Inch-High Samurai

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

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. (Oct.)

Sheilamae

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.