I. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Say, Allen. 1991. TREE OF CRANES. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 039552024X
II. SUMMARY
TREE OF CRANES is the story of a young boy in Japan celebrating his first Christmas. His mother makes origami cranes and brings a tree from outside to decorate. She tells her son about the Christmas’s she remembers from when she lived in America as a child. The boy goes to sleep and wakes to find a present under his tree for his first Christmas celebration.
III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say’s TREE OF CRANES is a unique story about a Japanese boy learning about the American Christmas holiday from his mother, who was raised in America. The story builds as the boy first thinks his mother is upset at him because he got wet at a neighbor’s pond. Because it is cold outside, he knows he should not have been at the pond. His mother sends him to bed, but he still worries because she is acting strange. Finally, she brings a tree into his room and explains why she has been acting weird. She is remembering her Christmas celebrations as a child in “Ca-li-for-ni-a.” She goes on to explain the traditions of an American Christmas. This story is unique for Americans, because it is from the perspective of an “outsider.”
Some of the cultural markers Say includes in the text of this story include the description of the folding of the cranes. In Japanese culture, it is believed that if you fold a thousand cranes and make a wish, it will come true. Say also describes traditional foods such as rice gruel served with a sour plum and yellow radishes. As the story progresses, and they boy learns about Christmas, he describes to his mother what he would like for a gift. He would like a samurai kite. This is another cultural marker in the story.
Say’s beautiful watercolor illustrations add to the story, depicting the events of the narrative. There are many cultural markers within the illustrations. Some of them include the clothing the characters are wearing, which are representative of tradition Japanese clothes. The characters do not wear shoes inside, which is a custom in Japan. The faces of the characters are authentic representations of Japanese people. They are not exaggerated or “yellow,” which adds to the authenticity of the work as a whole.
Overall, this is an interesting, unique story about an American Christmas celebrated in another country. The illustrations are representative of Japanese architecture and styles, with straight lines and subtle coloring. The story is not dramatic or particularly compelling, but Say does a good job of bringing a distinctive perspective to life in this picture book.
IV. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son. Say (The Bicycle Man; El Chino), who came to this country from Japan when he was a teenager, again exhibits a laudable sensitivity to Eastern and Western cultures--and to both the differences and the similarities between them.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“Say's exquisitely designed illustrations are as elegant as those for The Boy of the Three-Year Nap (1988, Caldecott Honor). Geometric forms in the austere Japanese architecture provide a serene background for softer lines defining the appealing little boy and his pensive mother.”—Kirkus Reviews
V. CONNECTIONS
**Share in a Christmas storytime. Have students make origami paper cranes as an ornament.
Say, Allen. 1991. TREE OF CRANES. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 039552024X
II. SUMMARY
TREE OF CRANES is the story of a young boy in Japan celebrating his first Christmas. His mother makes origami cranes and brings a tree from outside to decorate. She tells her son about the Christmas’s she remembers from when she lived in America as a child. The boy goes to sleep and wakes to find a present under his tree for his first Christmas celebration.
III. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say’s TREE OF CRANES is a unique story about a Japanese boy learning about the American Christmas holiday from his mother, who was raised in America. The story builds as the boy first thinks his mother is upset at him because he got wet at a neighbor’s pond. Because it is cold outside, he knows he should not have been at the pond. His mother sends him to bed, but he still worries because she is acting strange. Finally, she brings a tree into his room and explains why she has been acting weird. She is remembering her Christmas celebrations as a child in “Ca-li-for-ni-a.” She goes on to explain the traditions of an American Christmas. This story is unique for Americans, because it is from the perspective of an “outsider.”
Some of the cultural markers Say includes in the text of this story include the description of the folding of the cranes. In Japanese culture, it is believed that if you fold a thousand cranes and make a wish, it will come true. Say also describes traditional foods such as rice gruel served with a sour plum and yellow radishes. As the story progresses, and they boy learns about Christmas, he describes to his mother what he would like for a gift. He would like a samurai kite. This is another cultural marker in the story.
Say’s beautiful watercolor illustrations add to the story, depicting the events of the narrative. There are many cultural markers within the illustrations. Some of them include the clothing the characters are wearing, which are representative of tradition Japanese clothes. The characters do not wear shoes inside, which is a custom in Japan. The faces of the characters are authentic representations of Japanese people. They are not exaggerated or “yellow,” which adds to the authenticity of the work as a whole.
Overall, this is an interesting, unique story about an American Christmas celebrated in another country. The illustrations are representative of Japanese architecture and styles, with straight lines and subtle coloring. The story is not dramatic or particularly compelling, but Say does a good job of bringing a distinctive perspective to life in this picture book.
IV. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“The story is a poignant one, illuminated with finely drawn illustrations reflecting the serenity of a Japanese home and the quiet love between mother and son. Say (The Bicycle Man; El Chino), who came to this country from Japan when he was a teenager, again exhibits a laudable sensitivity to Eastern and Western cultures--and to both the differences and the similarities between them.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“Say's exquisitely designed illustrations are as elegant as those for The Boy of the Three-Year Nap (1988, Caldecott Honor). Geometric forms in the austere Japanese architecture provide a serene background for softer lines defining the appealing little boy and his pensive mother.”—Kirkus Reviews
V. CONNECTIONS
**Share in a Christmas storytime. Have students make origami paper cranes as an ornament.
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