|
|
|
This month, Anne Boles Levy, Book Buds and
The Cybils, celebrates the Year of the Boar with new picture
books designed for the season.
New Clothes for New Year's Day
by Hyun-Joo Bae
I was thrilled that Kane/Miller sent me this story of a young Korean girl
putting on her new clothes so she can join her family in marking the start of the lunar calendar. That's all she does is
get dressed, but I can vouch as the Mommy of an 18-month-old clothes horse that little girls eat this stuff up.
She starts out in her white under-robe, over which she layers the fancy, homemade clothes that will help her start the year
fresh. She dons a silk skirt in blazing red, embroidered with the Chinese character for "luck," a rainbow-striped jacket
that fastens at her chest, colorful hair ribbons, a good-luck sachet to pin to her jacket, and much else. Even the details
on her socks and the embroidery on her shoes are noted with loving detail.
Along the way, we learn much about Korean customs.
The illustrations look like pen and ink, with vivid crimsons and jade greens against a pale yellow background embellished
with mazes or stylized flowers. Each page has that signature Eastern blend of simplicity of composition and the harmony of
all its elements.
Try to pry this from your daughter's hands, I dare you.
Note: Don't miss the end notes, which are an education in themselves.
The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
by Dawn Casey. Illustrations by Anne Wilson
I knew the Chinese had a thing about cats. Hey, cat lovers, don't blame me, okay? I'm just telling you how it is. The
Chinese and cats? No way!
So I knew Cat was in trouble from the moment this story opened. The Jade Emperor, who rules the sky, sets all the animals
against each other in a great race. Finish first, and he'll name the first year of his new calendar after you.
I won't tell you what wiles Cat and his best buddy Rat use to sneak ahead of the others. Let's just say there's a reason
they're no longer on speaking terms.
The story is surprisingly suspenseful (though not scary) and Casey has fun with animals' personalities. Don't miss the end
notes; lots of great stuff on other Chinese holidays and a full spread about all the animals, their traits and which years
they fall on.
I'm noticing some similarities between the illustrations in
Barefoot Books; most use the same warm, enticing colors and childlike renderings, even across different media.
Wilson uses paper collage with acrylic and printed backgrounds, but I found myself wishing for more of an overtly Eastern
feel to it.
The Magic Horse of Han Gan
by Chen Jian Hong
Okay, Chinese traditionalists, here is your book.
Chen trained at Beijing's Academy of Fine Arts and has dedicated his career to relating the history and traditions of his
ancestral home. He even painted the illustrations directly onto silk to emulate the story's subject, a painter who lived
1,200 years ago but whose lifelike renderings of horses are still celebrated today.
Han Gan's family was too poor to indulge his love of drawing, until a wealthy artist discovered his talent and bought him
paper, inks and brushes. He excelled at horses; the only humans in his art are riding or tending the magnificent steeds he
creates. They may've been a little too lifelike: one day, a warrior comes to him with an unusual request.
From there, the story takes a fabulist turn, with a subtle message infused with Chinese wisdom. Chen's prose is lean and
understated, giving us just enough to fuel the imagination, while the illustrations really stoke the fire.
The plain silk backgrounds and flattened perspective help us keep our focus on the important figures, with white-clad
Han Gan seeming small next to the busy aristocrats hobnobbing over tea or those fine, muscular equines who prance and
chomp at the bit. He's the only one in white, however, which immediately draws our eye to him.
The way inks bleed into the silk affects the way robes seem to drape and adds texture to a nighttime sky. Chen's palette is
muted, with subtle grays, greens and beige, except for great streaks of angry crimson used on walls to create a sense of
enclosure, or on war gear to add excitement, and even in a red sunset as the din of battle loses its allure.
As your eye follows those reds, you'll notice crimson serves a practical purpose: the compositions are off-center, with
figures spreading unevenly across the picture plane. The spot use of crimson ties everything together, creating symmetry and
harmony out of chaos.
Gorgeous stuff, and a great introduction to the Chinese aesthetic from a purist.
Hiromi's Hands
by Lynne Barasch
A story about sushi? I'm all over it. Drrrooool. This is the true story of one of the first female sushi chefs, who just
happened to be best friends with the author's daughter. Very cool.
Hiromi Suzuki narrates how she followed in her father's footsteps, learning the ancient art at his side in his restaurant
in New York. She begins with her father's apprenticeship in Japan, and then traces how her career paralleled his: the
fascination with the fish market, the determination to learn traditional methods to perfection, the pride in her craft.
Barasch makes it as much a story about family values and love as it is about a woman breaking into traditional men's
territory. The illustrations, in ink and watercolor, capture the bustle of two fish markets—one in Tokyo, the other
the legendary Fulton Fish Market—but also neatly lays out how father and then daughter progressed from apprentice to
experienced chef.
A detailed spread shows us all the different types of sushi, which I worked hard to keep from slobbering over.
Oddly enough, my son, who refuses to touch the stuff, is fascinated by this story and has requested repeated reads. Maybe
I can win him over yet. A little cucumber roll, y'think?
Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy
by Catherine Louis. Calligraphy by Feng Xiao Min. Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid
This simple story distills Chinese pictographs into their most basic elements, showing how they evolved to their present
forms. But it's also a delightful and poetic story about a girl who dreams her grandfather calls to her from across the
mountains.
She sets out on foot, recording the scenery and people she encounters in her calligraphy, creating multiple layers of
storytelling. I read each page carefully, going over the boldfaced English words (the original was in French) and matching
them to the Chinese symbols to make sure I understood.
Louis writes on the back flap that she used linocuts, a type of woodcut, with dyed paper so she could "contrast the strong
lines of the prints with the softness of the torn paper." It creates a striking visual effect, with the print marks
simulating the strokes of a calligraphy brush, and the vivid colors of a Westernized palette bleeding elegantly into the
paper beneath.
Chinese calligraphy will always be a subject that must be absorbed rather than scanned; make sure you have some quiet time
for its meditative lessons.
Note: includes activities for creating pictograms with your kids.
Books Reviewed:
New Clothes for New Year's Day, by Hyun-Joo Bae. Kane/Miller, 2007. ISBN: 1-9336-0529-4.
The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac, by Dawn Casey. Illustrations by Anne Wilson.
Barefoot Books, 2006. ISBN: 1-9052-3677-8.
The Magic Horse of Han Gan, by Chen Jian Hong. Enchanted Lion Books, 2006. ISBN: 1-5927-0063-2.
Hiromi's Hands, by Lynne Barasch. Lee & Low Books, 2007. ISBN: 1-5843-0275-5.
Liu and the Bird: A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy, by Catherine Louis. Calligraphy by Feng Xiao
Min.
Translated by Sibylle Kazeroid. North-South; Bilingual edition, 2006. ISBN: 0-7358-2050-3.
|
| |
|
|