The Magic Fan

by Keith Baker

When Yoshi, a remarkable young Japanese builder, runs out of ideas, a magic fan inspires him with new projects. It is only after losing the fan that Yoshi discovers he can depend on his own imagination after all.

Genres: Picture Books, Japan, Childrens, Asia, Asian Literature, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Keith Baker


Keith Baker lives in Seattle. He has written and illustrated many acclaimed picture books for young children, including the New York Times bestselling LMNO Peas; 1-2-3 Peas; Little Green Peas; Hap-pea All Year; LMNO Pea-quel; My Octopus Arms; and No Two Alike.

Reviews

[Kary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this Chinese story. and how some of the pages are cut to the size and shape of the magic fan is pretty cool.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I wanted to see how the illustrations incorporated the magic fan. I must admit, the ingenuity to create this book with the fan inside, is quite amazing. If you are a fan of folk tales, you may enjoy this one with the flavor of the orient. It's also a good multicultural book.

[Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Keith Baker came to my school and signed all our books. In each of the illustrations there is a hidden fish. This is the book that launched my obsession with collecting picture books.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fan cutouts on each page make this story better than it would be without them. Yoshi's magic fan does more than tell him what to build, it saves his village.

[Stacy Tippens · Rating 4 out of 5]

We liked this book a lot. The pages are very unique.

[Brittany Sadler]

"The Magic Fan" by Keith Baker is a children's book that falls under the category of folklore. This book has a Lexile reading level of 590L and is recommended for read aloud and/or independent reading for children in grades Pre-K to 3. The book incorporates cultural diversity and tradition in an engaging manner to the everyday read aloud. Additionally, this book is a good choice to present in the folklore genre, as it is a folklore tale that builds on the customs and traditions of a foreign country that may be initially unfamiliar to students, but ultimately widens their global perspectives.

Focusing on a young Japanese builder named Yoshi, the plot follows him as he builds magnificent structures using the magic of a beautiful fan. Some of the structures include a sail to capture the moon, a kite to freely watch over the city, and a bridge to stretch across the town like a rainbow. An appropriate lesson to incorporate alongside a read aloud of this narrative would be to involve the book's beautiful illustrations. For example, an interactive read aloud lesson could be to prompt students to "explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words of a story" (NC DPI - RL.3.7). Additionally, this book could serve as a mentor text in modeling to students how a narrative should be organized in an event sequence that unfolds naturally (W.3.3).

[Shana Cumberworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magic Fan is a folktale story about Yoshi, a builder who finds a magic fan that he believes tells him what to build. The reader is taken on a whimsical journey as Yoshi builds a boat to catch the moon and a kite to fly with clouds. The fan shaped pictures are colorful and artistic and can be flipped over to reveal the next part to a beautiful story. Yoshi builds one last project that proves to be a bridge to bring his village together. Yoshi discovers, through tragedy, that the magic extends beyond just the fan . This book is easy to follow with big bright pictures and would be good for a 1st-4th grade class, ages 6-9. The book could also be enjoyed by older children as an independent read. The Magic Fan would be a good introduction for an art lesson of expression or color. The pictures contain many abstract images but tell a story at the same time. Students could explore meaning through art and artistic expression. The Magic Fan would also be great to accompany a lesson in creative writing. In the beginning of the book Yoshi has run out of creative ideas for his building, but ends the book with his most creative and magnificent project yet. The story inspires readers to find creativeness within them as Yoshi did with a magic fan.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book I like the way do use the illustrations and the fan as like a separating thing so he sees some thing and then he sees some thing on the fan and that’s the way the pages are done. I really like that that’s really nice. The illustrations are really really nice and they’re all done in this beautiful arch shape of the fan, which is really creative really really creative.

The illustrations in this book were done in Liquitex acrylics on illustration board.

The parts I liked were:

“Your kite is gone!” The people cried. “Why did you let it go?“
“To look over the world,” said Yoshi. “My kite is free like the clouds – nothing will stop it now.“
—
Namazu - the earthquake fish

—
Yoshi searched for the fan, but it, too, was gone, carried away with the tsunami. “Without the magic fan, how will I know what to do?” he asked himself, looking down into the water below. There he saw only his reflection.
Suddenly Yoshi knew the answer, as if the magic fan were open in front of him.
—
Yoshi could see everything clearly, without the fan. The magic, he had discovered, was his own.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this story a 3 star rating.

This book is about a fan that the builder finds in the sea. Yoshi fixes everything in the village but one day he couldn't find another thing to build. This fan gives him ideas of things to do for the village. One was to make a sail ship to the moon. But the villagers think this is crazy.


Ways to use this classroom
1) Diversity of cultures. Learn about new cultures
2) How can we come together as a community? Examples
3) Difference between people.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost didn't notice the bonus pages hidden in plain sight like a secret door - what a clever way to incorporate the fan into the storytelling! I also appreciate the message of discovering the magic and inspiration already being within us.

[Doris Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book and the illustrations are perfect. This is a special book about a very special boy who discovers the magic he had was always his very own. This book teaches readers about believing in themselves and motivating others. I believe this book can be read at any age and at any time, especially when students are feeling unmotivated.

[Cathy | A Case Full of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

K really enjoyed turning the pages that were fan-shaped.

[Emma Vargo · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st-3rd grade fiction
Beautifully illustrated with a cutout of the magical fan to turn, this story will have children engaged while teaching them to trust in themselves rather than "magic."

[Kalyn Stinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book from my childhood!! I read it to a friend last night and he loved it as well.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique format and interesting story

[zunggg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Above average story for young kids which opts not to hammer home a message. Clever format too. Not especially dynamic, though.

[Ashley Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the fan cutouts! So cool. Great to teach Asian Folktales or even engineering. Great read.

[Karissa Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a unique way to introduce students to learning about a new culture, as well as talking about natural disasters that occur and how they can affect peoples lives. Yoshi is a young man who was an excellent builder. One day he finds a fan and that inspires him to build different things that people thing are pointless. However when Yoshi builds a bridge and a Tsunami occurs, it saves everyone is the village’s life. The village learned that they were wrong and that they need protection. Yoshi inspires the village that they can rebuild their community and continue to build things that will protect the. The story incorporates some Japanese beliefs about how a fish called Numazu caused the Tsunami and also about how they can talk with Mother Nature. I think talking about other cultures and there beliefs is beneficial for students because they can see different perspectives. I also really liked the illustrations as well because in the text all of the drawings are done in the shape of the fan which makes the reader feel like they are holding one themselves.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars This book gets the 3.5 stars for the cool fan shapes on each page that you can turn. I think that is very cool!

I guess I don't get the story. You get tired of building stuff so you build a boat to reach the moon, build a kite, build a bridge..and then a tsunami comes and the town is destroyed but the bridge survives. so the townspeople survives to rebuild! It was fin... can't say I am a big fan!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book and the illustrations are wonderful. There is a magical surprise in it for you. This is a special book about a very special boy who discovers the magic he had was always his very own. It made me go, "Ohhhhhhh, how fabulous is that?"

[Caitlin Barclay]

Another life lesson book! This book teaches readers about believing in yourself and motivating others. This book can be read to any age and at any time, especially when students are feeling unmotivated. This is possibly a good read before high stakes testing.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairly short, but it has a powerful and wonderfully illustrated message about dreams, responsibility, and thinking outside the box, the pages have lovely flaps that act as a fan opening for each "chapter".

[Hira · Rating 5 out of 5]

sequence

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative illustrations! The things that appear on the boys magic fan, are on the fan cut-outs! We loved this. Great supplement for Japan.

[Rebecca Saxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story. Loved the use of the magic fan in the book for plot and as part of the design.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interactive book that takes "lift-the-flap" beyond the realm of the board book. Did not notice the hidden fish in every picture - but that's a great added bonus.

[Megan]

CURRICULUM: RR/Classics

[Camille Tesch]

Ages 6-8

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enchanting story that comes to life with the interactive flap inside...ingeniously beautiful and not at all expected.

[Lindsey Hapeman]

this book is based in Japan and it is about a "magic fan" who tells the character what to build.