The Great Wave: A Children's Book Inspired by Hokusai

Summary of Book

Hokusai’s classic woodcut of a majestic wave becomes the starting point for a storybook children will want to read again and again.
On a stormy winter’s day, a baby boy, Naoki, is swept into a fisherman’s boat by a great wave. Years pass, but still Naoki does not grow. Must he return to the ocean in order to become a young man? The answer arrives in the form of a mythic fish. Japanese artist Hokusai is one of the world’s most celebrated printmakers. His famous woodcut, “The Great Wave,” epitomizes the artist’s characteristic techniques and themes. In this children’s book, the artist’s masterpiece is the genesis for a simple but compelling story, beautifully illustrated in pictures that recall Hokusai’s brilliant use of detail, perspective and color. A stunning reproduction of the woodcut itself is featured in the book, supplemented by information about the artist and his work. At once modern and classic, The Great Wave introduces young readers to a beloved artist and his timeless portrayals of nature and transformation.

Author Biography

Born in Bourgogne in 1970, I grew up surrounded by books and paintbrushes. Granddaughter of a ceramist, daughter of two French (classics) teachers, watercolour artist and amateur singer, I remember spending entire Sundays listening to music, reading, drawing, writing and illustrating books ... Later, writing appealed to me, but frightened me equally. How do I dare add my tiny voice to those of Boris Vian, Albert Camus, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Gustave Flaubert ... all of whom I devour?I am happy to share dozens of "letter streams" - and discover Mail Art! - with my friends or strangers in search of correspondents in France, Germany, Turkey and further afield, from Japan to New Zealand. ‘How other people live? What do they like? What do they think of life?’ These are the big questions that lead me to a career in writing. For me, Charles Perrault got it all wrong: curiosity is NOT a bad thing! At sixteen, thanks to one of my aunts, who invited me on a trip to the USA which started in New York and took in Boston, Maine and Vermont, I discover the joys of travelling, of seeing the world from a whole new perspective ... and I contract the travel bug. Since that first big trip, I can no longer pass a year without crossing one or several borders, with a pack on my back and my senses on high alert, driven by an insatiable curiosity about other people and places.At eighteen, I go to Paris to study the History of Art. Archaeologist? Paintings restorer? Medievalist? Everything tempts me! Passionate about philosophy and the history of mentalities, I choose to orient myself more towards theory than practice.After some assignments for various Parisian museums (the Picasso Museum and The City of Architecture), I became an assistant archivist at the Musée d'Orsay while completing my Masters Degree on contemporary artists’ vision of medieval stained glass.But once I graduate, my childhood dreams come back to me "tickle" my imagination! My neglect of artistic pursuits while studying has knocked me off balance. I take my paintbrushes and my pen, working on various illustrated book projects and produce my very first novel which I write in a just a few weeks after having been overwhelmed by a report on a radio programme.To my amazement, the book Lettres à une disparue ("Letters to a Missing Person") immediately finds a publisher! Book fairs, award ceremonies, readers' questions in meetings with authors, publishers ... the great literary adventure begins!To date, I have published some thirty texts, novels and illustrated books ... as a writer. Three of these have been translated into English: Journey on a Cloud, The Great Wave and The three Musicians. Two of these have also been published in German: Die Reise auf der Wolke and Die große Welle. Some others in Spanish (La Grande Ola), Italian (Quel Mostro del mio Vicino, Viaggio su una Nuvola), Turkish and Brazilian Portuguese... L'Ogre de Silensonge, Mon Petit Baluchon, Au Jardin de mon coeur and Voyage sur un Nuage have been translated into Korean ; Une Pomme pour Deux into Chineese.

Illustrator Biography

Bruno Pilorget is a self-taught designer.
His first book, Traps in the Jungle, Already a Journey, was published by Gallimard Jeunesse in 1982.

Illustrator, he has a predilection for elsewhere, travel and other cultures in his many children's fiction albums - Les Sages Apalants (Sarbacane), La Grande Vague , Omotou or Au Pays des Vents si Hot (L'Élan Vert) , L'Invisible (Belin), Le Roi Cheval (Millefeuille), or the novel White Sister, Black Sister (Rue du Monde) ...

“With each new album, I have the will to tell with my illustrations, trying to give them a meaning to extend the text. I like to progress, to look for new techniques and to go towards what I don't know yet, as if I were exploring another culture, another country. Guided by the journey of history and the style of the writer ”.

He also works for the Quai Branly Museum, Breton Heritage or for the press.