Status
Check shelf
Call number
Publication
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (2008), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 40 pages
Description
This is the true story of a determined and resourceful young man whose intimate knowledge of two cultures later led him to play an important role in the opening of Japan to Western trade and ideas.
Local notes
1411-079
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
In this engaging picture-book biography of Manjiro, a ship-wrecked young Japanese fisherman who was rescued by an American whaling ship, became the first Japanese person to visit the United States, and played an instrumental role in the opening of Japan to the western world in the nineteenth
Educational without being didactic, Manjiro: The Boy Who Risked His Life for Two Countries is the best kind of biography: one that entertains while also imparting information. What an extraordinary life this man had, going from a humble fisherman in Japan, to an educated adopted son in America, and then back again to Japan, where he ended up becoming a samurai. McCully's narrative is engaging, and her artwork appealing, making this a book I would recommend to young readers with an interest in Japanese and/or American history, or in sea-faring yarns. It is rather text-heavy for a picture-book, so I think it's probably best suited for upper elementary school students and above.
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century, Emily Arnold McCully manages to capture the excitement of an incredible life's journey. Many important historical themes are introduced, from the self-imposed isolation of Japan to the importance of whaling to the New England economy, although the narrative stays firmly fixed on Manjiro, his new life in the west, and his longing to return home, despite the danger to his life, as someone who has (however accidentally) defied the shoganate's ban on contact with the outside world...Educational without being didactic, Manjiro: The Boy Who Risked His Life for Two Countries is the best kind of biography: one that entertains while also imparting information. What an extraordinary life this man had, going from a humble fisherman in Japan, to an educated adopted son in America, and then back again to Japan, where he ended up becoming a samurai. McCully's narrative is engaging, and her artwork appealing, making this a book I would recommend to young readers with an interest in Japanese and/or American history, or in sea-faring yarns. It is rather text-heavy for a picture-book, so I think it's probably best suited for upper elementary school students and above.
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LibraryThing member LisaMcG
2P
"Manjiro cut branches from a cherry tree and took them to school. He explained to the teacher that he was observing the cherry blossom festival celebrated in Japan."
"Manjiro cut branches from a cherry tree and took them to school. He explained to the teacher that he was observing the cherry blossom festival celebrated in Japan."
LibraryThing member BrennonJ
Informative non-fiction children's book. Tells the story of an unlikely boy-adventurer and outlines the cultural differences between America and Japan during the middle and end of the 19th century. The book is well illustrated and provides young readers with geographic understanding of locations at
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separate ends of the world. Show Less
Language
Physical description
40 p.; 12.1 inches
ISBN
0374347921 / 9780374347925