Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker

by Holly Thompson, Toshiki Nakamura (Illustrator)

A poetic and moving picture book biography celebrating the life and work of the visionary Japanese American woodworker George Nakashima.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, George Nakashima began a love story with trees that grew throughout his remarkable life as architect, designer and woodworker.

During World War II, George, with his wife Marion and their baby daughter, endured incarceration in Minidoka prison camp, where he drew comfort from the discipline of woodworking.

Once free, George dedicated the rest of his life to crafting furniture from fallen or discarded trees, giving fresh purpose and dignity to each tree, and promoting a more peaceful world.

Author Holly Thompson narrates Nakashima’s life using haibun, a combination of haiku and prose, which twines smoothly through Toshiki Nakamura’s earthy illustrations. A foreword by Nakashima’s daughter Mira and robust back matter will deepen young readers' understanding of woodworking and poetry and offer added insights to the work of a master artisan.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Poetry, Nonfiction, Nature, Japan, History

48 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2024

About the author

Holly Thompson (www.hatbooks.com) is a longtime resident of Japan originally from Massachusetts. A graduate of the NYU Creative Writing Program, she writes poetry, fiction and nonfiction for children through adults. She is author of the verse novels Falling into the Dragon's Mouth, The Language Inside, and Orchards; the picture books Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker; One Wave at a Time; Twilight Chant and The Wakame Gatherers, and the novel Ash. She compiled and edited Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories, a collection of 36 Japan-related short stories, including ten in translation. Holly teaches writing in Japan and the U.S. and visits schools worldwide.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good back matter.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an elegantly simple blend of subtle illustrations, poetic lines to launch each double-spread, and lyrical informative text about a creative artisan of distinction. George Nakashima's life lovingly unfolds from early years in Pacific Northwoods experiences, revealing his deep appreciation of natural and cultural influences and appeals, to his growing skill and innovation in working with wood in original ways. His career choices included architecture, but he preferred furniture making, which allowed him to work with the unique materials and principles while controlling every aspect of the creation directly. His reputiaotn rapidly grew and he received global acclaim.
The mid-section of his life story includes his family's imprisonment in Japanese internment camps during WWII, his use of skills to make life there more livable using random wood scraps, and his decision to accept a move to Pennsylvania- to farm!
The decisions he made after arriving, his uses of the surrounding natural materials, including tree-falls and ways in which those materials inspired him to create works of art that functioned not only as furniture but as foundations for peaceful interactions.
Back matter includes an author note, photo and text examples of Nakashima working, segments about trees and their usable elements, photos of exemplary furniture he mad, and more.
I found the poetry on each gently-evocative spread set the tone for the developments explored on those pages. The entire production and design made me believe that this book would please its subject, as it seems to have pleased Nakashima's daughter, who offers an introductory note.
Highly recommend.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

With picture book biographies so plentiful these days, it’s hard to find subjects who still deserve our attention, but George Nakashima definitely makes the cut. Born in the state of Washington in 1905, this renowned furniture maker’s life intersected with many key moments in U.S. history, including Japanese internment, mid-century modernism, and the growing recognition of craft in America. Thompson uses a bifurcated narrative to tell this story. In large, italicized letters at the top of each two-page spread, she includes a short haibun (a combination of haiku and prose traditionally used to describe journeys), while more conventional biographical details appear in paragraph form below or to the side. She does an excellent job documenting Nakashima’s complicated life, which included inspirational trips to Japan, learning draftsmanship and woodworking techniques, confinement in the Minidoka camp, building his acclaimed workshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and finally, realizing his dream of creating six massive peace tables. Throughout the book, the author returns again and again to Nakashima’s reverence for his materials and his design belief that his creations should “capture the spirit of the tree.” Extensive and thoughtful backmatter includes an introduction from Nakashima’s daughter, a timeline of his life (with fascinating photos), a pictorial essay on how the woodworker proceeded from tree to furniture, elegant photographs of his finished creations, and an extensive bibliography. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, what a better world we'd have if more of us remained quiet for a few moments and listened to the trees! Written in haibun, which combines haiku and prose, this picture book biography describes the formative years, the inspiration, and the career of George Nakashima, a talented woodworker, eschewing a career in architecture for one involving making furniture. Having traveled widely, Nakashima, a Nisei who was born in the United States, had barely returned to the United States and opened his own shop, when paranoia prompted the U.S. government to incarcerate George and his young family during WWII. But even there, despite the unpleasant conditions, Nakashima continued to hone his craft, learning from others. After the war, they moved to Pennsylvania, where they built their own home and started George's business. The text and illustrations beautifully depict the respect Nakashima had for trees but also for timber, the wood from cut trees. This admiration for the grains of the trees led him to embark on an ambitious project to build massive peace altar tables. As if his life weren't interesting enough, the back matter, which includes descriptions and sketches of the time-consuming woodworking process, also contains photographed examples of his work, leaving readers such as I in awe at the patience, attention to detail, and imagination of this talented man, who clearly listened to the trees throughout his live. The author's text is nimble, expressive, and reflective, and the digital artwork is filled with large shapes and colors, both a stunning tribute to Nakashima whose work is clearly unique.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated picture book, told in haibun (a combination of haiku and distilled prose), introduces Nikkei woodworker George Nakashima, who lived, for a time, not far from my home in Shikoku, Japan. Generous backmatter supplements the story of George's journey from boyhood to Japan, where he stayed in his mother's family home, onward to India, back to America where he was interred in a WWII prison camp, and finally, to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I was glad to learn about Nakashima and his peace tables and other work.

[Nicole Helegda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short and matter of fact children’s book, but it’s also very beautiful. It speaks frankly about racism, displacement during war, and Japanese Internment camps, but it also speaks of perseverance, creating craft and hope for the future. At the end it has photographs of George’s work and basic steps about the woodworking process.

I checked it out from my local library, and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book in words and illustrations that celebrates the life and work of this exceptional furniture creator and nature lover. A heroic figure in his own right, George Nakashima's work reflects his love of nature and his desire to celebrate nature's beauty and harmony. Lots for discussion here as well as to enjoy.

[Rinku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing can stop art from happening. I was so impressed with how George just kept doing his art no matter what the circumstances like the Japanese internment camps. I like how his kids continued his work. I liked how this book was filled with information and great illustrations.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photos of his furniture in the backmatter. It tells the impressive life story of a dedicated, artistic wood furniture maker. Maybe more of a 3.5, I rounded down though because I didn't feel like much of Nakashima's personality came through, though the beauty of his furniture does.

[Launna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially loved the info in the back. I had never heard of him before, but now I would love to own a piece of Nakashima furniture.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and beautiful illustrations.