Abstract

"I almost said 'I hate you,' but stopped halfway and it became 'sparkle'." -- A lighthearted poem, "Daikira," captures the moment when negative feelings are reversed into positive ones by finding the sparkle of "sparkle" within the word "hate." "Like when someone says 'I like you,' and you burst out laughing. 'I like you' makes your heart race a little. 'Pfft' makes you laugh and settle down." -- A rhythmic poem, "Skip," expresses the slightly embarrassed, ticklish, and almost burst-out-laughing feeling of realizing the "like" within one's own heart. Two of the most popular poems by poet Hayashi Kirin have been adapted into a picture book by popular illustrator Takasugi Chiaki. Even in unpleasant things, there is surely a sparkle hidden somewhere. Let's live lightly, enjoying the various emotions that clash within ourselves. Please join us in exploring the poetic world of Hayashi Mokurin, imbued with such wishes.

Author’s Information

Kirin Hayashi is a poet and writer who creates diverse works with a unique perspective full of poetic sentiment. She is the national champion of "Poetry Boxing" and has received awards such as the Sanrio "Poetry and Fairy Tales" Special Prize. Her picture books include "Hidamari" (Mitsumura Educational Books/Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award, Sankei Shimbun Award), "Midori no Hoshi" (Doshinsha/Children's Pen Award Picture Book Award), "Nibanme no Akumono" (Chiisai Shobo/Librarians' Choice "Selection Center Grand Prize 2022" Grand Prize), and "Bananan Baaba" (Kosei Publishing). She has numerous works including poetry collections, translated picture books, and lyrics. Chiaki Takasugi is from Nagasaki Prefecture. She graduated from Fukuoka University of Education. After studying at the Jissen Shoka Juku and Sakagawa Eiji's Shoka Juku, she has worked as an illustrator, creating many book covers and illustrations. His major cover illustrations include the "Deaf Voice" series (written by Masaki Maruyama/Tokyo Sogensha) and "Checkmate Even Without Sight" (written by Mitsuharu Sagawa/Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), while his illustrations for books include "Tenchi Diary" (written by Ari Sasaki/Froebel-kan) and "The Water-Sprinkling Old Man and the Library Princess" (written by Masaki Maruyama/Kaiseisha).