Oda Taro
13 June 08
Whenever I find another book by Oda Taro, I get very excited. He (at least, I think the author is a “he” — I haven’t been able to find ANY information about “him”) writes and illustrates short stories about Panda — a “child” who uses ordinary household objects to help him on his imaginative adventures.
Taro’s books take Panda on journeys through perilous circumstances, but Panda always makes it back home safely to his mother, who is usually waiting with something nice to eat. It’s a friendly way to model imaginative play.
Taro’s simple illustration is reminiscent of Dick Bruin’s style, but not quite as annoying. He uses bright, solid colours and clean backgrounds. But the beauty of his illustrations is that they don’t match the text. The script takes the reader into Panda’s imaginary world while the drawing opposite shows the reality of what Panda is doing.
And just when you think these are fantastic, it gets better!
These are out of print, so look out for them in garage sales and secondhand stores and grab them whenever you can!
