Compiled by Janet Hamilton
A children's book written by a Norwegian writer, named
Jostein Gaarder: "I et speil, i en gate" (Dutch: "Door een
spiegel, in raadselen", English: "Through a mirror, in riddles")
In the third chapter there's an a line, translated to English, like this:
"Cecilie thought about the bag of little Japanese paper balls.... They
where so tiny that they looked alike a lot. But when you dropped them into the
water, they swelled and there developed different figures in more colors. There
where no two the same."
Also in another book by the Jostein Gaarder, with a title in Norwegian: "Barna
fra Sukhavari" (Dutch: "De kinderen uit Soekhavati", English:
"Children from Sukhavari") there's an a line in the first chapter,
like this:
"... in the corner of the cave
there's a big jar. It's full of tiny paper balls in different colors. But they
aren't ordinary paper balls. They are Creationseeds. ...... He fills a bowl with
water and throws some paper balls in. The balls suck themselves with water and
are getting bigger. They transform into big lions and elephants, spiders and
berrybushes, frogs, turtles, horses, sheep, trees and houses, peoples and
dinosaurs."
"Hannah's Collections" by Marthe Jocelyn is about a little girl who is supposed to bring a collection to school. She has so many different collections that she doesn't know which one to bring. Anyway at the beginning on the dedication page, there is a picture of five origami models: a frog, two cranes, a butterfly and a kabuto. No origami in the story though.
From "False Memory" by Dean Koontz: "The sun-weathered guard was either suspicious of Dusty or squint-eyed by nature, with so many lines folded into his face that he looked like a piece of origami."
"Arthur and the Cootie-Catcher" synopsis: "At Prunella's half birthday party, her sister unveils a fortune telling cootie-catcher. When the object mysteriously seems to be able to predict the future, Arthur and his friends become slaves to its every move. Can they ever go against the cootie-catcher's authority or will they be doomed forever?" Of course there is a pattern in the back of the book. If anyone watches Arthur on PBS there is one 15 minute segment devoted to this.
Cover, front and back, of "The Gawgon and the Boy", by Lloyd Alexander, published 2001, shows the fortune teller/cootie catcher/salt cellar.
The Sunday March 10, 2002, New York Times Book Review, p. 20 has a short review of "Yoko's Paper Cranes" written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Hyperion ($15.99). It is about a a Japanese kitten whose grandfather teaches her to make paper cranes, "enchanting collage illustrations." It includes instructions for folding a paper crane.
"The ABC Book of Nursery Rhymes", ISBN 0733308392, includes paper boats in one of the illustrations.
"The Red Tree" by Shaun Tan, ISBN 0734401728, has picture of
a paper boat on the front cover.
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
by J.K. Rowling, page 129:
"Once again
the lift doors opened and four of five witches and wizards got out; at the same
time, several paper airplanes swooped into the lift. Harry stared up at them as
they flapped idly around above his head; they were a pale violet color and
he could see MINISTRY OF MAGIC stamped along the edges of their wings."
"Just
Interdepartmental memos," Mr Weasley muttered to him. "We used to use
owls, but the mess was unbelievable . . . droppings all over the desks . .
."
"Fold Me a Poem" by Christine O'Connell and
illustrated by Lauren Stringer (Harcourt Children's Books, 2005, ISBN 0152025014),
contains poems about origami and illustrations of a young boy as he creates a
world filled with origami creatures. http://www.kristinegeorge.com/foldmepoem.html
http://www.laurenstringer.com/books/foldme1.html
While standing in line on 7/15/2005 night to get my new Harry Potter book, one of the activity tables set up for the book release had a page with folding instructions and a pre-printed pattern for a "misfortune teller". This was advertising the upcoming October release of the twelfth book of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events". http://www.lemonysnicket.com
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling, pages 327-328: ‘Mrs. Weasley entered the room just in time to see Ron throw the sprout knife at Fred, who had turned it into a paper airplane with one lazy flick of his wand. …”—and if you want people to help you, Ron,” added George, throwing the paper airplane at him, “I wouldn’t chuck knives at them. Just a little hint. We’re off to the village, there’s a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvelous… almost like real magic…“ ‘ A photo showed up of the Regulus A. Black letter when the movie version came out, though it was not clear if this was meant to be prop from the movie. The letter has the crease marks of having been folded into an origami model. http://harrypotter.wikia.com:80/wiki/File:R.A.B._letter_to_the_Dark_Lord_pertaining_to_the_Horcrux_Locket.jpg
"A Box of Friends", written by Pam Muñoz
Ryan and illustrated by Mary Whyte, is the story of a girl whose family has just
moved to a new house. She and misses her old friends, so her grandmother shows
her how to make a box in which Annie places various objects given to her
by friends. One of these items is an origami frog from her pen pal in Japan.
There is a whole 2 page spread showing a Japanese girl folding a frog.
(Published June 2003, ISBN 1577684206)
"The Kite Festival" by Leyla Torres, is about a family who goes for a day trip and finds
themselves in a town where there is a Kite Festival. Since they don't have a
Kite, they improvise by making a kite with found
materials. The author has included a drawing of a man in a black 1998 OUSA
Convention T-shirt offering them suggestions. (Publisher: Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, May 2004, ISBN 0374380546)
"Bebop-A-Do-Walk" by Sheila Hamanaka. Emi and her best friend, Martha, take a long, joyful walk with Emi's father from their Lower East Side neighborhood in New York City. Emi is Japanese American, Martha is African American, and Hamanaka is remembering her own 1950s childhood. The friends ride the carousel in Central Park; they almost see King Kong on the top of the Empire State Building; they gape at the Museum of Modern Art; they imagine the clubs where the great jazz heroes made music.When a rich kid won't let them near his toy sailboat, Emi's father folds origami paper boats for all the kids to sail on the pond, and he also makes paper hats and paper cranes for everyone. There's not much story, just the idyllic memory; but Hamanaka's exuberant acrylic paintings capture the city close-up from many perspectives as Emi has fun with her friends and neighbors from everywhere. [Simon & Schuster (Juv); ISBN: 0689802889]
"By the stream; A nature story", by Lilian McCrea, Edward Thorneycrofy, and Michael Twinn. Illustrated by Richard Hook. Models by Brian Edwards. Rand McNally [1972] 38 p. col. illus. 20 x 27 cm. The animals along the stream's bank discuss man's threat to their existence. The back of the book contains decorated Origami sheets to be cut out and folded for use in re-enacting the story. (ISBN 0528826778)
"Brave warrior; A Japanese Legend", by
Robert Mather and David Roberts. Illustrated by Gwen and Shirley Tourret. Models
by Brian Edwards. Rand McNally
[1972] 38 p. col. illus. 20 x 27 cm. (ISBN 0528826743)
"The Spear Thrower, A story of early man",
by David Roberts. Illustrated by Leslie Caswell.
Models by Brian Edwards. Rand McNally [1972] 38 pages. Banished to the
Island of the Gods as a sacrifice, a prehistoric boy returns to become leader of
his people. The back of the book contains decorated Origami sheets to be cut out
and folded for use in re-enacting the story. (ISBN 052882676X)
"Thunderbird, An Indian legend", by Edward Thorneycroft and David Roberts. Illustrated by Donald Harley. Models by Brian Edwards. Rand McNally [1972] 38 pages. An Indian boy and girl journey to make peace with the Thunderbird so that their tribe can cease its nomadic life. The back of the book contains decorated Origami sheets to be cut out and folded for use in re-enacting the legend. (ISBN 0528826751)
"Origami: Indian Lore", by Edward Thorneycroft. BDD Promotional Books Company [January, 1992] 24 pages. (ISBN 0792457854)
"Birds of Peace: Building community and a peaceful world: projects by and for students", by Walter Enloe. Whitewing Press [1996] 40 pages. Excellent book on the Sadako story and using it to build a better community and a peaceful world. Highly recommended with projects for students to participate in. Good for the classroom. (ISBN# 0-9639519-5-5)
"Children of the Paper Crane the story of Sadako
Sasaki and Her Struggle With the A-Bomb Disease", by Masamoto Nasu. M.E.
Sharpe, [1991] 232 pages. The most detailed and factual book yet in English. This book is an
excellent reference as well. (ISBN# 0873327152 )
“Peace Crane” by Sheila Hamanaka. William Morrow
& Company, 40 pages. Poignantly told
from the first-person perspective of a young African American girl, this
heartfelt poem takes readers on an emotional journey in which the girl escapes
her tragic world of senseless violence. After learning about the legend of
Sadako and the thousand paper cranes in school, the girl summons the peace crane
to life with her imagination and relates her anxieties to the magical bird:
"When the sun falls in the city, when I hear shooting on my street, I hold
my ears and hope in my heart that it's not a friend of mine." What begins
as a story of hopelessness and despair ultimately becomes an optimistic vision
for the future "of a world without borders, of a world without guns, of a
world that loves its children, each and every one." Dramatic oil paintings
depict the horror of the atomic bomb blast that killed Sadako and also the
disturbing street violence of today's world. Mostly, though, the artwork shows a
journey that culminates in the discovery that people everywhere are working
toward peace. (ISBN: 0688138152)
"On the Other Side" by Istvan Banyai. On
the first page are directions on how to fold a paper airplane. The following
page shows a girl, practicing her cello. Behind her is a window through which a
paper airplane glides by. On the third page, on the other side of the window, a
boy can be seen throwing paper planes. Towards the end, the boy's room can be
seen from the littered with several paper planes on the floor. The goal of the
book is to show the same scene from different perspectives. Chronicle Books,
July 2005, 48 pages. (ISBN 0811846083)
"Abby's Birds", by Ellen Schwartz, illustrated by Sima
Elizabeth Shefrin. Abby makes an unlikely friend in her neighborhood -- her
elderly Japanese neighbor, Mrs. Naka. All spring and summer, the two delight in
the robins that live in the maple tree that straddles their yards, following the
birds' progress as they nest and the babies hatch and learn to fly. Mrs. Naka
teaches Abby how to make tori -- origami birds. Later, when Mrs. Naka has an
accident, will Abby be able to use her new skill to conjure up a surprise to
comfort her ailing neighbor? Tradewind Books, 2006, 32 pages. (ISBN
1-896580-86-6)
"Black and White", by David Macaulay is a Caldecott
Medal Winner. Origami appears in the illustrations when people at the train
station are waiting for a train that is late due to the cows on the track.
Children at home, also waiting, the children and the adults at the station, fold
newspaper into hats, and jackets, and even "rejects from the origami
zoo" Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books; 1990, 32 pages. (ISBN
0-395- 52151-3)
"Girl's Day in Hawai'i with Yuki-chan", by Tokie Ikeda Ching and
illustrated by Sets Arai. The story describes Japanese traditions as they are
celebrated in Hawaii. The book includes directions for making origami paper
dolls and recipes for special holiday foods. Mutual Publishing, 2007, 40 pages
(ISBN 1566478200)
"A Series of Unfortunate Events", by Lemony Snicket, is now being released in trade paperback. To improve sales the new editions have additional illustrations. Volume one, A BAD BEGINNING, has a page at the end showing how to operate a troublewit.
"The Dangerous Book for Boys", by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden, covers all
those "necessary" childhood skills, such as making a go kart, a bow
and arrow, and building a tree house. There are even chapters on origami-related
essential skills: "The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World", and
"Making a Paper Hat, Boat, and Water Bomb". The book site includes a
cute video that shows the paper plane and water bomb in action. Collins, May 1,
2007, 288 pages (ISBN 0061243582) http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0061243582/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5004649-3358443?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184710654&sr=8-1
There is a Comic book called "Sandman Mystery Theater" published by
DC comics (Under the Vertigo line). This comic describes the story of a rather
wealthy guy called Wesley Dodds who lives in the late 1930's and solves crimes
wearing a gasmask. Whenever he solves a crime he left an origami model on the
captured criminal with a little message written in inside to let the police know
he solved the crime. It ran for 70 issues between 1993 and 1999.
"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan is a wordless graphic novel that tells
the adventures of a man leaving his homeland to build a new life for himself and
his family. As the main character travels, he occasionally stops to fold a page
out of a book he carries into an origami figurine. Several times a flapping
bird, slightly different from the traditional model, appears. Other models
include a bird that can stand on its own feet, a fox/dragon, and a model of an
anime-like mascot made from what appears to be a frog base.
"Horrible Harry and the Triple Revenge" by Suzy Kline (Scholastic
Press, first printing Oct 2007, ISBN 0142410810). When Sid ruins an origami
animal Song Lee made, Harry defends her by declaring triple revenge.
"The Origami Master", by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer is a
children's picture book about Shima, an origami master who lives on a mountain
with his origami creations for company. One morning Shima
finds a paper elephant on his desk, and a paper dragon the next day. When he
discovers the source of the models, he learns a lesson about friendship. The
book includes a Montroll bird model for readers to try. (Albert Whitman &
Company, September 2008, ISBN 978-0-8075-6134-8)
"Valentine's Day" by Anne F. Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell
tells of Mrs. Madoff's class making Valentine's Day cards for a classmate,
Michiko, who is in Japan. The class takes a trip to the post office to
mail their cards, then they receive a package of origami Valentine's from
Michiko.
"The Strange Case of Origami Yoda" by Tom Angelberger
investigates Dwight, a sixth-grade loser, and his origami finger puppet of Yoda.
Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom
Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from total embarrassment with wise
advice. Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight is so clueless, and
enlists fellow classmates to investigate whether or not Yoda is
"real". (Amulet Books, April 2010, ISBN 978-0810984257).
