Shibumi and the Kitemaker

By Mercer Mayer

Book Overview

After seeing the disparity between the conditions of her father's palace and the city beyond its walls, the Emperor's daughter has the royal kite maker build a huge kite to take her away from it all This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761450548
• ISBN13: 9780761450542
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.5" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

A Book Destined to be Timeless

In this tale of ancient Japan the Emperor has made life perfect for the daughter he loves. Sadly, or not, depending on your point of view, she is living in a walled garden. Then one day she climbs a tree and sees over the wall. Now she knows the truth and she wants to do something about it. So she has the Royal Kite Maker build a giant kite that carries her aloft. She refused to come down until her father makes the world outside her garden is as beautiful as her garden. And, of course, the girl's father will try and make things right, but it will not be so easy. It will, however, be easy for you to order this better than excellent book. Even though my almost three-year-old son is too young to understand it, he loves looking at the pictures as him mom or I read along, making up words as we go, so that he can (we think) understand. He'll be reading soon and this is certainly going to be a book he grows with. It is just simply extraordinary.

beautiful illustrations; thoughtful warm story for any age

My 8 year old and I read it together and it was a moving experience for both of us. She is reading chapter books now and we both miss the kind of picture book stories that we had enjoyed so much. At any age, it's nice to sit down with a good story. The combination of the gorgeous illustrations and the thoughts about family and devotion in this story was magic. As a bonus, Mercer Mayer talks about his childhood growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii and how he learned about race and "melting pots" as a child. Congratulations on a wonderful book, Mr. Mayer! Get the book and read it with a child.

Mercer Mayer's found a new way!

Even though I love the Little Critter series, my favorite book of Mercer Mayer's has always been East of the Sun, West of the Moon with it's colorful and detialed illustrations. With this new book, Mercer Mayer worked with a Mac computer and I am AMAZED with the rich textures and warm realistic quality. No cool technical stuff here...this story too is from the heart and magical!

I haven't seen a children's book this lovely in a while

While I loved this Japanese fairy tale, what struck me most about this book is the beautiful illustrations. The author is known for his Little Critter series, but this book is so elegant and classic, you would never guess they are written by the same person. Though this is a picture book, the story is longer than most picture books. Thus, it is appropriate even for older children. I also think this book is a great way to introduce children to other cultures. Check it out- you'll love it.

Beautiful, rich tale

A gorgeous book with glorious illustration. If this is based on a traditional story, it's not one that I've heard before. It kept me entirely engrossed while I read it. There is more than fairy-tale depth here, particularly as obstacles to the traditional happy ending keep showing themselves. Very satisfying.