The Inch-High Samurai (Children's Classics Ser., No. 4)

McCarthy, Ralph F.

ISBN 10: 4770017588 / ISBN 13: 9784770017581

Published by Kodansha America, Incorporated, New York, NY, U.S.A., 1993

About this Item

47 pages. Colorful pictorial laminated covers. Previous child-owner's name in red on front endpaper. Library pocket on back endpaper. There is no other evidence that this book was ever read or opened otherwise. The brave little boy who sailed to the Capital in a teacup and fought a demon with a needle to win the love of a Lady is a Japanese cousin to Tom Thumb. Kasamatsu's decorative and dynamic illustrations, painted over half a century ago, brilliantly depict the tiny samurai's adventures and their surprising and romantic conclusion. Writer, translator, and lyricist Ralpy McCarthy's witty verse retelling of the rollicking tale begs to be read aloud.

Seller Inventory # 6408

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Inch-High Samurai (Children's Classics Ser., No. 4)
• Publisher: Kodansha America, Incorporated, New York, NY, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 4770017588
• ISBN 13: 9784770017581
• Binding: Hard Back
• Illustrator: Kasamatsu, Shiro (illustrator)
• Edition: First Edition First Printing Stated
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

When a young man only one inch high saves a princess from a demon, his one greatest wish is granted

Reviews

One of three titles published this fall from Kodansha's series of classic Japanese folktales ( Grandfather Cherry-Blossom and The Moon Princess are the others), this story of a childless couple who gives birth to a tiny boy ("no bigger than your toe") will captivate readers. Inchy Bo may be small of stature, but he has courage to spare and, determined to become a samurai, sets off in a rice bowl (with a chopstick for an oar, of course) to seek his fortune. Hired to serve as bodyguard for the lovely Lady Haru ("So cute!" she said. "And yet, so brave!"), Inchy soon proves his worth, rescuing first a poem his charge has written that falls into the goldfish pond, and later vanquishing a monster many times his size. Transformed to the height of a man by a magic mallet, our hero wins the hand of his beloved and lives happily ever after. Retold by McCarthy in droll, boisterous verse, this tale features many of the common themes running through Western fairy tales, yet retains a uniquely Japanese flavor. The artwork (reproductions from Japan's golden age of illustration) is in the classic tradition--formal, stylized and as graceful as cherry blossoms in springtime. The series will be a worthy addition to the multicultural bookshelf. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-8. Inchy Bo is a Japanese cousin of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, a tiny person who refuses to let his diminutive size keep him from performing mighty deeds. Inchy Bo leaves his loving parents and tiny village and uses a chopstick to propel his rice-bowl boat upstream to the capital, where he enters a great estate and boldly applies for work. As a bodyguard for the lord's daughter, Lady Haru, he wins her admiration and her heart. When he bravely battles and beats a mighty ogre, the monster drops a magic mallet. Lady Haru holds it and wishes, "May Inchy Bo no more be small! / Brave Inchy Bo, be tall! Be tall! / And, sure enough, he started / sprouting up before her eyes." Naturally, the two marry, he takes his bride home to meet his delighted parents, and they all live happily ever after. McCarthy's octaves, with their unusual rhyme scheme, retell the old folktale delightfully, while Kasamatsu's paintings, executed more than 50 years ago, completely fill the pages with exquisite color and movement. Sheilamae 0'Hara