Allen Say: Artist

Hear (and see) in these two vidoes, how Allen Say describes his experiences of growing up, living on his own in Tokyo when he was only 12 years old and how he tracked down his hero, comic book artist Noro Shinpei.

You'll learn more about Allen Say with this fun interview at Reading Is Fundamental. He talks about several different earlier books, his inspiration and even gives some good advice for every young artist!

Houghton-Mifflin is a book publisher that has published some of Mr. Say's books. This is their author website for him. Along with interviews and booklists, you can read about his book, Home of the Brave, which is about the Japanese internment camps during World War II.

The interview that can be read at Scholastic is a little bit different from others because instead of adults asking Mr. Say the questions, kids just like you are conducting the interview. I think you'll enjoy it and as always learn something a little bit different about the artist.

All of the other sources have been Mr. Say talking about himself by answering questions. But sometimes its interesting to hear about a person from someone else who is close to them. While this is not an interview, it is Allen Say's daughter, Yuriko, who wrote this essay about her father when she was 13 years old. You can then read Allen Say's book about Yuriko entitled, The Favorite Daughter.

OPB.org

Reading Rockets provided the first video at the top of this page, but also has on its website the written interview that you might read, along with book lists and other biographical information on the author.

In 1994, Mr. Say won the Caldecott Medal for his book, Grandfather's Journey. Every year, the American Library Association gives the award to the artist of the most distinguished American Picture Book for Children.

At the Houghton-Mifflin site mentioned above, you can even read his acceptance speech.

Here is a list of all the books that have won since the award was first given in 1938. How many have you read? Did you have a favorite?

Many of Allen's books are available in an electronic format, like Grandfather's Journey, that you can read on a tablet computer. Check with your library and you’ll find many electronic books you’ll be interested in on many different subjects. Or you can purchase many titles at Amazon.com.