Allen Say facts for kids

Allen Say at the 2016 Berlin International Literature Festival

Allen Say (born James Allen Koichi Moriwaki Seii in 1937) is a Japanese-American writer and illustrator. He is famous for his children's picture books. His most well-known book is Grandfather's Journey. This book tells the story of his grandfather's trip from Japan to the United States and back. It won the 1994 Caldecott Medal for its amazing illustrations.

Many of Allen Say's stories are about his own life. He often writes about Japanese and Japanese American characters. His books often share personal experiences and feelings.

About Allen Say

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, on August 28, 1937. His mother was Japanese American, and his father was born in Korea. When he was 8 years old, his parents separated. At age 12, Allen went to live with his grandmother. Soon after, he got her permission to live by himself.

Allen loved art and learned from his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. This experience was very important to him. He even wrote about it in his book Drawing from Memory. He also based his novel The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice on this time. Allen thought of Shinpei as a "spiritual father" and a great teacher.

Later, Allen moved to the United States with his father. He went to a military school for a short time. He did not enjoy this experience. He was later asked to leave the school. After that, Allen went to Citrus Union High School. There, he continued to study art and graduated in 1956. He wrote about his early time in the U.S. in his book The Inker's Shadow.

Before becoming a full-time author, Allen Say worked in different jobs. He was a sign painter and a photographer. He also served in the U.S. Army for a while. While he was in Germany, his photographs were published in the magazine Stars and Stripes. When he returned to the U.S., he thought about being a photographer. But people encouraged him to focus on his illustrations. A publisher, Houghton Mifflin, asked him to illustrate a Japanese folktale called The Boy of the Three-Year Nap.

In 1994, another children's author, Lois Lowry, talked about Allen Say. She mentioned him in her speech when she won the Newbery Award for The Giver. They found out they had both lived in the same neighborhood in Tokyo as children. They met for the first time at the award ceremony.

Allen Say married Deidre Myles on April 18, 1974. Since 1999, he has lived in Portland, Oregon. His book Drawing from Memory won an Oregon Book Award in 2013. This award was for children's literature.

Books by Allen Say

See also

• List of children's literature authors
• List of Asian American writers