BOOK REVIEW MIGRANTS Author: Issa Watanabe From the reader report by: Mami Shimada Several animals walk distinctly across a backdrop as dark as coal, almost as if in a funeral procession. Once seen, this unforgettable image leaves a powerful impression. A strange creature is approaching this group. Though not scary, this figure with a skull atop a human body evokes images of ‘death.’ The moving pack of animals seems to portray refugees. Recently, the refugee problem has cropped up often in Japan too in picture books and children’s books such as “Journey: Kokkyo wo Koete” (Kijitora Publishing) and “Nanmin ‘te Yobanaide” (GodoShuppan). However, picture books with no writing are a rarity. Children won’t find it difficult to truly understand what is happening in this wordless book. Several questions will probably pop up, with children wanting to know why these people are on a journey or where they are going, for example. It is then the task of adults to answer these questions in a way children can understand. Because it has no writing, this book resonates directly from people of all countries, both adults and children. Rather than being an exercise in passive reading, this book to prompts you to think and talk about issues. As such, it is just the kind of book we and our children need in Japan right now.
PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS JP
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