“If you are a boy named Isamu … you find a secret place so you can look at the ocean and see the shapes of things.” A spare, eloquent second-person picture-book narrative imagines a day in the life of the Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi when he was a child. Leaving the crowded market, Isamu wanders, and wonders. He asks questions about the nature of things (“How does fruit get its color?”) and notices—the fan blades of grass tossed in the air, the texture of stones, and shapes, especially shapes. As an adult, Noguchi was known for his sculptures of wood, paper, and stone, as well as landscape design. His observant way of being in the world and interacting with nature as imagined here is perfectly paired with understated illustrations. (Ages 5-8)

Awarded an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Picture Book Honor, this stunning picture book brings to life the imagination of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi.

(Cover image may vary.)

If you are Isamu, stones are the most special of all.
How can they be so heavy?
Would they float if they had no weight?

Winner of the Theordor Seuss Geisel Award in 2020 for Stop! Bot!, James Yang imagines a day in the boyhood of Japanese American artist, Isamu Noguchi. Wandering through an outdoor market, through the forest, and then by the ocean, Isamu sees things through the eyes of a young artist . . .but also in a way that many children will relate. Stones look like birds. And birds look like stones.

Through colorful artwork and exquisite text, Yang translates the essence of Noguchi so that we can all begin to see as an artist sees.