Picture books

Picture books can be enjoyed not only by children, but also by adults, and can remind us of various sensations we had as children, or even bring us into a whole new world. In this blog, I would like to introduce the work of Komako Sakai, a Japanese picture book writer who draws fascinating pictures and writes wonderful stories.

Komako Sakai, a picture book writer born in 1966, mainly draws children and animals such as rabbits, cats, and bears, and her stories focus on them. She has a consistent worldview that draws you into the picture book as soon as you open it, and her style is so impressive that you can see the world around you from a child’s perspective. The most amazing thing of Komako Sakai’s paintings is that they are rough and delicate, but realistic at the same time. Most of her paintings are done in a unique way: she first paints paper or cardboard black and then draws on it.

ゆきがやんだら (学研おはなし絵本) | 酒井 駒子 |本 | 通販 | Amazon

ゆきがやんだら (2005)

This is one of the most popular picture books by Komako Sakai. It is about a rabbit child and his mother who spend a snow day. On a snow day when kindergarten is closed and the father cannot fly home, a rabbit child plays cards with his mother and goes outside to play. The story depicts that snow is just weather for adults, but for children, it is an extraordinary and exciting event. In contrast to the silence of snow, we can feel the pure excitement of a child. And even though the story is about a cold snowy day, the innocence of the child warms our heart.

金曜日の砂糖ちゃん (Luna Park Books) | 酒井 駒子 |本 | 通販 | Amazon

金曜日の砂糖ちゃん (2003)

This picture book is also popular like “ゆきがやんだら.” It consists of three short stories: “金曜日の砂糖ちゃん,” “草のオルガン,” “夜と夜のあいだに.” The endings of each story are not short-lived and make you think about the rest of the story. For example, “夜と夜のあいだに” is a story about a girl who wakes up when everyone is asleep, leaves her house, and never comes back. Even though each sentence is very short, the content draws us in and ends up leaving us with a mysterious feeling, which is very interesting.

心に沁みる展示再び】もういちど「みみをすますように 酒井駒子」展 PLAY!MUSEUM(立川)で9月18日から – 美術展ナビ

みみをすますように

I visited an exhibition of Komako Sakai’s paintings called “みみをすますように“ (As if Listening) in November. About 250 of her original drawings from over 20 picture books and books, from her debut to her latest, were on display at the exhibition. The way the pictures were displayed was very unique. There were many large picture frames, chairs, and desks made of wood, which made me feel as if I was walking through a forest. I was impressed to see the actual pictures of books that I have read before.

As we grow up, we may tend to avoid picture books because we think they are childish or boring. However, there are picture books with beautiful pictures and stories which make us think. It is fun to use our imagination to interpret the story in our own way. I recommend reading the picture books you read as a child or ones you have never tried before without thinking them as just picture books. You can find something interesting!

 

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