Strange Light Afar: Tales of the Supernatural from Old Japan - Hardcover

"As if she can feel his stare, she turns to him.
The face does not belong to Ume. Scars slide across her delicate features and dead skin. A black tongue hangs limply from her mouth . . .
'We will be together now always, ' Oiwa says hoarsely, and she smiles horribly." from the book
"
"Beautifully written . . . an outstanding collection." "Literacy Daily"
"That next moonless night when all the ghouls crawl out will be the perfect time to explore this "Strange Light Afar."" "BookDragon"
"
"By turns emotionally resonant and unsettling. Umezawa deftly captures the inherent strangeness of these tales." "Quill & Quire," starred review
"Beautifully written . . . an outstanding collection." "Literacy Daily"
"That next moonless night when all the ghouls crawl out will be the perfect time to explore this "Strange Light Afar."" "BookDragon""

A CBC Best Book of the Year
"By turns emotionally resonant and unsettling. Umezawa deftly captures the inherent strangeness of these tales." "Quill & Quire," starred review
"Beautifully written . . . an outstanding collection." "Literacy Daily"
"That next moonless night when all the ghouls crawl out will be the perfect time to explore this "Strange Light Afar."" "BookDragon"
"Storytellers will find this a rich mine for new tales." "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
"

A CBC Best Book of the Year
CCBC Best Books for Children and Teens, Spring 2016 (starred selection)
"By turns emotionally resonant and unsettling. Umezawa deftly captures the inherent strangeness of these tales." "Quill & Quire," starred review
"Beautifully written . . . an outstanding collection." "Literacy Daily"
"That next moonless night when all the ghouls crawl out will be the perfect time to explore this "Strange Light Afar."" "BookDragon"
"Storytellers will find this a rich mine for new tales." "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
"You want to read and re-read these stories for the beauty, fluidity and power of Umezawa's writing." "Canadian Children's Book News"
"

A CBC Best Book of the Year
CCBC Best Books for Children and Teens, Spring 2016 (starred selection)
"By turns emotionally resonant and unsettling. Umezawa deftly captures the inherent strangeness of these tales." Quill & Quire, starred review
"Beautifully written . . . an outstanding collection." Literacy Daily
"That next moonless night when all the ghouls crawl out will be the perfect time to explore this Strange Light Afar." BookDragon
"Storytellers will find this a rich mine for new tales." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"You want to read and re-read these stories for the beauty, fluidity and power of Umezawa's writing." Canadian Children's Book News
"

"As if she can feel his stare, she turns to him.
The face does not belong to Ume. Scars slide across her delicate features and dead skin. A black tongue hangs limply from her mouth . . .
'We will be together now always, ' Oiwa says hoarsely, and she smiles horribly." from the book
"

A bitterly jealous brother, a cold-hearted husband, a monk who mistakes desire for piety, a fraudulent merchant who meets his match in a supernatural river otter, a samurai who makes the ultimate sacrifice — the motives and pathologies underlying these traditional Japanese folktale characters are explored with haunting results. Prompted by the sometimes illogical and perplexing actions of folktale characters (Why doesn’t the wolf kill Little Red Riding Hood right away?), master storyteller Rui Umezawa revisits eight popular Japanese folktales, delving beneath their baffling plot lines to highlight the psychological motivations behind the characters’ actions. In “Betrayal,” a treacherous husband poisons his wife, disfiguring her horribly, so he can marry another woman. In “Paradise,” a dissolute young man saves the life of a sea turtle, who takes him to a luxurious underwater palace, where his every whim is fulfilled. Tales of addiction, bravery, sex, greed, abuse and control — these stories take their inspiration from the great Japanese storytelling traditions, as well as from Noh and Kabuki. Evocative and haunting illustrations by the stunningly talented Mikiko Fujita add to the eerie beauty of this collection. A detailed afterword outlines the author’s storytelling approach and provides source material for each tale.