Gyo Fujikawa's Come Follow Me...
to the Secret World of Elves and Fairies and Gnomes and Trolls
Gyo Fujikawa ~ Grosset and Dunlap, 1979
Never can get enough Gyo. We've been all about monsters and trolls and goblins and such around here lately. One of my girlfriends had this book and for years I coveted it, but last week, I stumbled onto one of my own. One of my son's all time favorite books is Oh, What a Busy Day!, which I believe was Gyo's masterpiece...
...but nothing is more fun than seeing how she envisions an alien.
A FAIRY VOYAGE by Unknown
If I were just a fairy small,
I'd take a leaf and sail away,
I'd sit astride the stem and guide
It straight to Fairyland and stay.
Told is classic big Gyo book style, here we are treated with stories and poems about all sorts of magical creatures, from the first Japanese fairy to how to tell goblins from elves.
One of the coolest things is seeing the expressions of awe and surprise on her character's faces when they ponder something fantastical. And if you were a young person way back when like me, you'll definitely remember that weeping troll. That memory came screeching back the moment I saw him!
Also by:
A Child's Garden of Verses
A Child's Book of Poems
Let's Grow a Garden
Baby Animals
Oh, What a Busy Day!
Our Best Friends
Fairy Tales and Fables
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Can I just say that you and I are ON THE SAME PAGE??? (a little book joke!) Never can get enough Gyo!! You might like my Gyo round up post I did this past spring: http://www.juliasbookbag.com/2011/03/gyo-fujikawa-rocks-my-world.html. 'Come Follow Me' is my personal absolute fav, and I am right with you that 'Oh What a Busy Day' is her masterpiece! I got 'Come Follow Me' used from Amazon a couple years ago for a really reasonable price and in pretty good condition. You made me very happy today! ~Melissa
ReplyDeleteI too own Fujikawa's "Oh, What a Busy Day," and agree that it is masterpiece. I found it at a used book sale last year (at the time I was completely unfamiliar with his work) and fell in love instantly.
ReplyDeleteI too own Fujikawa's "Oh, What a Busy Day," and agree that it is masterpiece. I found it at a used book sale last year (at the time I was completely unfamiliar with his work) and fell in love instantly.
ReplyDeleteLooooove!! The memory of that ginger troll came back to me exactly like you described. I remember that he was called Oom Chocola(Dutch for Uncle Chocolate) in my translation.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julia. I had not seen that. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteOh thanks Miss B! I'm Melissa! Julia is my daughter, I named the blog after her :) But I've realized that creates a lot of confusion. When I leave comments, I usually sign off by writing Melissa at the end, but I got so excited by your Gyo post I forgot...:)
ReplyDeletei knew that! i just referenced your screen name so comments folks would know i was taking to you.
ReplyDeleteWe love Gyo Fujikawa, especially "Babies." It's a family favorite and has become something that I always give as a baby gift.
ReplyDeleteGracias por compartir estas joyas, estoy encantada, saludos desde Uruguay!
ReplyDeleteI love this book, and today as bored as I was, I decided to search it up, to see what it was worth. A few websites said that it was worth 130$ if it was in great condition, other wise it's only worth about 20$. Mine is well loved and worth more like 10$. Isn't that crazy? Everyone I've seen sell this book has sold it for under 20$ in perfect condition, I feel a little bad for them...
ReplyDeleteSakura