t Tell the Scarecrow and In a Spring Garden, both edited by Richard Lewis. Two books tell the same true story of a boy who is shipwrecked on a tiny island, is rescued by an American ship, spends time in Massachusetts, goes to the California Gold Rush, and finds enough gold to get back to Japan: Manjiro, by Emily Arnold McCully, and Shipwrecked! by Rhoda Blumberg.
The Perfect Sword, by Scott Goto, is a richly illustrated story of a master swordsmith who creates a wonderful sword. Several people come to ask for it, but the swordsmith is looking for someone with true character to give it to. This is a powerful story about what makes a person great. A Pair of Red Clogs, by Masako Matsuno, tells of a young girl who is careless with her new shoes and cracks them, then tries to hide what she has done.
How My Parents Learned to Eat, by Ina R. Friedman, is a tender story of an American soldier and a Japanese student who fall in love and want to impress each other. Sadako, by Eleanor Coerr, is one of several true stories about a girl who contracted “atomic sickness” (or leukemia) some years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She bravely works to make a thousand origami cranes.
There were many tales from Japan. Kids love funny stories. Three Strong Women, by Claus Stamm, is one example. A sumo wrestler on his way to a competition comes to a house with three strong women. He improves greatly with their help. The Terrible Eek, by Patricia A. Compton, is a silly story about misunderstandings as to who is strongest. On a more serious note, there is the folktale of Hanasaka Jijii, The Old Man Who Made the Trees Bloom, as retold by Tamizo Shibano. An old man is kind to a stray dog and is rewarded when the dog digs up gold. A greedy neighbor takes over but finds nothing. Through a series of events, the old man finds he can make trees bloom, even out of season. When the neighbor tries it, he gets his comeuppance.
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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