Chibikko Kamu no Bôken is the first story of Kanzawa Toshiko (1942- ) published in book form. The first part of the story first appeared in Haha no Tomo [Mothers’ Companion] in August 1959. Another part was added to the story at the time of publication. It received the Sankei Award for Children’s Books and Publications.
Kanzawa spent her childhood in Hokkaido and Sahalin as her father worked
as a coal miner there. At the age of ten, she saw a seal at the mouth of
Horonai River. She learned about a northern minority race pasturing reindeer
and living in tents. She married at the age of 20 and has two daughters.
In 1954, she suffered from tuberculosis and while she was in bed she imagined
having an adventure with Kamu and wrote the story.
Chibikko Kamu no Bôken consists of two parts: “The Story of a Volcano” and “The Story of the Northern Sea.” In the first story, Kamu lives in a tent at the foot of a volcano in a northern land. He takes a ring from a giant Gamurii who lives on top of the volcano, and brings back a herb of life for his sick mother from the shore of the black lake. In the second part, Kamu, using the power of the ring, saves his father who had been blown to the Northern Sea by Gamurii and turned into a white whale.
Some have pointed out that the protagonist’s adventure is based upon
the affection for his parents like Matsutani Miyoko’s Tatsu no Ko Tarô. Set in natural grandeur, Kanzawa’s hope that people should live in harmony with nature is indicated in the story. In this sense, Chibikko Kamu no Bôkenis valued as a superb story for younger children. It is also pointed out that the image of cheerful and active children in the 1960s is clearly shown in the book as well as in Tatsu no Ko Tarô. Kamu and Matsutani’s Tarô have proven that with an attractive protagonist, a full-length story could be read by younger children.
|
