Almost Nothing, Yet Everything - by Hiroshi Osada (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>Artist RyMji Arai and poet Hiroshi Osada, the Japanese team behind critically acclaimed Every Color of Light, offer up another meditation on the natural world in this ode to water. A lyrical moment between parent and child in a boat on a river unfolds into an examination of the water that surrounds them, and the nature and life sustained by it: "It's only oxygen and hydrogen. Simple as could be, and yet nothing means more to life as we know it." Arai's lush art and Osada's evocative poetry, beautifully translated from Japanese by David Boyd, work together to enchant readers and refresh their spirit, opening their eyes to the wonders of water, the universe, and life.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b>Existing in myriad forms, containing multitudes in its reflection, and coursing through each and every one of us, water sustains the world around us--and life itself.</b><p><br></p><p>Artist Ryōji Arai and poet Hiroshi Osada, the Japanese team behind critically acclaimed <i>Every Color of Light</i>, offer up another meditation on the natural world in this ode to water. A lyrical moment between parent and child in a boat on a river unfolds into an examination of the water that surrounds them, and the nature and life sustained by it: "It's only oxygen and hydrogen. Simple as could be, and yet nothing means more to life as we know it." </p><p><br></p><p>Arai's lush art and Osada's evocative poetry, beautifully translated from Japanese by David Boyd, work together to enchant readers and refresh their spirit, opening their eyes to the wonders of water, the universe, and life.</p><p></p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p><b>Praise for <i>Every Color of Light</i> (A <i>Publishers Weekly</i> Best Picture Book of 2020, <i>Kirkus</i> Best Book of 2020, and <i>Shelf Awareness</i> Best Children's Book of 2020)</b><br> <p/> "In a strong translation by Boyd, a Japanese team captures the magic of a summer rainstorm. Working in thick, dense strokes, Arai (<i>What What What?</i>) creates a lake surrounded by foliage whose colors range from spring green to spruce blue. Employing landscapes in lieu of human or animal characters, Osada and Arai ask readers to look--really look--at the rain, the way the changing weather transforms the visible spectrum, and the magnificence of the night sky, phenomena all too often unseen in a hurry-up world. The result is a story that sharpens the senses and quiets the soul." <b>--STARRED REVIEW, <i>Publishers Weekly</i></b><br> <p/> "Osada's sensory text is written in a satisfyingly economical and precise manner. Sprinkled throughout the text is punchy, onomatopoeic language, such as 'boom, bah-bah-BOOM!' for thunder. Arai's lush, atmospheric landscape art is remarkably textured, with what appear to be scratches in the art for the driving rain. Appropriately, the palette is the star of the show; readers see every mood of Mother Nature and her corresponding colors: all shades of green imaginable; warm pastel shades of light filling the sky; vivid, golden, post-rain hues. There's a subtle moment of whimsy when 'stars... share their stories, ' and readers see small shapes in the night sky (a squirrel, a saxophone). Colors fade with the children listening: 'We're all / falling / ... / soundly / ... / asleep....' Simply spectacular." <b>--STARRED REVIEW, <i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br> <br></b><br> "Mindfulness, spectacle and awe emanate from every page of this breathtaking collaboration. Arai's forceful use of color and line tell as much of the story as Osada's punctuation-less text loaded with illuminating figurative language. Kudos to David Boyd, who translated this 2011 picture book from the Japanese, for text that sounds as melodic as Osada's original poetry must be. All three contributors express a respect for nature's strength, resilience and beauty. Rain or shine, <i>Every Color of Light</i> is a cleansing breath of fresh air." <b>--STARRED REVIEW, <i>Shelf Awareness</i></b><br> <p/> "The life-affirming splendor of the spectrum within and without is what Japanese poet and picture-book author Hiroshi Osada and artist Ryōji Arai celebrate in <i>Every Color of Light: A Book about the Sky</i>, translated by David Boyd -- a tender serenade to the elements that unspools into a lullaby, inviting ecstatic wakefulness to the fulness of life, inviting a serene surrender to slumber... Arai's almost synesthetic art -- radiating more than color, radiating sound, a kind of buzzing aliveness -- only amplifies this sense of consolation in the drama of the elements, this sense of change as a portal not to terror but to transcendent serenity." <b>--Maria Popova, <i>Brain Pickings</i><br> <br></b><br> "An exquisite picture book for children ages 4-7 written by Hiroshi Osada and translated from the Japanese by David Boyd. Ryōji Arai's artwork has a spacious, distempered, breathless feel... Poised and lovely, the language and images here combine to awaken the reader's awareness of fugitive moments of natural beauty." <b>--<i>Wall Street Journal</i></b></p><br><br><p>★ "In a spare text, this Japanese import explores the functions, properties, and inherent contradictions of water. Two small humans leave home and set out in a rowboat. Water, reads the narration of this follow-up to <i>Every Color of Light</i> (2020), is 'only oxygen and hydrogen, simple as can be, ' yet it sustains life. This statement is accompanied by a full-bleed spread in which readers see the two humans row along a wave of stars next to the Earth. Water, however, is also paradoxical in nature: 'It has no color, but can be any color, ' for instance. It has no shape but can take on various shapes, and you can touch it but not actually hold it. The musings are sometimes metaphorical ('like the mother of us all, it creates life') and often ethereal. In a dramatic shift in tone, the narration then states: 'It is the pee of life.' Here, the voice, which has hitherto spoken of you and we, shifts to a first-person-singular one, and the narrator acknowledges a child asking if water is the 'pee-pee of the gods.' (This will undoubtedly delight the youngest of readers.) Dense textures, a palette with a stunning use of light, and panoramic landscapes establish a sweeping, grandiose tone that pays its respects to Mother Nature. Resplendent yellows and rich shades of blues and greens are the stars of the show. The book closes on a metafictive note: After referencing the child who asks about gods, the narrator states on the final page: 'And then, I wrote this poem.' Wondrous." <b>--STARRED REVIEW, <i>Kirkus</i></b></p><p><i><br></i></p><em>"</em>Translated from the original Japanese, this picture book is beautifully poetic. It looks at the many aspects of water through the eyes of a child who is interacting with it on a journey along the river. The ending of the book adds a child's question about whether water is the pee-pee of the gods. After such a lyrical poem, the question is marvelous in its honesty, simplicity and wonder... Arai's illustrations are exceptional. Filled with the beauty of water, they capture it both in its impact on landscapes and as it flows through one's fingers. The large landscapes are deep green and dramatic while the close ups are personal and capture small moments of discovery. The combination of the two make the importance of water in our lives clear. Another winning elemental picture book from Japan." <b>--Tasha Saecker, <em>Waking Brain Cells</em> </b></p><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Hiroshi Osada</b> debuted as a poet with <i>This Journey</i>. In 2000, his first collaboration with Ryōji Arai, <i>A Forest Picture Book</i>, earned the Kōdansha Publishing Culture Award for Children's Literature.<p><b><br></b></p><p><b>Ryōji Arai</b> was born in Yamagata, Japan, in 1956. He has an illustrative style all of his own: bold, mischievous and unpredictable. Arai studied art at Nippon University. His art is at once genuine and truly poetic, encouraging children to paint and to tell their own stories. He took the Japanese picture-book world by storm in the 1990s. Since then, he has one multiple awards, including the international Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005.<br></p>
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