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The revolt of the darumas,
Three one-eyed darumas earn their second eye in spite of their revolt.
- GenresPicture Books
38 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 22, 2023
This book has been in my family since I was a child (or earlier!), but it was only as a grown adult did I sit down and realise it was written by a non-Asian (although definitely a Japanese person drew the artwork). It's not really a HUGE deal, except when it turns out ALL my childhood books about Asian culture were by non-Asian authors. That just feels... uncomfortable. Were there really NO books about Asians, BY Asians?
(This is thankfully less true now, and I've seen and read MANY books about various ethnic/religious/etc. groups actually FROM members of those groups. Just something that I became aware of and have consciously worked to combat by supporting said books.)
At least the story is well-researched and depicts more or less authentic Japanese culture, though the youngest daughter's casual dress, in particular, seems WAY short. The art is very cute and of a lovely quality that's hard to find even today, with so much digital art being popular. About all I don't REALLY like is the "basket" looks like a strange moon ornament rather than a container, but that's really a nitpick.
The one thing that's always bothered me was it felt like the kids were "wasting" their wishes on something that ended up happening anyway, if it was really supposed to be magic. Then, the daruma* each end up getting both eyes painted in, and what? They just sit on the table forever?
*Japanese doesn't use plural forms, which is ignored in this book, I guess, for the convenience of English speakers.
I finally looked this up: Used daruma are BURNED at the end of the year, which would make for a very different ending! Of course, as I've been told, "Sometimes the difference between a happy ending and a sad ending is when you stop reading." (Not that daruma, named for Dharma, would as such think that's a sad ending, but English speakers might!)
Four stars for nostalgia, not the full five due to my hang-ups, but 4/5 is still good. A nice introduction to Japanese culture, even if not actually from exclusively Japanese people.
(This is thankfully less true now, and I've seen and read MANY books about various ethnic/religious/etc. groups actually FROM members of those groups. Just something that I became aware of and have consciously worked to combat by supporting said books.)
At least the story is well-researched and depicts more or less authentic Japanese culture, though the youngest daughter's casual dress, in particular, seems WAY short. The art is very cute and of a lovely quality that's hard to find even today, with so much digital art being popular. About all I don't REALLY like is the "basket" looks like a strange moon ornament rather than a container, but that's really a nitpick.
The one thing that's always bothered me was it felt like the kids were "wasting" their wishes on something that ended up happening anyway, if it was really supposed to be magic. Then, the daruma* each end up getting both eyes painted in, and what? They just sit on the table forever?
*Japanese doesn't use plural forms, which is ignored in this book, I guess, for the convenience of English speakers.
I finally looked this up: Used daruma are BURNED at the end of the year, which would make for a very different ending! Of course, as I've been told, "Sometimes the difference between a happy ending and a sad ending is when you stop reading." (Not that daruma, named for Dharma, would as such think that's a sad ending, but English speakers might!)
Four stars for nostalgia, not the full five due to my hang-ups, but 4/5 is still good. A nice introduction to Japanese culture, even if not actually from exclusively Japanese people.
January 31, 2025
Exceptional illustrations make this peek into the lives of three children and the cultural traditions of Japan an exemplary picture book from 1970.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews