Allow Anno to be your guide to China. Through delightfully detailed
watercolors, readers will explore this vast and varied land where
calligraphers bestow good fortune, birds fish for men, and dragons
dance. Stand with Anno on the Great Wall, visit bustling villages where
the streets are waterways and everyone, even horses and bulls, travel by
boat. Learn how flocks of ducks are herded on rivers and witness the
discovery of thousands of clay soldiers guarding the ancient tomb of
China's first emperor.
In addition to the beautiful scenes, the author has included detailed
notes in the back of the book that explain his journey and much of the
detail in each scene, while still allowing the reader to discover things
on their own. These notes draw out the various features of each scene
which helps to teach the reader about Chinese culture.
Praise for Anno's China
"The Japanese Master of quotidian detail takes readers up China's
Yellow River in this new book, first published in Japan in 2009. . . .
It's been a hair over two decades since a new book by Anno (Anno's Magic
Seeds, 1995) last made its way to our shores; this tour, breathtaking
in its own right, is therefore doubly welcome." -Kirkus Reviews
"Anno's China is full of joy and wonder. Beautiful and evocative beyond words."
-Shirin Bridges, author of Ruby's Wish
"In the 1970s the books of Japanese illustrator Mitsumasa Anno
began appearing in the United States. His graphic sophistication, his
unique perspective on landscapes and the people who inhabit them, and
his playful sense of humor would ultimately win for him the Bologna Book
Prize and Hans Christian Andersen Award. In Anno's China, once again
Anno brings us a book that educates, entertains, and delights." -Anita Silvey, author of Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book
About the Author: Mitsumasa Anno, winner of the Hans Christian
Andersen Award for his lasting contribution to children's literature, is
a lover of travel and culture. Anno's books, through their unique
perspective and mischievous sense of humor, have opened to children
across the world, cultures and lands distant from their own. Without
words Anno conveys the beauty, humanity, and value of all people in all
times and places. As he notes, "There are differences in people,
different styles of housing, social differences, different cultures all
over the world. But perhaps what lies at the bottom of the heart of each
human being is the same, an inherent value."
Born in Tsuwano, in Western Japan, Mr. Anno studied both art and
mathematics before teaching school for ten years. He has written and
illustrated over 20 books for children. He makes his home in a suburb of
Tokyo. He is married and has two children.