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By:
Aline Pereira,
on 5/23/2012
Blog:
PaperTigers
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English-language Asia-set Children’s and YA Fiction ~ by Holly Thompson
Part 2 of 3 (read Part 1 here)
Some years back as we settled into our bicultural family life with young children here in Japan, although we were surrounded by books in Japanese and took full advantage of Japan’s healthy picture book and middle-grade market, we discovered that finding English-language reading material to support our bilingual children was no easy task. Because our children attended Japanese schools, English education happened in our home, and we needed a steady supply of English-language books. But libraries in Japan stock few English-language books, and bookstores here carry very few and at hefty mark-ups, so whenever friends or family visited from the U.S. they brought books to us. Returning from a trip back to the States, our luggage was always heavy with books. We book-swapped with families in Japan, we ordered from Scholastic with our English-after school group, and we pounced on book sale tables at international school fairs. At last, Amazon Japan with free and quick delivery of affordable overseas books came to the rescue.
Always on the lookout for books relating to our lives while raising our bilingual children, we soon became aware of a lack of English-language children’s books that reflect Japan. English-language picture books set in Japan were rare, and those that existed, we discovered, tended toward folktales and nonfiction. Where were the day-to-day stories that reflected the landscapes and people and value systems surrounding us? Where was Japan?
We treasured our Allen Say books, especially Kamishibai Man and Grandfather’s Journey.
We read and reread the bilingual Grandpa’s Town by Takaaki Nomura. We enjoyed folktale retellings like The Seven Gods of Luck by David Kudler and Yoshi’s Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa. and biographical works like Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs by Matthew Gollub. All excellent, but we were discouraged that such English-language titles set in Japan were few and far between.
Searching for other Asian cultures in English-language picture books yielded similar results—folktales, nonfiction and concept books, but few fictional stories set in Asia.
As the children grew older, we came to realize that even less common than English-language picture books set in Asia were English-language middle-grade and YA novels set in Japan and Asia. What we found was mostly historical fiction. Of course we read and loved Korea-set historical novels by Linda Sue Park, Japan-set novels by
0 Comments on PaperTigers’ Global Voices feature with award winning author Holly Thompson (USA/Japan)~ Part 2 as of 5/23/2012 10:49:00 AM
On April 8th, author Christine Kohler (Turkey in the News: Past, Present and Future) read the book Yoshi’s Feast to a first grade classroom at the Ballinger Elementary School in Ballinger, Texas. Today we are thrilled to have her share her experience with us, as a guest blogger.
Yoshi’s Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa, illustrated by Yumi Heo (DK Publishing, 2000)
I love Yoshi’s Feast as much for the rich tale of two squabbling stubborn neighbors who learn to cooperate and develop a friendship as for the intricate fall-colored Japanese illustrations (and I’m not talking about just any illustrations, but Yumi Heo’s exquisite oil, pencil and handmade paper collages!).
Before reading the book to a class of first graders, I practice on a three-year-old. Yoshi’s Feast is best read with props, and since I lived in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii, I have the perfect ones (a fan, a small wooden box, chopsticks and a Japanese tea cup). My audience of one is enthralled. He sits still for the duration of the reading. He wants an encore. All signs that I will be able to capture and keep the attention of a class of six- and seven-year-olds (I only wish I had more than 20 minutes… I imagine with a longer session I could take chopsticks and sticky rice for the children as well).
The day of the reading I dress in a kimono-style jacket. I want the loose sleeves to give a nice effect for the dance I’ve incorporated into my reading. Besides, Yoshi dresses in his best kimono when he dances.
When setting up to read, I place a chair beside my chair for the props. With one hand, I hold the book open, facing the children. With the other, I click black lacquer chopsticks together to indicate the parts where Sabu is eating broiled eels or Yoshi is eating rice.
In scenes with Yoshi’s fan, I flutter my fan in circles, and when Yoshi shakes his money box at Sabu, I shake my box to the refrain:
Chin chin jara jara…chin jarra jarra…
The refrain is what calls me to let go of the book for a moment. I get swept away in the marvelous musical refrain:
Chin chin jara jara…chin jarra jarra…chin…
I rise from my seat, fan circling and fluttering wildly, money box shaking faster, my voice growing bolder, louder. I rise as if I am Yoshi coming to life from the page.
And I dance.
Chin chin jara jara…chin jarra jarra…Chin!
Chin chin jara jara…chin jarra jarra…Chin!
As if a cymbal has sounded a crescendo, I sit back down and quietly read the last two pages.
The teacher orchestrates the children to thank me. But the real thanks comes as I gather my props to leave. I hear a child taking up the chant:
Chin chin jara jara…chin jarra jarra…
And another tells me he liked best the dance.
Thanks, Christine, for sharing this lovely moment with us and for inspiring children to fall in love with books!
PaperTigers welcomes accounts from anyone who has ever helped bring books alive for children through storytelling, so please share your experiences with us!
