By Paula Holmes

I always find it interesting what brings joy. For me, maps have that gift. Any type, atlases, historical maps, folded maps, huge maps on floors. I am extremely partial to ones in books. Maybe my love of maps comes from a childhood of seeing the world through library books.  A map in a book, whether based on fact or fiction, brings incredible excitement as it puts me into the story, I am the navigator! A map can tell a story of a journey between two kingdoms, demonstrate the topography of a small city that was devastated by a tsunami, or describe the story of one intersection in Seoul, Korea through generations of tailors. 

The Tailor Shop at the Intersection 

Written and illustrated by Ahn Jaesun
Translated by Sora Kim-Russell
Translated from the Korean
Published by Transit Children’s Editions

I have always appreciated the detail work of a good tailor. The Tailor Shop at the Intersection is all about the little details, Ahn Jaesun gives us so much to see and think about.  Sora Kim-Russell gives us a wonderful translation. I love the line; “A single suit contains the lives of the person who makes it and the person who wears it.” That is how I feel about the author and the translator. 

The cover of the book is a suit coat being worked on by three generations of Korean tailors (all portrayed as dogs). The weave of the coat follows through on the end papers and the title page introduces the reader to a map of the intersection of the first-generation tailor. A glimpse inside the shop lets us know it is 1916. The signage on the shop gives historical clues as well. We see the shop throughout history, and at the end, a map of the current intersection of the third-generation tailor. The reader sees the shop and intersection changing. This book is not only a jumping off point for discussion on Korean history, but a celebration of craft. I am excited to see what else Transit Children’s Editions will bring to the US market.  

I must confess, I do pout a bit when there isn’t a map in a fantasy adventure. But Sachiko Kashiwaba, Yukiko Saito and Avery Fischer Udagawa do not disappoint in any way with the US publication of The House of the Lost on the Cape.

The House of the Lost on the Cape 

Written by Sachiko Kashiwaba
Illustrated by Yukiko Saito
Translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa
Translated from the Japanese
Published by Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers

I had the incredible honor of meeting Sachiko Kashiwaba and Avery Fischer Udagawa in June of 2022 in Washington, DC in celebration of the Batchelder Award for Temple Alley Summer. The greatest honor was to hear both speak at the Japanese Embassy. At that event I learned that another translation was in the works. Originally published in Japan in 2014 as a serial, The House of the Lost on the Cape, is set in Tohoku, Japan, scene of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Sachiko Kashiwaba weaves a tale of Yui, a victim of spousal abuse who is fleeing her husband, the fifth grader Hiyori who has been recently orphaned and is on her way to meet her Uncle for the first time, and Kiwa(Obāchan), on her way to move into nursing home. Three generations of women, whose lives intersect in a shelter during the disaster. I did say this was a fantasy and that starts with their move to the maiyoga on Fox Cub Cape, a house Yui and Hiyori describe as, ”straight out of a folktale.” Folktales, fantasy, and reality collide in this magical and powerful story.  

An ARC arrived when I had just started to write this blog. I am very thankful I had told the folks at Eerdmans I was writing a blog on maps, because this title checks all the boxes of joy for me!! Yes, there are maps in this book.

On the Edge of the World

Written and illustrated by Anna Desnitskaya
Translated by Lena Traer
Translated from the Russian
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

For me, the pandemic brought a period of isolation.  Friends seemed so far away, and one had to be creative to keep up. It would have been a difficult time to make a new friendship and even without a pandemic, friendships do not always come easy, so how do you make friends On the Edge of the World? The construction of this book by Anna Desnitkaya, the illustrator of The Apartment: A Century of Russian History, is a flip book with two front covers, one with Vera, who lives in Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and Lucas who lives on the coast of Chile. Both are in search of a friend. Desnitkaya keeps the reader busy exploring maps, morse code, constellations, knot tying, book recommendations, discovering the art of sekretik. Many of the pages contain an outline for where a friend would be, sharing the day. Readers will soon be wanting to make syrniki (cottage cheese pancakes), practice morse code with a flashlight, climb a tree and read a book or explore Chile and Kamchatka Peninsula on a globe.  

Okay, just one more book…

Albie on His Way 

Written and illustrated by Jutta Bauer
Translated by Matthias Wieland
Translated from the German
Published by Red Comet Press

I recall that reading just one more book to a child who should have already been in bed, was not always the chore that my deep sighs conveyed. Reading aloud, Albie on His Way, with a journey to discuss and a map to refer to at the end would absolutely encourage a chorus of; “read it again!”.  When the King (a pig with a fondness for his pet dog) sends Albie on a journey to the neighboring kingdom, there is a “story within a story” below on every page.  Somewhat like a cartoon strip it shows the King waiting for Albie to return, it has the makings of a country-western song, with a beloved dog who dies and grief that lingers, a marriage that fails, and great happiness when Albie returns. The little vingettes of the king’s life are comedic genius.  I saw that story as the secret story just for me. Jutta Bauer deftly reminds me, as I am at home reading other’s journeys, life is happening to me as well.

Meet Paula Holmes:

Paula Holmes still identifies as a children’s librarian, although it has been quite some time since she received a paycheck. She has served in a variety of volunteer capacities for the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association), USBBY (The United States Board on Books for Young People) and currently as a University of Alabama MLIS National Advisory Board Member.  Paula is known to practice ballet, create tiny collage art, and support translations of children’s literature, and for some reason is still attempting to learn Finnish. You can follow her on Twitter at @qsprite