Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Nakahama Manjiro, by Margi Preus, 301 pp, RL 4
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss with stunning cover art by Jillian Tamaki, won the Caldecott Honor Award in 2011 and is now available in paperback. Preus takes the real life, action packed story of Nakahama Manjiro and condenses it into 300 pages and five parts. While Heart of a Samurai is a work of historical fiction, Preus includes pieces of original artwork by Manjiro and other sources, as well as an Epilogue, Historical Note, Glossary and Bibliography and Suggested Reading. Manjiro's story and the time that he lived in are so full of amazing incidents and innovations that I have no doubt readers will want to learn more.


Readers who enjoyed Heart of a Samurai will like Stowaway by Karen Hesse, the fictionalized story of Nicholas Young, the real-life boy who stowed away on the Endeavour and made the voyage around the world with Capatain Cook when he was eleven.
For an interesting at the evolution of the cover of Heart of a Samurai, check out Mishaps and Adventures, the super-coll blog by Chad Beckerman, art director for Abrams.

