Japanese Nursery Rhymes

About this book

This book is a collection of nursery rhymes compiled by the famous Japanese painter Akabane Suekichi, the first Asian winner of the International Andersen Illustration Award. With a heart of innocence, Suekichi Akabane selected 30 from more than 20,000 traditional Japanese nursery rhymes, and drew illustrations for each of them. Most of the selected nursery rhymes are based on traditional Japanese folk games for children. The picture is drawn by Suyoshi Akabane using traditional Japanese painting methods. The style of painting is innocent, childish, old-fashioned, full, and delicate, bright, warm, and powerful. The childishness of nursery rhymes and the clumsy illustrations of Japanese style complement each other. The simple principles of Japanese classic folk songs are planted in the children's hearts, and the extraordinary art is also used to subtly influence the children's aesthetics.