Culture 5 - Tree of Cranes

A. Bibliography

Say, Allen. 1991. Tree of Cranes. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 039552024x.

B. Plot Summary

The story takes place in December 25th in Japan. The story opens to a young boy playing near a neighbor's pond. The reader quickly learns learns that this activity was frowned on by is mother because she feared he would fall in or become ill, which is what happened. When the young boy came home he had the chills and was warm to his mother's touch. As his mother quickly sends him to take a warm bath, the boy notices that his mother is distracted and fears she is very upset with him because he has ventured to the pond. He later learns, when his mother enters his room with a tree she dug up from the yard, what his mother has been so preoccupied with. When his mother comes into the room she explains why she has been acting "strangely" all day. "Today is a very special day in that warm place. If you happened to be there now, you would see trees like this everywhere, all decorated with winking lights and small globes of silver and gold..." His mother goes on to describe and explain that it Christmas day in California, where she came from. Then the young boy and his mother proceed to decorate the tree with beautiful origami cranes his mother has been making all day and candles. The boys goes to sleep that night telling his mother what he wishes for and in return the boy's mother express her wish that the young boy promises to never go the pond again. The next morning the young boy awakes to a samurai kite, his one wish, under the tree he and his mother decorated. The boy quickly runs outside to fly his kite only to discover that snow covers the ground and flying a kite will not happen today. So the young boy and his father make a snowman together.

C. Critical Analysis

Knowing the author's background is an important cultural maker that should be mentioned. Allen Say, both author and illustrator, was born in Yokohama, Japan. On the back cover of Tree of Cranes it states,"He apprenticed himself at age 12 to a famous cartoonist. When he was sixteen, he came to California, where he continued his art studies. he now lives in San Francisco." Being a native resident of Japan for 16 years Allen Say is well versed in Japanese culture and brings cultural authenticity to the books he writes and illustrates.

Fox and Short, authors of Stories Matter: The complexity of cultural authenticity in children's literature, state regarding the interpretation of authentic art, "The art form should serve its purpose, that is, the content of the story - helping readers visually perceive the accurate images of the characters and enriching the story with a detailed depiction of cultural reality"(2003, p.210). Tree of Cranes illustrations enhance the story by adding visual details of the characters and add to the cultural reality of the story.

The setting of this book was Japan. There are cultural markers that contribute to the culturally authenticity of this book. The cultural markers are mainly noted in the illustrations. When examining the cultural markers for the illustrations several are present. The main characters in this book are the boy and his mother. When examining the illustrations, the skin tones between both characters are different if only slightly.

The facial features, especially the eyes, are also different. The eyes do show pupils and denote facial features in the boy and the mother. The clothing is traditional Japanese clothing to the best of my knowledge of what I know about traditional Japanese dress including kimonos and sandals. The young boys outside clothes are also briefly described and beautifully illustrated on the first page of the book when he is at the pond. "When I was not old enough to wear long pants, Mama always worried that I might drown in a neighbor's pond." The watercolor illustration that accompany this brief description shows a bow bending over a stone reaching into the pond with a stick. Say dressed the boy in navy shorts, long navy socks, brown shoes, a lighter blue jacket, and a vibrant red scarf. The hair styles and textures also represent traditional Japanese hair styles and textures. The young boys hair is a dark brown color with a straight texture. The mother's hair is black and pulled back offer her face in a ponytail with three rubber bands.

When examining the architecture in the illustration a traditional Japanese home is represented. The house is built of wood with a black stone porch. Once inside it has wooden sliding doors between the rooms, wooden floors, and heavily framed windows with no coverings. The bath tub is a large wooden box.

When examining the text there are a limited number of cultural markers. Celebrations are briefly mentioned when the young boys mother ask the boy, "Do you know what today is?" "Ah... seven days before the New Year's Day." The mother agrees with the boy and then explains that today in the country where she is from it is also a day called Christmas. Say presents this knowledge regarding both celebrations in an informative, non-threatening way that introduces the readers to both culture's different celebrations.

Food is also addressed in the text. When the mother discovers the boy feels feverish and after he takes a bath the boy asks the mother to read him a story. his mother responds, "No stories. But I'll make you hot lunch." The boy replies, "I knew what that meant. rice gruel. Only sick people ate rice gruel." When his mother serves him his lunch in his room it is presented on a tray with a bowl of rice gruel, a cup of tea, a sour plum and radishes. The illustration pictures the boy eating his hot lunch with chopsticks.

Another cultural marker that should be noted is the representation of culturally pluralistic themes. The mother is explaining a custom that she used to celebrate in the California before moving to Japan. The book does not necessarily express the difficulty of cultural assimilation, but rather the mother's desire to introduce this celebration and custom to her young son who has never experiences Christmas before.

This book also presents a strong plot and characterization. The mother is determined to introduce this custom to her young son and at the same time the boy is eager to know about. The way she introduces the idea of Christmas with the tree she dug up from their yard, the origami cranes, and candles they decorate the tree with blends the two cultures seamlessly in order for the boy to understand this foreign celebration. The book closes with an illustration of the snowman sitting in the yard and a light in the young boy's house. The text states, "And like the snowman we made, many years have melted away. But I will always remember that day of peace and quiet. it was my first Christmas." This book would serve as a wonderful introduction to different celebrations and customs around the world, especially for children who have never celebrated Christmas before.

D. Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: "Heedless of Mama's warnings, a Japanese boy cannot resist playing at an ice-cold pond "filled with carp of bright colors." When he comes home, he is immediately treated for a cold, with a hot bath and rice gruel. His mother's attitude chills him more than the weather, though; he cannot understand why she seems to be ignoring him. Hearing a noise in the garden, the bot spies Mama digging up the pine tree that was planted when he was born. She brings it inside and decorates it with paper cranes and candles."

Kirkus: "Say's exquisitely designed illustrations are as elegant as those for The Boy of the Three -Year Nap (1998, 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. As in Say's other books, there is an uncompromising chill here from parent to child: it's true that the boy disobeyed, that his mother warms him and feeds him, and that they share the tree's beauty; still, her longing for "peace and quiet" seems exclusionary, and her cold uncommunicativeness while preparing the lovely tree is at odds with its message."

E. Connections

To read about more books by Allen say, please check out the following titles:

Say, Allen. Tea with Milk. ISBN 0395904951.

Say, Allen. Grandfather's Journey. ISBN 039552024x.

Say, Allen. Under the Cherry Blossom Tree: An Old Japanese Tale. ISBN 061855615x.

Say, Allen. Kamishibai Man. ISBN 0618479546.

Say, Allen, The Bicycle Man. ISBN 0395506522.

Say, Allen. Emma's Rug. ISBN 0618335234.