Down the Rabbit Hole (Again)

Allen Say won acclaim--and a Caldecott--for his beautiful story, "Grandfather's Journey." One feature of that book is that it does not shy away from describing the stupidity of war; Grandfather survives the bombing of Hiroshima, but after rebuilding his life, he "never keeps another songbird."

Say looks at war once again in "The Bicycle Man." This is about a memory from Say's own childhood. The war in Japan has just ended; Say is a little student in a school made of gray wood that "creaks like a ship." The school is on a tall green mountain, and when the winds blow, the trees make "the sound of waves."

As the story begins, little Say is practicing sportsmanship; no matter who wins an interscholastic foot race, "we're here to have fun." It's in this context that an American soldier arrives. Time stands still. Is the soldier a threat? Is it possible for everyone to maintain a sense of calm?

This is a subtle, magical story; it has a quiet sense of wonder, from the first to the last page. It makes me think of Beverly Cleary. Both Cleary and Say can slip into the heart and mind of a child. What a gift!

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