Overview

'The Steadfast Tin Soldier in the Land of the Yokai' is the tragic story of a toy soldier's love for a maiko doll. When he finds himself on the shelf of an extraordinary antique toy store in Japan, the tin soldier is warned against gazing at the doll by a jealous yōkai, but he persists. Spurred on by supernatural forces, he is propelled head first into a chain reaction of terrifying events that even the most steadfast tin soldier surely couldn't survive.  Told entirely with photographs by award-winning visual story-tellers Jules and Pierre-Jacques Ober, nothing is lost of the poignancy of the original, nor of the mystery and magic. This is not only a heartbreaking love story and a great adventure, it's also an excellent tool for learning. It explores themes such as persistence through adversity, jealousy, love and ultimately, transformation: nothing is ever lost but changes shape and continues anew. This stunning hard cover edition is printed on ultra premium paper. It has a QR code to access an audio recording of the author reading the story and a fun activity to make the Tin Soldier's origami boat.

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9781763837102

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Reviews

""The figurines photographed throughout this extraordinary book, mythological creatures and fairytale characters, stand side by side with real people in the natural settings of Kyoto. The photographic direction is remarkable: the play on light and atmosphere, the expressive variation in perspective, give special depth to this traditional Andersen tale transposed into the Japanese landscape, culture and imagination. A marvellous photographic picture book with a chiselled narrative, carried by the images of Pierre-Jacques and Jules Ober."" Laura Legros, 07 January 2025 atoutlivre.com (France) ""[The Good Son] has the force of a timeless fable...These striking miniatures have the power to put us in the minds of the true ""little soldiers,"" the common men who fought in a long-ago war and yet whose story feels so present here."" The New York Times | Books That Expand the Possibilities of Boyhood. By John McMurtrie, April 19, 2019 New York Times Book Review ""Another awesome book that came out in lockdown and should be completely celebrated is 'Jacqueline', the 2nd book by the dynamic duo Pierre-Jacques Ober and Jules Ober. Both books in the series are just phenomenal and deserve all the awards and accolades...definitely one of my favourites for the year. Do yourself a favour and check them both out, just incredible!"" gleebooks_kids, Australia

Author Information

Jules Ober is the co-author, photographer and designer of this book - the sixth to feature her work as a visual story-teller. Her books have been published and awarded internationally, including the NSW Premier's History Prize for Children's Literature, The French Prix Sorcière for most beautiful picture book of the year, The French Prix HIP for best photographic book for children, and in Australia her books have been part of the shortlist and notable books in the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year. Her images are regularly exhibited internationally and scenes from these books will tour Europe in 2025 through the Institut de le Photographie.

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