The Warrior and the Wise Man - Softcover

Wisniewski, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0688161596 ISBN 13: 9780688161590

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

Synopsis

The emperor sets a nearly impossible task to decide which of his two sons should next rule Japan. Is Tozaemon brave enough to seize the five eternal elements from the demons that guard them -- and is Toemon wise enough to know how to use the elements once he has them?

About this title

About the Author:

David Wisniewski passed away in his sleep, from an unknown illness, on September 11, 2002. Born in 1953, he had all-too-brief a life and leaves behind his lovely wife, Donna, and their two children, Ariana and Alexander. 

Just this week David had seen the finished books for Halloweenies, and he was so happy with how it turned out.  

He will, of course, be remembered as the 1997 Caldecott Medalist for his 6th book, The Golem. But perhaps even more, he'll be known for his off-beat postmodern humor, seen in Tough Cookie, The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups, and Halloweenies. Everyone who knew him loved his wit and his vibrancy; he was also quite an inspirational speaker. We will miss him.  

 

In His Own Words:

My mom taught me to draw in first grade. Nothing fancy. Just how to put circles and ovals together for form "bubble men." It was a wonderful introduction to drawing and a terrific gateway to action and proportion. But third grade, I was one of the class artists.

That's when I started reading comic books, especialy the Marvel superheroes created by Stan Lee. My sketchpads became full of The Fantastic Four, Spider-man, The Mighty Thor, and X-Men. Comic books were also my first introduction to dynamic storytelling. Nothing's more dramatic than colossal struggles between good and evil with entire galaxies at stake!

This enthusiasm led directly to Classic Comics, simplified versions of fantasy masterpieces like Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds. It wasn't long before I became an avid reader, willing to tackle the work of Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and A.E. van Vogt.

During high school I became interested in the performing arts as well as the visual When I couldn't afford more than one semester of college, I signed up for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. After training for two months, I clowned with Ringling for two seasons (1973-74), then performed with the country's largest tent show, Circus Vargas, in 1975.

After the circus, I was hired by my future wife, Donna, to perform with a puppet theatre. We married in 1976 and started our own company, Clarion Shadow Theatre, in 1980. Shadow puppetry was our specialty, wherein flat, jointed figures move against a screen illuminated with rear-projected scenery. Although I didn't know it at the time, shadow puppetry trained me to do picture books. Cutting out shadow puppets and projected scenery taught me how to use an X-Acto knife. The shadow screen was the same shape as an open book. Adapting legends and folktales into scripts taught me how to write.

When our chidren - Ariana and Alexander - were born, touring became impossible, so I adapted my cutting skills to illustration. After four years of freelancing for newspapers and magazines, I created my first picture book. The Warrior and the Wise Man (1989) looks very much like a shadow puppet play.

My cut-paper style matured with ensuing books. I learned to construct more detailed people and scenery, plus how to layer the artwork, creating the shadows that give depth to the pages. Happily, my books have been well received, culminating in the 1997 Caldecott Medal for Golem.

After six epic adventures, I wanted to try something comedic that would draw on my circus and puppet theatre experience. The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups was the result, a silly conspiracy spoof about the real reasons why parents tell kids to do things.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- An original tale based on the warrior/wise man theme. Wisniewski's research into Japanese art, culture, and religious history is revealed in the details of the illustrations. And what illustrations they are! The exquisite fine lines and perception of depth truly add new dimension to the art of paper cutting. Bold black silhouettes and multiple tones of basic earth hues accentuate these qualities and create the sense of looking into a panoramic box. The tactile quality of the work is such that one can almost feel the sharpness of the paper's edge. At the same time, these pages reflect power and a luminous quality reminiscent of a film cell. There is both continuity and dramatic contrast from page to page as seen in the color shifts from one scene to the next. On first glance it appears that very different palettes were used for different pages, but a closer look reveals that the dominant colors in some spreads had highlighted previous pages. The first double-page spread captures the essence of dramatic contrast as the warrior brother is pictured in an actively charged pose on one side and the wise brother in a quietly serene one on the other. A large tree between ties these scenes together and symbolizes the strength of the twins' relationship, which is also one of the strengths of this story. Although wrong-headed, the warrior brother is not portrayed as thoroughly evil; thus the bond between the brothers can be maintained, and finally they can live together in wisdom and harmony. A brilliant first book. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0688161596
• ISBN 13: 9780688161590
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32