Crow Boy

Rating:
Summary: Accepting Differences
Review: In a small Japanese village, Chibi, the main character, is an outcast at school because he is different from the other children. Day after day, Chibi is faced with feelings of isolation and rejection. This memorable story presents the reader with a situation that all children experience some time in their life. The realism of this story allowed me to feel close to Chibi and watch him change towards the end. Through the unique illustrations, Taro Yashima was successful in describing the mood and setting. The moral lesson of this story is beautiful, and should be included in every classroom at the beginning of the school year. Through this lesson, the reader learns to develop an awareness for individual differences. This short story will present you with an enjoyable learning experience. I highly recommend this book for any type of reader.

Rating:
Summary: Be Prepared with the Tissues
Review: This book touches me on a deeper level than other children's books. And I LOVE children's books! I cry often times when I read it. Read it with a box of tissues by your side. I think any child that is exposed to this book will be a more accepting, self-actualized person.

Rating:
Summary: Longing for homeland in Japan
Review: This story is based on Yashima's experience in his child days in Kagoshima, Japan. The story is "translated" to Japanese, too. I first read Japanese version, and later English version. I love both of them. Taro Yashima is a Japanese proletariat artist, who had exiled to US during the World Wars. He wrote some books staged in his hometown in Japan. He left a son in Japan, who became Oya Nonfiction Prize Awardees, Chihiro Isa. Another son is actor, Mako, or Mako Iwamatsu.