The Crane Wife - Hardcover

Bodkin, Odds

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152014071 ISBN 13: 9780152014070

Publisher: Thomson Learning, 1998

Synopsis

A haunting retelling of a Japanese tale, magnificently illustrated by the award-winning artist Gennady Spirin. When Osamu, a lonely sail maker, nurses an injured crane one blustery night, he never suspects that this simple act of kindness will change his life forever. Weeks later a mysterious woman arrives on his doorstep, seeking shelter from a storm. Osamu again offers his help, and soon the sail maker and the stranger fall in love and marry. But when he learns of his wife's gift for making magic sails, ambition replaces compassion - and Osamu risks losing the great happiness he has found.

About this title

Review:

With stunning paintings by award-winning illustrator Gennady Spirin, this classic Japanese folktale gently explores the nature of love, promises, and betrayal. Osamu was a sail maker who lived high above the sea. "As he pulled the warp and weft of his sail together, he would often think to himself: " How beautiful the cranes are. Of all the birds, they are the most like sails. It is as if the wind is held in their wings." One blustery night, a large crane crashes into Osamu's door and lies stunned on his porch. The lonely sail maker nurses it back to health and watches the graceful bird soar away. When this crane returns to Osamu's door in the disguise of a beautiful young woman, the drama really begins. They fall in love, and marry, but there comes a time when there is no longer food for them to eat. Yukiko tells her husband that she can make a magic sail for him to sell in the village, but that he must promise never to look at her while she is making it, and later, that he must never expect her to make another one. Both promises are broken, and in the end, Osamu never sees her again: "He wove simple sails for the rest of his years, there at his window, gazing at the marsh and the white cranes. And each autumn, in the season of storms, he waited for a knock on his door". Spirin's moody, intricate watercolour illustrations evoke medieval Japan, and perfectly complement the spare, poetic prose of Odds Bodkin's skillful retelling. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson, Amazon.com

Review:

"A poetic gem...Exquisite and memorable."--"Kirkus Reviews

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomson Learning
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0152014071
• ISBN 13: 9780152014070
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32