Yoko's Paper Cranes [Hardcover]

Rosemary Wells (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Yoko

When Yoko was very small, she and her Grandmother, Obaasan, fed the cranes in the pond at the end of the garden. When Yoko moves to California, she remembers her Grandmother and Grandfather in Japan. Every week letters go back and forth. She thinks of their garden and their cranes. And when Grandmother's birthday comes, Yoko sends the most wonderful gift of all. Rosemary Wells celebrates the love between grandchildren and gradparents in this sequel to best-selling Yoko.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wells returns to the plucky heroine she introduced in Yoko with this wistful story about the green-eyed kitten and her far-away grandparents. Yoko writes weekly to Japan to her beloved grandmother, Obaasan, whose garden is visited each year by migrating cranes. Yoko's grandfather, Ojiisan, inspired by the winged visitors, showed his granddaughter how to fold cranes out of paper. When Obaasan's birthday approaches and Yoko doesn't have the money to buy her a present, she sends her some origami cranes, folded just as Ojiisan had taught her. Wells differentiates between the two homelands in palette and artistic style. She dresses the endearing grandparents in autumnal-hued kimonos cut out of silk-screened paper against backgrounds of woodblock-style ocean waves and wind-blown pines. Yoko, meanwhile, sports flowered patterns and spring-inspired colors; Wells outlines the heroine's vignettes in plaid frames. The boxed collages form the main images but, in traditional Japanese style, their borders are porous: leaves fall and cranes fly out into the white margins; Yoko's posted letters and origami diagrams prance across the bottom of the pages. "Soon I will come back to Japan, just like the cranes," Yoko's birthday greeting says, and while the book doesn't portray her return, youngsters will know that, no matter how far away their grandparents may be, their love will find them. Ages 3-7.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reS-Gr 2-This much-anticipated follow-up to Yoko (Hyperion, 1998) focuses on the beloved kitten's connection to the grandparents that she and her parents left behind in Japan when they relocated to the United States. The story begins by recounting the treasured hours she spent in the garden with Obaasan, her grandmother, feeding the cranes. Little Yoko learns that the cranes stay only a few months in the garden. The disappointment that she feels at the birds' seasonal departure is mitigated somewhat by the origami cranes and other creatures that Ojiisan, her grandfather, teaches her to make. This backward glance continues by revisiting Yoko and her parents' eventual departure from Japan. Once in America, the child corresponds weekly via letters and then on Obaasan's birthday, sends a special present of three lovingly folded origami cranes and the promise that soon she will return to visit them-just like the cranes. This touching intergenerational story is told with a beautiful economy of language that echoes the simplicity valued in both Japanese art and culture. The stunning artwork is a marvelous pastiche created by the use of origami and washi papers, gold leaf, rubber stamps, and paint. Recognizable motifs from traditional Japanese art are found throughout the visual narrative. A perfect gem.

Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786807377
• ISBN-13: 978-0786807376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cultural and artistic look at Japan, November 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Yoko's Paper Cranes (Hardcover)

I am an American citizen who has been living in Japan for the past 18 months and I was delighted when a friend sent this book to my daughter for her 4th birthday. I have been a fan of Rosemary Wells for years and this book did not disappoint me. Wells has created a delightful visual experience for the young reader through the use of traditional Japanese washi papers combined with her own bright and whimsical watercolors. Wells has also managed to show the special relationship that exists between a child and their grandparents and how traditions are passed down through generations. (In this case, Yoko's grandfather teaches her to fold paper cranes.) My own daughter is thousands of miles away from her grandparents in the United States, and I think that this book has shown her that love can cross all those miles.
As a parent and preschool teacher, I would recommend this book as a teaching tool about Japanese culture -- Wells has even included folding instructions for the paper crane. What a wonderful literacy link activity!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book, March 16, 2002

By 

"davisjmjs" (Dillsboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoko's Paper Cranes (Hardcover)

This book is charming and exquisitely illustrated. Elements of origami and Japanese printmaking enrich it visually, while the story is beautifully simple and affecting. It is one of my three-year old daughter's favorites, and my personal favorite among her many books. The story and pictures can be used as a starting point to explore the ideas of separation, travel, gift-giving, the seasons in nature, bird migration, and they even show the reader how to make paper cranes! It is superb.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offers A Look Into Japanese Culture For Kids!, November 3, 2001

By 

Elizabeth Crain "bibliotheca97116" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoko's Paper Cranes (Hardcover)

This is a sweet story for kids -- especially if they are separated from their grandparents by distance. The paper cranes become symbols of family and cultural connections. Also, the richly colored illustrations and their elegant borders are amazing.

This is a great book for kids, adults, and origami lovers!