Editor's words
In June 2021, Japan's new book "Then, Then" by Shinsuke Yoshitake, a japanese artist, was released worldwide.
"So, then"
Text by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Suitable for 4 years old and above to read in person
In this book, Shinsuke Yoshitake uses concise language, simple but not losing pictures, to tell us a story about "child growth", about "mother and son". (Poke here for an in-depth look at the book "Then, Then")
Just half a year later, the annual MOE Picture Book Bookstore Awards were announced, and the book "Then, Then" won the 2021 championship. (Poke here for the MOE Picture Book Bookstore Award)
During the publication of "Then, Then, Then" by Pulan, the editorial board interviewed the author of the book, Shinsuke Yoshitake. Today, Xiaobian will read the story behind the creation of "Then, Then" with you.
Q1
"So, then" is quite different from the picture book you created before, what prompted you to create such a picture book?
A: The reason why I decided to make "So, Then" into a picture book was that I was surprised by how much the children liked the new and the old. When my youngest child was young, he once clamored for me to buy him a book, and I ended up buying it for him.
As a result, he didn't see 30 minutes, so he threw the book aside. I was surprised, but I wasn't surprised by the situation.
Nobusuke Yoshitake is introducing his son's height line
When you start raising children, you will gradually understand some things. For example, how quickly they get bored with something, how they become more and more capable of doing all kinds of things, and even if there is a very difficult parenting time, you will actually forget the unpleasantness of that time after two or three years.
Eight years ago, when I first started drawing picture books, my two children were still very young, but now my eldest son is in the third grade of junior high school. So as a parent, I am very familiar with the theme of "children grow up".
The height line of the writer's two sons when they were young
Q2
In your mind, what kind of story is "So, So"?
A: "So, Then" is about a growing child. This is the first time I have written about a child's growth process in a picture book. So far, I've usually depicted things that happen in the lives of young children for about 20 minutes, but in Then, Then, then, the timeline of the story spans a full twenty or thirty years.
"Then, then" original draft
The things that the younger son had just wanted were bored in the blink of an eye; the eldest son had been so young, and in the blink of an eye he had grown so big. Everything is constantly changing, but we can never get used to it. When I went through these things, I wondered if I could make this a picture book.
"Then, Then" also depicts a story about a "mother and a son". Of course, it can also be "father and daughter" or "mother and daughter", or even not a relationship of relatives, there are all kinds of relationships in this world. In my family, the most common thing I usually see is the quarrel between my son and my mother. In that sense, what I know best is the story between "mother and son."
"Then, then" character design sketch
Q3
The end of "So, Then" is a mother and son sitting at a table and chatting, which is an extremely ordinary scene in our daily life, why do you want to use this scene as the end of the story? When you create picture books, how do you come up with a story?
A: "So, then" is one of the picture books I have created with very little text. I've also wondered how much depth the smallest combination of words and pictures can express. So far I feel pretty good.
When creating picture books, I usually set a topic first, and this time is no exception. In a sense, it seems that the whole creative project can only start after the title is set. So many times, although I only identified the topic and had no clue about the content, I unexpectedly liked the topic I determined. Or in addition to the title, sometimes I only think about the cover art or the end of the story.
Writer studio environment
When it comes to ending the story, I've always thought you can't just end the story with a good ending.
No matter how angry or moved, people will always change back to their original state at once. I think this feeling of not lasting is the true meaning of life. Each of my picture books brings the reader from where he is now into an imaginary world and finally back to his daily life.
I think the most important thing is to give the reader a sense of "hiking before going home". So if the book properly connects the real and imaginary worlds, I feel like I can read it with peace of mind.
Q4
After the global simultaneous publication of "So, Then", the readers responded enthusiastically, do you have anything to say to them?
A: I am very happy that this book will be published simultaneously in Japan and overseas, not only for readers in Japan, but also in foreign countries. In the picture book "Then, then," I painted the thoughts of many people regardless of their country or culture.
I would be happy if the reader could finish the book without knowing which country the author came from or when the book was written. I want readers to enjoy the picture book itself, Then, Then, but if they're moved by the fact that books transcend time and distance, that's what I'd most like to see.
Shinsuke Yoshitake
Picture book writer and illustrator. Born in 1973 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, majoring in general modeling, Graduate School of Arts. He has created illustration collections, children's book illustrations, decorative paintings, essay illustrations, etc. His first picture book work, "Is This an Apple Maybe It's It?", won the 1st place at the 6th MOE Picture Book Bookstore Awards, the 61st Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award for Fine Arts, and the 8th (Ikeda Akiko Memorial) Nobody Award. "Can't Get Off" won the Special Prize at the 2017 International Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, and "So Boring, So Boring" was selected as one of the New York Times' top ten picture books of 2019. Recent works include "Yes Yes Yes Bookstore" and "If So". He is now a father of two children.