Product Description

An American sailor courts a young Japanese woman and each tries, in secret, to learn the other's way of eating.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #311888 in Books
• Published on: 1987-03-30
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .10 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Review
"The book is wonderfully thought-provoking in its portrayal of the subtle similarities and differences among cultures." (School Library Journal Starred )

Ingram
An American sailor courts a young Japanese woman and each tries, in secret, to learn the other's way of eating. Full color illustrations throughout.

About the Author
Ina Friedman says that her engineer husband has built a Japanese garden and pool for each of the houses they have lived in over the years, but that the idea for this book really came when she and a Japanese friend were comparing notes on their difficulties in "learning to eat." This is Ms. Friedman's first picture book, but she is the author of two books for older readers: Escape or Die, which told the stories of young Holocaust survivors, and Black Cop. Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Ms. Friedman was educated at Pennsylvania State University and now lives in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He dreamed of becoming a cartoonist from the age of six, and, at age twelve, apprenticed himself to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. For the next four years, Say learned to draw and paint under the direction of Noro, who has remained Say's mentor. Say illustrated his first children's book -- published in 1972 -- in a photo studio between shooting assignments. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis. But in 1987, while illustrating THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (Caldecott Honor Medal), he recaptured the joy he had known as a boy working in his master's studio. It was then that Say decided to make a full commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated many books, including TREE OF CRANES and GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal. He is a full-time writer and illustrator living in Portland,

Customer Reviews

Wise and muted, simple and understanding
The author of this Reading Rainbow Selection is wise; she knows how eating styles and habits can separate people and be inhibiting. The narrator recalls how her parents met: a white American sailor and a Japanese woman from the port city of Yokohama. The girl tells the reader that some days, in her house, they eat with chopsticks, and on some days with knives and forks. In the clear, muted watercolors, the reader finds her eating with chopsticks with a rice cooker on the first page, and eating with a knife and fork with a toaster on the last. Somewhat like O. Henry's story, The gift of the Magi, the sailor is too embarrassed to eat with Aiko, since he cant use chopsticks. And Aiko is frightened to eat with John, for she has never used a fork. But the port call is ending in a few weeks, so both rush to learn the other's ways, and an eating date is finally arranged. Love conquers all.

Literary and culinary masterpeice...
We thoroughly enjoyed this captivating tale of 2 young people over coming obstacles and finding true love. Honestly we couldn't put down this compelling page turner. Were we the only ones that were scared that John and Aiko wouldn't be together in the end? Thank you Ina Friedman for showing us that a good book can still be written.

A wonderful message with no preaching
A bi-racial child tells the story of how her Japanese mother and American father met, fell in love, struggled to understand each other's ways, and finally married. It's a wonderful portrait of diversity, showing children that superficial differences in cultures don't really mean much and shouldn't get in the way of people appreciating each other. But just as important to me is the fact that this is one of the few children's books I know of that shows adults falling in love in a realistic way - no fairy tale, love at first sight kind of thing, but a picture of love growing as two people learn more about each other. Those two qualities - its appreciation of cultural diversity and its honest portrait of love - make it a little gem.