New Releases by Allen Say

Miss Irwin is a luminous and heartwarming story about the importance of capturing the light of precious memories before all is forgotten, from Caldecott Medalist Allen Say. As a young woman, Miss Irwin was a kindergarten teacher who loved introducing the world of discovery to her students. As a grandmother, she often reflects on her wonderful days exploring with her students. When her grandson asks her about a mysterious box on the shelf, she gets lost in memory and her mind transports her back in time to when she was Miss Irwin. At first her grandson is confused, but remembers his grandmother's forgetfulness and plays along as the student who made the bird's nest inside the white box. Allen Say's breathtaking artwork and emotionally powerful and thoughtful text gently weave a touching story about memory and family. Together, the grandmother and grandson rejoice in the meaning and beauty of memory before all is lost. Miss Irwin helps readers of all ages better understand and interact with loved ones who are experiencing memory loss. AUTHOR'S NOTE The teachers I loved and admired are figures of light in my memory. Miss Irwin is especially luminous. She was my daughter's kindergarten teacher. The children's words and drawings and dancing made her blush with excitement. And by trying to keep her blushing, the children learned the astonishment of discovering. I hope she will forgive me for casting her as a forgetful grandmother in this story -- it's an attempt to capture her light before all is forgotten. -- Allen Say Alzheimer's changes the lives of everyone it touches.​ You are not alone. When a friend or family member has Alzheimer's disease, you may feel upset, confused or scared. Some people with early-stage Alzheimer's may forget words or not remember your name from time to time. But, when you spend time with people with late-stage Alzheimer's, it is easy to see that something serious is going on. People with Alzheimer's disease are not acting like this because they don't care about you. Changes deep inside their brains are destroying the centers that control remembering, thinking, and feeling. Learning about Alzheimer's disease can help you understand what to expect and how to connect with the person you care about. -- Alzheimer’s Association

Almond is a breathtaking and evocative story about finding your talent from Caldecott Medalist Allen Say. Everything changes for Almond Biggs when a new girl comes to school. The New Girl can play "The Flight of the Bumblebee" fast fast fast on her violin. And every day Almond sits and listens. Lost in the music, Almond wonders if she has her own unique gift. One special day, as Almond is watching the crows, circling and twirling in the wind, she realizes that she too can spread her wings and discovers the magic to being happy inside and out. Allen Say's luminous artwork and emotionally powerful story help children discover the wondrous gift of being who they are.

Caldecott Medal winner Allen Say brings his lavish illustrations and hybrid narrative and artistic styles to the story of artist James Castle. James Castle was born two months premature on September 25, 1899, on a farm in Garden Valley, Idaho. He was deaf, mute, autistic, and probably dyslexic. He didn't walk until he was four; he would never learn to speak, write, read, or use sign language.Yet, today Castle's artwork hangs in major museums throughout the world. The Philadelphia Museum of Art opened "James Castle: A Retrospective" in 2008. The 2013 Venice Biennale included eleven works by Castle in the feature exhibition "The Encyclopedic Palace." And his reputation continues to grow.Caldecott Medal winner Allen Say, author of the acclaimed memoir Drawing from Memory, takes readers through an imagined look at Castle's childhood, allows them to experience his emergence as an artist despite the overwhelming difficulties he faced, and ultimately reveals the triumphs that he would go on toachieve.

Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during WWII, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist DRAWING FROM MEMORY is Allen Say's own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn't understand his son's artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his "spiritual father." As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained--and ultimately came to understand who he really is. Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history, DRAWING FROM MEMORY presents a complex look at the real-life relationship between a mentor and his student. With watercolor paintings, original cartoons, vintage photographs, and maps, Allen Say has created a book that will inspire the artist in all of us.

In this Caldecott Medal–winning picture book, master storyteller Allen Say chronicles his family’s history between Japan and California. A lyrical, breathtaking tale of one man’s love for two countries, Grandfather’s Journey is perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Thank You, Omu! Through pensive portraits and delicately faded art, Allen Say pays tribute to his grandfather’s persistent longing for home that continues within Allen. This restlessness and constant desire to be in two places speaks to a universal experience as well as the deeply personal ties of family to place, and what it means to be at home in more than one country. Both a celebration of heritage and a poignant exploration of the struggles we inherit, Grandfather’s Journey is a modern classic perfect for every household.

As a young Japanese boy recovers from a bad chill, his mother busily folds origami paper into delicate silver cranes in preparation for the boy's very first Christmas. Perfect for holiday storytime and family reading Filled with joy, wonder, and the spirit of the season A delightful Christmas gift for readers everywhere

Caldecott Medalist Allen Say creates a beautiful story about an American girl who seeks adventure in Japan and discovers more than she could have imagined. In her grandmother’s house there is one Japanese print of a small house with lighted windows. Even as a small girl, Erika loved that picture. It will pull her through childhood, across vast oceans and modern cities, then into towns—older, quieter places—she has only ever dreamed about. But Erika cannot truly know what she will find there, among the rocky seacoasts, the rice paddies, the circle of mountains, and the class of children. For Erika-san, can Japan be all that she has imagined?

Thirteen-year-old Kiyoi, an apprentice to the famous cartoonist, Noro Shinpei, tries to develop his talent and become self-reliant, in this novel based upon the author's own boyhood in Japan.

The Kamishibai man used to ride his bicycle into town where he would tell stories to the children and sell them candy, but gradually, fewer and fewer children came running at the sound of his clappers. They were all watching their new televisions instead. Finally, only one boy remained, and he had no money for candy. Years later, the Kamishibai man and his wife made another batch of candy, and he pedaled into town to tell one more story—his own. When he comes out of the reverie of his memories, he looks around to see he is surrounded by familiar faces—the children he used to entertain have returned, all grown up and more eager than ever to listen to his delightful tales. Using two very different yet remarkable styles of art, Allen Say tells a tale within a tale, transporting readers seamlessly to the Japan of his memories.

In a story of warmth and surprise, Allen Say explores the origins of artistic inspiration. Elegant illustrations portray the journey of a child who discovers that creativity ultimately comes from within.

In dreamlike sequences, a man symbolically confronts the trauma of his family’s incarceration in the Japanese internment camps during World War II. This infamous event is made emotionally clear through his meeting a group of children all with strange name tags pinned to their coats. The man feels the helplessness of the children. Finally, desperately he releases the name tags like birds into the air to find their way home with the hope for a time when Americans will be seen as one people—not judged, mistrusted, or segregated because of their individual heritage. Sixty years after thousands of Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned, the cogent prose and haunting paintings of renowned author and illustrator Allen Say remind readers of a dark chapter in America’s history.

In his Caldecott acceptance speech for GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, Allen Say told of his difficulty in separating his dreams from reality. For him this separation was not as important as finding a meaning behind the contradictions and choices we all must make in life and their consequences. Early one morning a boy comes into town, hungry, and looking for work. He meets a sign painter who takes him on as a helper. The boy yearns to be a painter. The man offers him security. The two are commissioned to paint a series of billboards in the desert. Each billboard has one word, Arrowstar. They do not know its meaning. As they are about to paint the last sign, the boy looks up and sees in the distance a magnificent structure. Is it real? They go to find out. Through a simple text and extraordinary paintings, the reader learns of the temptation of safe choices and the uncertainties of following a personal dream. Here Allen Say tells a haunting and provocative story of dreams and choices for readers of all ages.

After growing up near San Francisco, a young Japanese woman returns with her parents to their native Japan, but she feels foreign and out of place.

A true story of Billy Wong, the first Chinese bullfighter.

When a young Asian-American boy who spends all of his time skateboarding wakes up one morning with the face of an old man, he has trouble convincing people that he is still himself.

Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Allen Say gives us a poignant acount of a family's unique cross-cultural experience. He warmly conveys his own love for his two countries, and the strong and constant desire to be in both places at once.

A little boy takes a fantasy trip up the river by his house to fly-fish with his uncle.

Luke and his father, who is disgusted by the tourists surrounding the once secluded lake of his childhood, hike deeper into the wilderness to find a "lost lake" of their own.

The amazing tricks two American soldiers perform on a borrowed bicycle are a fitting finale for the school sports day festivities in a small village in occupied Japan.