'The Steadfast Tin Soldier in the Land of the Yokai' is the tragic story of a toy soldier's love for a maiko doll. When he finds himself on the shelf of an extraordinary antique toy store in Japan, the tin soldier is warned against gazing at the doll by a jealous yōkai, but he persists. Spurred on by supernatural forces, he is propelled head first into a chain reaction of terrifying events that even the most steadfast tin soldier surely couldn't survive.
Told entirely with photographs by award-winning visual story-tellers Jules and Pierre-Jacques Ober, nothing is lost of the poignancy of the original, nor of the mystery and magic. This is not only a heartbreaking love story and a great adventure, it's also an excellent tool for learning. It explores themes such as persistence through adversity, jealousy, love and ultimately, transformation: nothing is ever lost but changes shape and continues anew.
'Extraordinary... remarkable... gives a special depth to this classic Andersen tale transposed into the Japanese landscape, culture and imagination.'
Laura Legros, Atoutlivre
This special edition contains bonus content with 'making of' images from Kyoto. It is printed in lush colour on ultra premium paper and has a QR code to access an audio file of the author reading the story.