Released in June by O'More Publishing, the book is inviting at first glance, thanks to the pastel blue, cherry-blossom pink and earth tones utilized on the title’s hardcover by illustrator Bobby Dawson, whose innate artistic style complements the colorful woodblock style that Japanese artists created and popularized from the 1600s to the late 1800s.
Storytelling Hues of Emotion Inspired by Japanese Art
Dawson continues his subtle-meets-splashy adventure in color throughout the book’s 20-plus pages. His artistic talent effortlessly captures the intrinsic innocence and goodness of one of the tale’s characters, while also conveying—through his choice of hues—the anger and ill will of another character. Each page bleeds with color, from the book’s spine to its page edges. And full illustrations span across two pages, not just one, giving readers a viewing canvas that’s all the more panoramic and enveloping.
Aside from its moral lesson—namely, one that focuses on the importance of kindness, especially when it comes to one song-filled sparrow—the book is a labor of love for Hayes, an award-winning educator and folklore scholar, who first heard the traditional folktale during a 1988 visit to Seoul, Korea.
Oral Storytelling, Folklore Adaptation Preserve Culture of Ancient China
During a June 19, 2008, in-person interview, Hayes said she became enamored with the story upon first listen and asked the woman who shared the tale with her to write it down so that she could bring it back to the United States. The woman obliged, but wrote it in Japanese Kanji, one of the three scripts derived from Ancient China that’s used in the Japanese language. Hayes later had it translated and adapted the folktale for publication in English.
“I took the story to a friend at the Japan Center of Middle Tennessee State University … (who) roughly translated the story into English. Then, I researched Japanese folktales so that the retelling would maintain the flavor of a Japanese folktale,” she explained.
Lesson in Children's Folktale Transcends Language Barriers
It was at this point, Hayes added, that she decided the story should begin and end with a haiku poem—a style of poetry that originated in Japan and is always about nature. Thus, Hayes’ adaptation of The Split Tongue Sparrow creatively infuses such well-thought personal touches, including a version of the folktale in Kanji, its native voice, at the close of the title’s English version.
Although illustrator Dawson’s handiwork is immediately eye-catching, author Hayes subtle and steadfast devotion to capturing the simplistic but enduring beauty of the sparrow’s tale is equally impressive, making her first published children’s book a well-researched, heirloom-quality addition to any child’s home library.
The Split Tongue Sparrow: a traditional Japanese folktale (ISBN 978-0-9800285-1-5), $14 per copy, is available from its publisher or via amazon.com.
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Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
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