Grandfather & the Raven Book Review

I’m pleased to recommend a book I just read by George Polley.  Mr. Polley lives in Hokkaido, Japan and has written two books (I haven’t read the other one yet) in a style reminiscent of Japanese folk tales–mukashi banashi.  Sort of.  It is written in a way that both children and adults would find charming.  Download the free preview to get a taste of his writing to see what I mean.

The Raven is Grandfather’s friend and mentor.  Through the eyes of these two, be prepared to experience a universe where good is vindicated and the world just seems like it is a better place–and after reading this book, I think it is.

I loved the language and style.  It was perfect for a story about a gentle and loving ojiisan, Grandfather in Japanese.  It reminds me of the best of Thornton Burgess’ stories about Ready Fox but with a Japanese twist.  Even more striking is how Mr. Polley smoothly transitioned from “reality” (humans don’t understand ravens–of course not!) to even the policeman hearing the raven in perfect Japanese. 

There are morals to the stories that are sometimes obvious, usually not.  But in every case, the stories do not hit the reader over the head with a message.  Different readers may take away different things from the book.  

The language is simple and accessible.  Each story is short enough to be read in a single sitting or during bed-time storytime.  This could easily be one of the top five to ten books to keep on your child’s bed stand.  

Get it for .99 for your Kindle or as a book for $9.99.