Bibliographic
Data
Say, Allen. 2010. The Boy in the Garden. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780547214108
Brief
Plot Summary
In Japan a boy and
his father visit Mr. Ozu’s beautiful home complete with a garden. Instead of
staying close to his father the young boy wonders off finding a crane statue.
After his father embarrasses him he runs off to a tea house. After putting on a
found kimono he is transported to the story of the Grateful Crane. He wakes from his nightmare to find his father
beckoning him to get ready to go.
Critical
Analysis
This book contains
two stories. The first is a short story called The Grateful Crane. It is a single page and contains one small
image of a Japanese woman holding a textile. In order for readers to enjoy and
understand the second story they must read The
Grateful Crane. The second story is the actual book, The Boy in the Garden.
The book jacket tells
readers the legend of the crane is Japanese. The title page subject information
lists “Japan” as one of the subjects. There are numerous clues besides those
indicating that this story takes place in Japan. One of many is the landscaping
of Mr. Ozu’s home. The elaborate garden includes rock gardens, bamboo and
Japanese style fountains. The present Jiro’s father brings is wrapped in
furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping cloth. The windows of Mr. Ozu’s home are sliding
panels like those seen in Japan. The roof lines of the home are a Japanese
style as well. Mr. Ozu also has a tea house complete with a fireplace located
in the center of the room on the floor.
The appearance of the
characters displays many cultural markers. They all appear very different from
one another. Jiro, the young boy, has shiny black hair and his bangs are cut
straight. His skin is a light tan color. His cheeks are often rosy. His
eyebrows rest far above his eyes. His eyes are drawn with an epicanthic fold on
the inside corners. The bridge of his nose is small. Jiro’s father also has shiny
black hair. They both wear contemporary winter jackets and clothing that could
be from other countries besides Japan. Inside Mr. Ozu’s home Jiro wears
oversized slippers which is often done in Asian homes. Mr. Ozu is an elderly
man. His hair is white. He wears a robe which may be a Japanese style of dress.
When Jiro starts
dreaming he wears a kimono tied with an obi, traditional Japanese attire that
maybe one would wear to a festival. The crane woman wears an elaborate layered
kimono. She carries a straw umbrella to shield herself from the snow. Her skin
is very pale. Her lips adorn red lipstick. Their dress is not from a time of
history, but of a Japanese story.
Jiro is not portrayed
as a stereotypical polite and intelligent and cooperative Asian child. He is
polite enough not to open Mr. Ozu’s envelope of money, but not enough not to
wonder around and wear random kimonos he finds. He runs off dramatically when
he father laughs at him. He is clearly acting out and is bored. What little boy
wouldn’t be? But then we see what character Jiro has when he has strong convictions
to provide for the crane woman. He has the discipline not to look at her as she
weaves.
Awards
& Best Books
Parents' Choice Award, 2010 Silver Picture
Books United States
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2011
Bank Street College of Education
Kirkus Book Review Stars, October 1, 2010
Publishers Weekly
Book Review Stars, October 11, 2010
Review Excerpt(s)
“Jiro looks to be
about six, yet the issues the book raises about the illusion of story and the
nature of reality would probably be best contemplated by an older child. Still,
Say's artwork, with its clean, quiet scenes, always pleases, and the more
perceptive child will take much away from this.” -Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Sep.
1, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 1))
“A series of
dreamlike paintings done in the Caldecott winner's customarily precise and
beautifully lit watercolors blurs the lines between reality and fantasy and
limns Jiro's conflicted emotions as he seems to enter the story.” -Kirkus
Reviews, October 1, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 19)
“Say's watercolors
have a smooth, even control that's perfect for his realistic portraiture, with
far-reaching landscapes emphasizing Jiro's isolation, but that mode also
manages to shade seamlessly into an airy, slightly stylized folkloric style.” -Deborah
Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2010 (Vol.
64, No. 3))
Connections
RIF’s interview with
Allen Say and list of other books by him: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/say.htm
Allen Say’s official
website: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/index.shtml
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