Picture This: Take Me Out to the Yakyu

Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon

"I love baseball," our young, rosy-cheeked narrator says, "in America...and in Japan." He then explains what it's like to go to the baseball game (or yakyu) with his Pop Pop and with Ji Ji. The reader sees and hears about the rituals and differences of going to a baseball game in America and in Japan. In America, he gets a hot dog and peanuts, while in Japan he gets soba noodles and edamame. Though the transportation, venue, souvenirs, and vocabulary may be different, the spirit is the same in this fond ode to baseball.

The more I look over this book, the more I appreciate it. It's one of those deceptively simple books. The text is simple and direct (easy-reader like). But not everything that's featured in the illustrations is explicitly explained in the text. Readers have room to explore and discover on their own. They can see the differences (and similarities) in architecture, furniture, toys, etc. Embedded throughout the book are cultural differences and similarities in addition to the more superficial differences, like using kilometers instead of miles. The Americans have paper tickets, while the Japanese have a phone with a scannable QR code on it; the Americans cheer, "win!" while the Japanese shout, "do your best!"

The illustrations are bright, bold, eye-catching, and graphic (is that enough adjectives for you?). In mirrored images, Meshon shows America in blue (on the right) and Japan in Red (on the left). Sometimes the facing pages interact in dynamic ways. The illustrations conjure the excitement of the game, and feature the quintessential experiences of going to a game.

Meshon has sprinkled Japanese words throughout, and includes a glossary at the end. I do wish he'd included a pronunciation guide (how do you say kakiiin?) but that's a minor quibble. He has also written an author's note in which he explains a little about the game itself and its history, once again comparing the game in America and Japan.

This is obviously a book for baseball lovers by a baseball lover. Great fun.