The Samurai's Daughter - Hardcover

San Souci, Robert D.

3.73

66 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803711352 ISBN 13: 9780803711358

Publisher: Dial, 1992

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A Japanese folk tale about the brave daughter of a samurai warrior and her journey to be reunited with her exiled father

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From Publishers Weekly:

Illustrations of shimmering delicacy highlight this imagistic retelling of a Japanese legend. Tokoyo is the teenage daughter of a samurai in medieval Japan. When her beloved father is banished to a distant island by a deranged ruler, the resolute girl sets out to find him. San Souci's ( The Talking Eggs ) account of her arduous pilgrimage is told in the lilting, often haunting, style of ancient oral narrative and is filled with such potent images as the caged cricket that sustains Tokoyo in her travels and the ghostly warship that washes over her as she rows on the open sea. But the telling, which consists almost entirely of exposition, ultimately has a somewhat flat quality. In discrete scenes, the brave heroine climbs mountains, crosses the ocean and--in the tale's rather abrupt ending--battles a writhing sea serpent to save her father, but she nonetheless fails to become a deep or involving character. Johnson's pastel paintings, in jewel-like tones of sea green and violet, create considerable atmosphere. Readers watch Tokoyo come fully to life in her underwater world, whether she is swimming happily amid a school of iridescent fish or savaging the coiled white serpent, dagger poised, her lush black hair swirling around her. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Tokoyo, daughter of a loyal samurai in 13th-century Japan, sets off on a perilous journey to be reunited with her unjustly exiled father. En route, she slays a sea serpent and, by sheer serendipity, lifts the curse that has caused the paranoia of the supreme ruler. Her father is restored to favor, suitably rewarded, and both return home to enjoy ``peace and prosperity for the rest of their lives.'' San Souci's retelling of this Kamakura Period folktale is smooth, lively, and makes a resonant read-aloud. Johnson's pastel and ink illustrations capture authentic small details yet remain dreamily impressionistic. Pictures match the text well, although Tokoyo is often depicted in overly melodramatic poses that may detract from one-on-one reading, but become quite effective at a distance for group sharing. The strong, independent female protagonist will inspire many admirers. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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