Obāsan no hikōki

Granny, a master knitter, lives alone in a small country town. When she hangs a sign reading “Will Knit Anything” on the camellia tree in her front yard, the people of her town clamor for her to knit things for them, and she gets to work. In spring, the requests start to slow, but Granny loves knitting so much that she unpicks her old shawl and starts to knit it again.

    One day, a large blackish butterfly comes to visit. Granny is delighted by the pattern on its beautiful wings, and decides to knit the same pattern into her shawl. Unfortunately, this proves more difficult than she expected. After Granny has attempted and unpicked the work many times, something unexpected happens: the half-knitted shawl floats into the air! The pattern on the butterfly’s wings was the secret to flight.

    Granny decides to knit a set of airplane wings and fly to visit her grandson Tatsuo, a first-grader in elementary school whose family lives in an apartment block in the big city. After days and days of knitting, the airplane is finally complete! With the beautiful round moon hanging in the sky, Granny sets out for the city.

    This book deftly depicts a world of everyday magic around the endlessly curious Granny. It gently suggests to children that mysteries are hidden everywhere, conveying the joy of discovering them. Illustrator Murakami Tsutomu has worked on many books with author Satō Satoru, and his fine brushwork brings a mysterious narrative world into being. Granny’s vivacious expressions leave a particularly strong impression. (SJ)