Kimiko Kajikawa, illustrated by Yumi Heo,
Yoshi's Feast.
Dorling Kindersley Publishing, 2000

There are so many new-fangled toys out there touting computer chip-generated delights that a child's senses can be dangerously numbed by all the artificial bells and whistles.

However, Yoshi's Feast is a genuine pleasure with no need to artificially capture a child's attention. Even the most jaded adult will find joy in reading this slim but deeply satisfying book.

Set in the city of Yedo in "long ago" Japan, the book portrays two neighbors, Yoshi, a fan maker, and Sabu, an expert in broiled eel cuisine, who engage in some hilarious episodes of bickering and conniving before finally sharing mutual respect and camaraderie. Yoshi enjoys Sabu's delicious eels merely by smelling their tempting scent wafting through the air. Sabu, upon finding out that his neighbor is vicariously partaking of his cooking through his nostrils, demands payment. Yoshi rebuffs him and even embarrasses him in the process; he pays Sabu not with actual money, but by just letting him hear the rattle of his coins as he dances wildly about Sabu's grill, under the astonished gaze of passersby.

Sabu retaliates by cooking a most odoriferous fish called the samma; its unbearable stench sickens Yoshi and the rest of the neighborhood. At last, a truce is called. The two neighbors reconcile and after much dancing and rejoicing, settle down for a meal, and Yoshi finally tastes the broiled eels he has previously only sniffed. He declares the real deal-delicious!

The story's humor is accentuated by the effective use of onomatopoeia. Coins don't just jingle; they sing out "Chin, chin jara jara!" The occasional Japanese expression is interspersed with the narrative and no footnotes are required. When Yoshi yells "Kusai!," we understand immediately just how horrible the samma smells.

Yumi Heo's illustrations are splendid. The characters' faces are simply drawn but their attire is lavishly designed; the patterns of the kimonos are 50, carefully detailed, that one touches them as if expecting the feel of silk and raised embroidery. Yoshi and Sabu are drawn larger than life but Heo does not forget the rest of the neighborhood. Even the tiny figures in the background bustle about, each engaged in some riveting activity like browsing in the open market or dipping chopsticks into a lacquer bowl. And so we readers start Yoshi's feast all over again, if only to ensure that we have not missed any other delights The pleasures of Yoshi's Feast never end - and to think, no batteries or accessories are required!

Fatima Lim-Wilson