Delight from drawings

Press, 2 December 1978, Page 15

Delight from drawings

Anno's Journey. By Mltsumasa Anno. Bodley Head. 45 pp. $7.25. Onito's Hat. By Kimiko Aman and Peggy Blakely, Adam and Charles Black. 32 pp. $6.35. The titles of Mitsumasa Anno’s previous books. “Anno’s Alphabet” and “Anno’s Counting Book,” lead one to assume that “Anno’s Journey" v. ill appeal to children. Children with an eye for detail will certainly derive some pleasure from it, but adults will get a great deal more. It is a purely pictorial record of a Japanese artist’s journey through Europe. But it is a pictorial record with a difference. Realistic depiction of differing landscapes and architecture is not Anno’s object Instead he evokes Europe through its myths, legends, heroes and works ■ f art. On each page we find Anno on his horse surrounded by an intricate web of figures as diverse as Beethoven and Little Red Riding Hood, the Pied Piper and Van Gogh. To these are added a few invented characters and themes, some of which are subjected tn development and variation over several pages. And for good measure one or two Escher-like visual tricks are thrown in. The result Is an entrancing gallimaufrey. Every perusal unlocks fresh treasures — especially when more than one person is involved in the perusal (for this is an eminently sociable book). Tt could lead to the development of an Anno cult. ‘‘Onito's Hat” is a wayward, whimsical little story about a friendly Japanese demon. The nicest thing about it is the work of the illustrator. Chihiro Iwasaki. w'hose adorn every page. But the story itself should appeal to children up to abou' seven years old who do not demand high excitement or a strong ending. —PENNY COR BALLIS