“Drawing from Memory” by Allen Say.
Scholastic Press, New York, 2011, 63 pages, Grades 5-7.
Art is a world of imagination and reality. Great artists both see the world around them and also recognize the importance of imaging the unseen. For this reason, art speaks to people and tells them about the world that they live in.
But art is not a steady and stable occupation. It is rather a life of trying to make enough money to live. Because of the precarious financial nature of art, many parents do not encourage their children to study art. Allen Say is a famous author/artist of Japanese American descent. In this fine autobiography, Mr. Say writes of the struggle involved in winning family acceptance to pursue a career in art.
Born in Japan in 1937, Say develops an interest in drawing at an early age. He draws on pieces of paper, walls in the house, and whatever else is available. His father is furious at the boy for wasting his time drawing pictures that will never have value. He thinks the child should learn something useful that will be helpful in a lucrative business career. He shames his son for these drawings. As a result, Allen begins to hide his drawings from his parents.
World War II erupts, upsetting the nation of Japan. Because of the war, his parents live in different towns. If the war isn’t bad enough, the parents grow increasingly apart.
Young Say goes to school but is not really interested in studying. All he wants to do is draw, draw, and draw. After the war ends, his grandmother decides he should go to an elite school in Tokyo. The family hoped that he would settle down, study hard and begin to make something of himself.
But soon after starting school in Tokyo, Allen begins reading about a great Japanese cartoonist named Noro Shinpei. His cartoons were published in many Japanese newspapers and were both insightful and humorous. Taking a chance, Allen walks over to his house and knocks on the door. He is invited into the cartoonist’s studio. He tells Shinpei that he would like to become a cartoonist. In response, Shinpei tells young Say to draw a horse. As a child, Allen had drawn many horses and soon creates a realistic looking horse. With this, the cartoonist takes Say on as an apprentice. He is on his way to a career in illustration and children’s literature that he hardly realizes at the time. What happens next?
How does Allen Say learn to become an artist? How many years of hard work does this take? What do his parents think of his love of art? Why does he have to withstand family pressure to achieve his dreams? How is he introduced to the United States? What influence does American culture have on his work? How has Say’s pursuit of art lead to a fruitful life in children’s literature? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this outstanding autobiography, “Drawing From Memory” by Allen Say.
Allen Say is quite famous in the field of children’s literature. “Grandfather’s Journey” won the Caldecott Medal for distinguished art in 1994. When you read any of his books, readers will encounter a warm and caring person. The art is terrific as well. “Drawing From Memory” is a beautifully told memoir of his life. I hope you get a chance to read this fine title. Enjoy!
