In March we continued our Salon Series with long-time Friend of the Center Sue Conolly, who is the new Elementary School Librarian at Chiyoda International School in Tokyo, Japan.
Our goal for the evening was to take an up-close and personal look at a selection of Japanese picture book titles and, with Sue’s guidance, to explore the at times surprising similarities and differences between books published in the United States, and books published in Japan.
Luckily for us, Sue brought her vivid love of picture books as well as her expertise and deep appreciation for international books overall, and for Japanese children’s books in particular—along with a beautiful collection of titles for us to explore.
The biggest and most lasting lesson taken away from this Salon was that the power of beautiful illustrations to transcend borders and even language. Although most of the attendees could not read the text of the books, the illustrations spoke for themselves, giving us a peek into new and different ways to see our world.
In addition to the larger thematic and artistic nuances of Japanese picture books were the more practical considerations: the ways in which many Japanese picture books included back matter and additional support materials, as well as the variety of ways the books were physically constructed, with inserts and extra book jacket components designed to remove and share to recommend the book to others.
After a delicious dinner (which included lessons in making Japanese onigiri (rice balls)) Sue invited each attendee to select a book to keep—a precious memento as well as a generous reminder to all of us of the importance of stories in our lives, and the power they hold to bring us together.
