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Lynn: I am fascinated by stories of an artist’s journey and how better to tell that story than through illustration!  Renown illustrator Allen Say tells his story from his early years in Japan to his immigration to the United States with text, pen and ink drawings, watercolor paintings and family photographs.  Drawing from Memory (Scholastic 2011) is a captivating peek into the heart and mind of a young artist and the visual storytelling is a delight.

Say’s parents, especially his father, were not pleased by his interest in drawing.  But when he was only 4 the war began and then so much changed.  With enormous understatement Say writes, “When the war ended four years later, everything was broken.”  When he was only 12, Say’s grandmother offered to send him to one of the best schools in Tokyo if he could pass the exams and allow him to live alone in his own apartment!  What an incentive!  Once there Say convinced the great master Noro Shinpei to take him on as pupil and Say’s world blossomed.  Say chronicles his time as a young teen working with Sensei (as Say called Shinpei) and developing as an artist.

This is a truly lovely book – a charming hodge-podge of drawings, cartoon panels and photos that begs to be dawdled over.  Say’s text is spare and often humorous, teaming effectively with the illustrations to tell a story of a young man who knew his  life’s purpose and a mother who had the courage to “let her dear child journey.”

Cindy: What a great title for an artist’s memoir! As much as I learned about Allen Say’s journey in this book, I appreciated the peek into the life of a mentor who truly savors the role. With subtlety, Say reveals the importance of the relationship to both men. Sensei gave gifts of time, talent, space, supplies, wisdom, encouragement, and the invaluable gift of a supportive father figure. One who recognizes a boy’s passion and talent and does not try to mold him into something he is not.

Say and his fellow apprentice, Tokida, became characters in one of Shinpei’s famous comic strips…what an honor for young aspiring cartoonists. I love the scenes of these two boys exploring Tokyo and eschewing the drone-like appearance of the adults commuting to the same jobs every day…while dreaming about their lives as artists.  An author’s note contains information about Sensai’s final years and a reunion a few years before his death…and brought tears at the realization about how vital this relationship was to both men. I was left wondering about Tokida…is he still working in art…or did the drone world consume him?

I can’t wait to show this one to my art teachers and to booktalk it to my middle school students. It’s a good title to pair with artist Peter Sis’ memoir, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.

For more Nonfiction Monday reviews visit Amy O’Quinn.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2011 at 8:18 am and is filed under Art teachers take notice, Biographies, Gr. 4-7, Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.