rebeccakool.com

Author: Rebecca Kool

Illustrator David Namisato

ISBN: 978-1-926691-03-9

Publisher: Gumboot Books

Where can you buy a book? Call toll free or order online from the distributor Aniceto & Bigg, or order online from Amazon around the world.  Amazon.ca, Amazon.com

Alone during a thunderstorm one night, Kenji is startled by a noise outside. He opens the door slowly and finds a wet, miserable cat on the doorstep. Kenji brings him inside to warmth and safety. After introductions to his grandmother the next morning, Kenji and his new friend set off on adventures in their small Japanese town.

FLY CATCHER BOY was originally written for the Japanese market. I wrote the English text and my husband, Takeshi Fujibe, wrote the kanji (Japanese characters). One Japanese publisher expressed interest but nothing came of it.

Once we left Japan and relocated to Canada I submitted the manuscript worldwide. “Cute story, but we don’t have a market for it” was the consistent theme of rejection letters. Finally, in 2005, one B.C. publisher suggested I re-write the story in English using Japanese words and expressions throughout the text. I did and it was immediately shortlisted for publication. In the end, it wasn’t chosen but I knew I was on the right track. I persisted and in 2007 I met my publisher, Gumboot Books, at a local writer’s conference and was offered a contract. Gumboot specializes in books that educate and entertain. Canada is a patchwork of cultures so a bi-lingual book is a useful tool to educate Canadian students about the culture and language of other countries.

The book has a glossary for phonetic pronunciation so the reader can learn how to pronounce the Japanese words.

Check out my blog for answers to questions like “why a kid’s book?”, “where did the idea come from?”, “what’s behind the book’s title?”