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."

Journey with Anno through Europe, Spain, Denmark, Italy, and China with this collection of beautiful paperbacks. These books are used in our Around the World studies and have become favorites of readers young and old alike.

About the Author

Mitsumasa Anno was born in 1926 in Tsuwano, a small town nestled in the mountains of western Japan. Growing up surrounded by peaks and ocean, he developed a longing to see what lay beyond his isolated world. “Because my world was cut off from the outside world, first by the mountains and then by the ocean, the desire to go and see what lay on the other side grew stronger,” he once said. That curiosity never left him. After serving in the Japanese army during World War II, he spent ten years teaching mathematics in Tokyo. In 1968, he began his professional career as a picture book artist, bringing the same passion for learning that shaped his teaching to his artistic work.

Anno’s work earned him some of the highest honors in children’s literature, including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984, multiple first prizes for graphic excellence at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and selection for the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. In 2001, the Mitsumasa Anno Museum opened in his hometown of Tsuwano, designed by Anno himself, as a place where children could come and explore science, math, and imagination firsthand. A lover of travel and culture, Anno believed that beneath all our differences, the heart of every human being holds the same inherent value, and his books reflect that belief on every page.