Allen Say’s arresting autobiography focuses on his childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in Japan, when his desire to be an artist was counter to his father’s expectations. After World Way II (details of which are notably restrained), Say lived with his grandmother and then, remarkably, in an apartment on his own in Tokyo at age twelve after he was accepted into a private art school. Reading about another young, aspiring artist in the newspaper, Say sought the teen out and ended up meeting not only the boy, Tokida, but his sensei, Noro Shinpei, a noted cartoonist, who became Say’s teacher, too. Say details the next three years spent apprenticing with Shinpei and attending art school, a phase of his life that draws to a close, like this book, as he prepares to depart for the United States at age fifteen. Say’s fascinating personal history unfolds through both the prose narrative and the many illustrations, including black-and-white drawings, cartoons, and photographs and full-color paintings and panel illustrations. An author’s note includes additional photographs accompanying a narrative in which Say writes more about his relationship with Shinpei, “this man who had become my spiritual father.” (Age 10 and older)

Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during WWII, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist

DRAWING FROM MEMORY is Allen Say's own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn't understand his son's artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his "spiritual father." As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained--and ultimately came to understand who he really is. Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history, DRAWING FROM MEMORY presents a complex look at the real-life relationship between a mentor and his student. With watercolor paintings, original cartoons, vintage photographs, and maps, Allen Say has created a book that will inspire the artist in all of us.