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Allen Say

セイ アレン

Allen Say

Aliases: James Allen Koichi Moriwaki Seii

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1937-08-28 （Yokohama）
Nationality
Japan, United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Yokohama (birthplace) → United States (after immigration) → Portland, Oregon (since 1999)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Illustrator
Active Years
1972-2024
Influenced By
Noro Shinpei

Education

Aoyama Gakuin
Unknown
Country: Japan
Citrus Union High School
Art
Degree: High School Diploma
Period: 1950年代
Year of Graduation: 1956
Country: United States
Graduated
Chouinard Art Institute
Art
Country: United States
Los Angeles Art Center
Art
Country: United States
University of California, Berkeley
Unknown
Country: United States
San Francisco Art Institute
Art
Country: United States

Awards

Caldecott Medal
1994
Work: Grandfather's Journey
Category: イラストレーション
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Result: 受賞
Caldecott Honor
1989
Work: The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
Category: イラストレーション
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Result: 名誉賞
Christopher Award
1985
Work: How My Parents Learned to Eat
Organization: The Christopher Foundation
Result: 受賞
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
1988
Work: The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
Organization: The Horn Book
Result: 受賞
ALA Notable Book Award
1979
Work: The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice
Organization: American Library Association
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Grandfather's Journey

1993 Children's literature

A picture book detailing his grandfather's voyage from Japan to the United States and back.

ImmigrationHomelandFamily

Drawing from Memory

2011 Autobiography

Memoir of his apprenticeship with cartoonist Noro Shinpei.

MentorshipArtist's growth

The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice

1979 Children's literature

Semi-autobiographical novel about apprenticing to a cartoonist.

ArtJapanese culture

Bibliography

  • Dr. Smith's Safari
  • The Nose: A Tale Based on "Hana" by R. Akutagawa
  • Once Under the Cherry Blossom Tree
  • The Feast of Lanterns
  • Morning Glories
  • Magic and the Night River
  • The Lucky Yak
  • The Bicycle Man
  • How My Parents Learned to Eat
  • The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
  • A River Dream
  • The Lost Lake
  • El Chino
  • The Big Book for Peace
  • Tree of Cranes
  • Grandfather's Journey
  • The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice
  • Stranger in the Mirror
  • Emma's Rug
  • Allison
  • Tea with Milk
  • The Sign Painter
  • Home of the Brave
  • Music for Alice
  • Kamishibai Man
  • Erika-san
  • The Boy in the Garden
  • Drawing From Memory
  • The Favorite Daughter
  • The Inker's Shadow
  • Silent Days, Silent Dreams
  • Almond
  • Kozo The Sparrow
  • Miss Irwin
  • Tonbo

Translations by Author

  • Morning Glories (translation of Naoya Shiga)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Detailed illustrationsSimple narrative styleAutobiographical elements
Recurring Motifs
Japanese cultureImmigration experiencesFamily bonds

Legacy

Japanese-American children's author and illustrator known for bridging Japanese and American cultures, winner of the Caldecott Medal.

In Popular Culture

  • Works used in school curricula

Trivia

  • Father born in Korea, adopted by British parents; mother born in San Francisco.
  • Considers cartoonist Noro Shinpei his 'spiritual father'.
  • Lives in Portland, Oregon.