Ninety-year-old and active picture book author Satoshi Kako

Satoshi Kako was featured in a TV program the other day.
He was born in Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture in 1926.
He wrote over 600 books so far and it is said that the number is the largest in Japan
as a picture book author.
Still now he sits the desk to write more than seven hours each day.
I think that many parents and children read his picture books in two generations.

Among his books, “Daruma-chan” series have sold over 6.5 million copies in total and “Crow’s shop” series have sold over 2.8 million copies in total.
He wrote many books about natural science, and when he writes such a book, he researches on the subject amazingly. The reason why he never cuts corners even for children, he knew how children’s interest is diverse and deep. During the war, he aimed to be a pilot and tried to be involved in the war. He regrets from the heart about that and hopes that children wouldn’t have a mistaken idea unlike him and would be able to judge for themselves about things around them. So he always writes books in such hope.

Listening to his talk, I wanted to read his books and soon borrowed some from a library. The books written by him were filled with attraction such not only children, but also adults get caught up. (H.S)

“Men who build a dam” 

The first picture book he created.

My favorite passages : The men’s languages are rough. Rough, scary but kind.

The men aren’t scared away by snow or wind, blowing snow or storm. They never cry. “

“River”

It’s a large-scaled and precise book that you can look down at a river begins from a small stream in a mountain and becomes the sea finally. Its new format which is a picture scroll version has just published the other day. 

“Yasuke of Yamura Village”

Although it’s a commemorative publication for his 88-year old and not for sale, you can read it in libraries across the country. Yasuke works hard in the fields of a mountain village. Yasuke lives with his elderly mother. One day someone appears in front of them. 

In the end, I couldn’t read without tears. The last of “She is in a sunny spot”, which was a book I read several years ago, came back to my memory, it was endearing but made me sad.