We know the East to West editions for their excellent detective novels, their collections of short stories and other original novels. This year they are turning towards children with a very promising little collection!
A good opportunity to discover the first titles, present them to you, then go and meet Isabelle Legrand Nishikawa, director of Est en Ouest publishing… A great discovery for all!
Two adorable books to discover!
My silk cotton duvet
In this panoramic format book, we discover adorable little characters who take us to the land of silk. We accompany them to harvest the mulberry leaves, then we see them soak the cocoons in water, stretch the fibers, dry them in the wind, but also take a nap while drying. And finally stretch again to then form a cozy duvet, “ soft like marshmallow » which will take them to the land of dreams. A very comfortable quilt for sleeping together… or alone as a grown-up.
These characters are adorable with their round cocoon hat and their pink cheeks. The watercolor decorations are infinitely soft. The thick, high-quality paper allows you to appreciate all the nuances of the colors, all the delicacy of the lines and gradients.
Small natural elements dot the pages in pastel tones. Birds, bees (which help hang the silk squares!), caterpillars, cat, rainbow, stars, plants… A very harmonious, very soothing ensemble. An ideal read to invite little ones to fall asleep warm in their equally cozy bed.
The texts are short, they get to the point, while addressing important themes such as teamwork, effort, a nap after this effort, the pleasant feeling of a beautiful fabric, the magic of sleep which allows dreams of arriving.
A little book to keep on the children's nightstand!
Arun the fairy of the seasons
This book is extended, but in length this time. He presents us with a funny, round fairy, with a blue-green body, a blue pointy hat with white polka dots, midnight blue clothing with white polka dots, and two small wings that make her fly in the sky throughout the seasons.
Arun is very good at making clouds, winds and storms, which follow one another throughout the year.
We start in spring with the spring breeze and a large white cloud with pink cheeks and decorated with a sakura flower. But it's difficult to control the wind and in the street it's a bit of panic! This strong wind overturns umbrellas, bends lampposts, and makes walks complicated for adults, children and dogs alike! But everything is fine, people love spring and all the animals they can admire: a double page with bees, butterflies, ladybugs, but also a green mejiro bird and sakura flowers is an ode to Japanese spring!
Then comes the rainy season with gray clouds and frogs, but also rice fields with small shoots (again very Japanese landscape between rice terraces and hydrangeas). Then come the storms announcing the arrival of summer. They scare the birds a little, throwing big yellow lightning bolts at the city below (full of towers of all kinds), but they smile brightly! In summer, a muscular cumulonimbus cloud walks above the beach where children eat kakigori. Then autumn arrives and its soft clouds above landscapes which are tinged with orange. And migratory birds wander under the colorful trees. It's the fairy who paints everything yellow and red (even the famous red dragonflies of Japanese autumn!). Finally winter arrives and the cloud of snow (with its hat, its gloves and its carrot nose!). The fairy helps him make the snow fall to the delight of the foxes and children in the igloos. Finally it’s time to hibernate. She places the animals on clouds so that they sleep until spring.
It's a tour of the seasons that will delight young and old, with little typically Japanese touches and always a wonder, an enchantment: the magic of the clouds, the soft colors throughout the seasons. A way to invite children to look at all the little changes around them over the months.
Two very beautiful books, of high manufacturing quality (they are made in France). Very thick paper, very beautiful colors, perfect format for children. The little extra: the texts are both in French and Japanese (with the kanji but also the furigana above, very useful for those learning the language).
It was therefore enchanted by these first two works that we set off with our questions to meet Isabelle Legrand Nishikawa, director of Est en Ouest editions…
Youth, from East to West!
Journal du Japon: We know the East to West editions for its excellent thrillers, its collections of short stories and recently a slice-of-life novel Plainsong and an unclassifiable novel Ashura girl. How did the idea come about to add a collection for children to all this?
Isabelle : At first I just wanted to create a collection of young literature (a project that will perhaps see the light of day one day!), but I also wanted illustrations because I noticed that this is what attracts the public a lot. During fairs, I often had readers asking me for bilingual books, to learn or practice Japanese. I had the chance to meet Masako, who lives next to me, and that's it!
Japanese children's literature is rich in talented authors and illustrators. How did you know and choose Masako Masukawa? How will you choose the other authors/illustrators in this collection?
I knew Masako, thanks to my friend Christine who told me about her Instagram page. I simply contacted her!
I don't know what's next yet, I've already contacted one or two illustrators in Paris who declined. I would like it to be Japanese authors in France, to stay local. It is possible that I continue with Masako on other titles. This collectoin will perhaps be the opportunity to only produce unpublished titles (first publication), as is the case with Arun.
In these first two books, it is about nature, the seasons, a universe filled with plants and animals. Will this be the editorial line of the collection?
Yes, it's a subject that affects today's world and to which I am sensitive: the world and nature in general. In my opinion, it is important to pass on this wonder of nature to children in order to protect it later.
The books are bilingual (with furigana which will be very useful to beginners in Japanese, thank you!). Why this choice?
As I said, for those who are starting or learning Japanese it is easy (even if a little long) to decipher the text phonetically with a table of kanas next to it, whereas I find it a shame to put the phonetics directly in romaji without knowing the pronunciation.
The formats of the two books are very original: one is elongated in length, the other in width, in the end they are two rectangles of the same size. How did you arrive at this format which changes albums, generally bigger. Besides, are the books in their original Japanese version in a different format?
Pour Arunit is a first publication, and for Nameit was a landscape format too, slightly larger.
I wanted to keep the same format as my novels (12*21). But for Namewhich was originally done in landscape, this would have spoiled the quality of Masako's watercolors, so I kept the same size but simply changed the orientation. Overall there is always this concern for unity and harmony specific to Japanese thought.
These books are very beautiful, of high quality, the cover is very thick, the paper inside is also thick, it magnifies Masako's watercolors. Did you do a lot of testing before arriving at this quality?
In addition, they are designed and manufactured in France. Was it difficult? I imagine that explains the slightly higher price than other children's albums…
Yes, it was difficult! This is a second version, much more expensive than the one I initially chose. I had some setbacks with the printers, and to meet my crowdfunding deadlines, I chose a more expensive version, but of very high quality. I am therefore looking for a solution for future printings, still in France. The next books may be a bit thinner, but I always pay attention to quality.
Do you have any other titles in mind for this collection?
I have some ideas for topics that I submitted to Masako, I hope she can create more stories!
You have launched crowdfunding for these works. What conclusions do you draw from it? Will this be the case for future publications?
The project would not have happened without crowdfunding. I hope to be able to do one for future titles, despite the work it requires. Thank you to the interns who helped me: Estelle, Aude, Carla, Jenna and Rika.
We therefore wish a bright future for this original collection and its flagship author Masako Masukawa! To find out more about the collection, you will find information on the Éditions d'Est en Ouest website.
Many thanks to Isabelle Legrand Nishikawa for her time.
