Synopsis: Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then
she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny
changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy -- the Prince Chagum -- on his quest to
deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea. As they
travel across the land of Yogo and discover the truth about the spirit, they
find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster Rarunga .
. . and the prince's own father. (From the online description)
Review: Having seen and greatly enjoyed the Anime, I was
delighted to find the book at a Library Book Sale. Often animes are taken from
manga but this one was taken from a book – and faithfully rendered into film.
The book brings alive in the mind this fantastic story. With a deft hand, the
author gives us the world of real and spirit clashing and the people in our
world that must fight to protect it.
While the language and vocabulary are of no particular difficulty, the subject is not simple. The author touches on the how different cultures mix, and in particular, who writes history – and why it might not always be true. This would be an excellent story to start a discussion with elementary age kids about critical analysis of historical reporting. Can you always believe the history books? How do you know what is and isn’t true? Why do people lie about history? It isn’t told in a heavy-handed moral sort of way either, but simply a presentation of the story that would lead to good thoughts and good discussion. This is also an excellent book about another culture from a non-western author. If you are looking to get kids reading non-western authors, this must be on your list! Happy Reading!
While the language and vocabulary are of no particular difficulty, the subject is not simple. The author touches on the how different cultures mix, and in particular, who writes history – and why it might not always be true. This would be an excellent story to start a discussion with elementary age kids about critical analysis of historical reporting. Can you always believe the history books? How do you know what is and isn’t true? Why do people lie about history? It isn’t told in a heavy-handed moral sort of way either, but simply a presentation of the story that would lead to good thoughts and good discussion. This is also an excellent book about another culture from a non-western author. If you are looking to get kids reading non-western authors, this must be on your list! Happy Reading!
Bookmarks: 4 of 5
Awards: Noma Children's Literature New Face Prize / Sankei
Children's Culture and Publishing Award /
English Translation was awarded the Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 2009
ISBN: 978-0-545-00542-5
Year Published: 1996 (English Trans. in 2008)
Year Published: 1996 (English Trans. in 2008)
Date Read: 8-3-2018
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