旅の絵本Ⅶ: 中国編

Anno's Journey #7

by Mitsumasa Anno

「旅の絵本」シリーズ初のアジアを舞台にした七巻目は、中国編です。絹布に水墨画のように描かれた世界は、今までのシリーズとは全く違う雰囲気です。まず、旅の男は黄河をさかのぼります。そして陸にあがると、桂林や敦煌などの町を行き過ぎます。兵馬俑発掘現場や万里の長城など名所がいっぱいで、見あきません。その雄大な舞台の中に、お祭り・結婚・葬式という、中国の人々の日常がしっかり描きこまれ、見応えのある一冊となりました。

Genres: China, Asia, Geography, Picture Books, Childrens, History

56 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2009

About the author

His name is written as 安野光雅 in Japanese.

Mitsumasa Anno (born March 20, 1926) was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mitsumasa Anno (b. 1926) is a Japanese author and artist who has written and illustrated over twenty books for children. In the 1970s his books began appearing in the United States, but it has been about two decades since a new book by Anno (Anno’s Magic Seeds, 1995) last found its way to America. Anno’s China is basically a picture book with explanations and descriptions in the back of what the paintings show. Through these delightfully detailed watercolors, Anno takes readers up China’s Yellow River to explore this vast and varied land where calligraphers can bestow good fortune, birds do fishing for men, and dragons dance in New Year’s parades. Scenes include bustling villages where the streets are waterways and everyone, even horses and bulls, travel by boat; rivers on which flocks of ducks are herded; the Great Wall; and the discovery of thousands of Terracotta soldiers guarding the ancient tomb of China’s first emperor.

Anno, who won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lasting contribution to children’s literature, is a lover of travel and culture and is famous for his illustrated books which take readers through a variety of countries. Anno’s China, which is book VII in the series “Anno’s Journey,” was initially published in Japan in 2009 but has never been available to U. S. readers until now. Beautiful Feet Books, a literature-based homeschooling curriculum publisher, has just brought this title back into print. They plan this sixty page wordless journey through China in a new study of theirs available this coming summer. With his unique perspective on landscapes and the people who inhabit them, and his mischievous sense of humor, Anno has given the world books that educate, entertain, and delight by opening children across the world to cultures and lands distant from their own. Shirin Bridges, author of Ruby’s Wish, said, “Anno’s China is full of joy and wonder. Beautiful and evocative beyond words.” Anyone who is interested in China, or world travel generally, will enjoy this book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the paintings. I really liked the Beautiful Feet Guide that had coordinating photographs to help me compare the images. I enjoyed this. It grew a little cumbersome for my 3rd grader.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed pouring over the illustrations more than my kids did. Really interesting book.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're "reading" this wordless picture book once again today as we venture into The Story about Ping. I have mixed feelings on this series, but I'll address that at a later date.