Little Oh [Hardcover]

Laura Krauss Melmed (Author), Jim Lamarche (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Illustrated with exquisite paintings, this original fairy tale about an origami girl who comes to life is a tender and exciting adventure. From her wild river ride aboard a teacup boat to her escape from an angry dog to her flight home on the neck of a crane to her transformation into a real little girl, Little Oh is sure to capture your heart.

2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award & Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4. This appealing original fantasy set in old Japan reunites the creators of The Rainbabies (Lothrop, 1992). This story, too, features a magical child, an origami paper doll made by a woman who lives alone and works as a potter. The woman puts the doll in a lacquer box beside her bed at night, and the next morning the doll comes to life and names herself after the woman's astonished exclamation. Delighted with the living paper doll that calls her "mother," the woman tries to protect the tiny, fragile child from harm. Inevitably, Little Oh becomes lost and embarks on a series of dangerous adventures before she finds her way back home. Along the way, Little Oh meets a man and his son, who needs a mother, and her own final transformation brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. While the narrative echoes folktales told around the world, the realistic colored paintings establish setting and character with loving specificity. Each double-page spread, elegantly balancing art and text, takes a carefully imagined point of view. Whether long shots or close-ups, the illustrations resonate with the changing emotions of the story: love, danger, loss, flight, reunion. The artwork celebrates imperial Japan: the familiar subjects of Japanese art, mountains and mist, gardens, pine trees, reeds, and a flying crane are rendered accurately in fresh, original interpretations. The artist's precise portraits of the characters, captured mid-gesture, invite readers into the heart of this warm, old-fashioned story.?Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Like these collaborators' The Rainbabies (1992), this work has parental love as its theme. Little Oh, an origami girl who has come to life for her creator, a lonely Japanese woman, is lost one day in a bustling market. She is chased by a hungry dog, floated down a foaming cataract in a teacup, and flown homeward by a friendly crane. A motherless boy finds her, and when he and his father return Little Oh to her mother, the paper girl miraculously becomes a human child, the man and woman fall in love and marry, and Little Oh's family is complete. This new work belongs in the company of such standards as The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Pinocchio, The Peach Boy, and Thumbelina. Once again, LaMarche demonstrates his extraordinary ability to portray emotions in the human face, and his soft mixed-media paintings are filled with details of exceptional beauty: cracks in the glaze of a porcelain cup, the sheen of orange skins, evergreens blanketed in golden early-morning mist. A flawless work: Readers are certain to look carefully at Little Oh's folds, and attempt to make an origami doll, too. (Picture book. 4+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688142087
• ISBN-13: 978-0688142087
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Magical!Winsome Story & Illustrations to Match, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Oh (Hardcover)

The first time my daughter and I read "Little Oh" I knew we would need a copy of it in her personal library. Little Oh rates right up there with Mulan when it comes to stories for little girls.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magic magic magic!, August 15, 2009

By 

L. Cocchiarale - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Oh (Hardcover)

My 28-month-old daughter adores this book, which we recently stumbled upon at our library. In contrast to some text-heavy picture books, she listens, enthralled, to every word of Little Oh. Just yesterday, we made our own Little Oh doll, and combined it with the beautiful Folkmanis Crane puppet we already own to tell our own adventure. Her favorite illustration is the one of Little Oh about to plummet over the waterfall in her teacup.

Easily on my list of best picture books ever!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely story & beautiful illustrations, April 13, 2009

By 

Bartes Designs (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Oh (Hardcover)

Both of my boys enjoy reading this book over and over again. They are 9 and 6 years old. I like exposing them to different cultures through books and this is a beautiful story with enough text to keep my older son interested. I think it is a book which both girls and boys will enjoy.