Spearheading Vertical’s new line of children’s books is a modern-day classic. Award-winning author Yuichi Kimura and renowned children’s book artist Kowshiro Hata collaborate to create a thoughtful tale set around the age-old scene of a fox chasing a hare.
Through Hata’s brightly-colored and playfully-laid pages, Kimura weaves a suspenseful yarn certain to inspire repeated readings. Hata’s cut-paper art is a treat for the senses. On the Seesaw Bridge’s many two-page speads render concepts of balance, weight, and motion clearly, while Kimura’s concepts of fairness and cooperation may inspire discussions about social manners and equality in new readers.
Tokyo native Yuichi Kimura has worn many hats since graduating from the Tama University for the Arts. An established comic writer, playwright, screenwriter for children’s television, and children’s book author, Kimura is a multi-faceted talent whose work has been recognized for decades in Japan. His book One Stormy Night was winner of the 1995 Kodansha Cultural Award in the children’s publications category and has also been published in English by Kodansha International.
Originally from Gunma prefecture, Kowshiro Hata graduated from Kyoto Seika University. A professional picture book artist, Hata has worked on more than five dozen books for publishers such as Kodansha, Iwasaki Books, and Fairy Bell. Already an established name in France, with six books published on the continent, On the Seesaw Bridge is his English-language debut.
