Allen Say's Under the Cherry Blossom Tree is a fun retelling of a traditional Japanese tale about a grumpy old landlord who is constantly raising the rent and saying bah! to the villagers. If Ebenezer Scrooge had a Japanese cousin, the landlord would be him! The tale reads in a steady cadence, unfolding a plot filled with surprise turns and twists sure to awaken young imaginations. The landlord accidentally swallows a cherry pit one day, and a tree is growing from the top of his head by morning! The pictures are large sketches filled with shading and details subtly revealing elements of Japanese culture in the scenes, such as the characters' clothing, the bamboo houses, sleeping mats on the floor, bento boxes and chopsticks, and of course prevalent cherry blossoms. An introductory page explains the history and meaning of this story in Japanese culture, including some Japanese words for you and your little one to practice together.
As this book covers a tale your child will likely not be familiar with, they are bound to have lots of questions. They may want to know what a cherry blossom is, if a tree will really grow out of your head if you swallow a cherry pit, what the characters are wearing, or what 'carp' means. Humor is an element that spans generations and cultures, and there is plenty of it in Under the Cherry Blossom Tree. For instance, after the landlord gets fed up with the tree growing out of his head and pulls it out by the roots, he wakes up the next morning and say, Humm...a hole, and it's empty. No wonder I felt light-headed last night. The image of the young village boys trying to fish out of the hole in the landlord's head while he naps may also evoke some giggles from young readers.
A few days after I'd read this book to my friend, Molly, her mom told me that Molly was eating her afternoon snack, a fruit mix, and gasped when she swallowed a watermelon seed. Molly's mom said she was worried a watermelon would start growing in her now! Its been long enough that Molly finally believes us that no watermelon is growing inside her, but I've noticed her checking food scrupulously for seeds before eating these days.
--Audra