Jiro's Pearl

In his authorial debut, Powers (illustrator of Tuti, Blue Horse, and the Nipnope Man) spins a moral tale evoking old Japan and making use of familiar fairy-tale motifs. When Jiro's grandmother falls ill, she tells him to sell their last bag of rice to buy medicine from a person referred to as the yakuzaishi. Stopping to catch a toad, he spills the rice, and in desperation asks the yakuzaishi for help. A magical test involving a fish, a beggar and a pearl ""larger than a paper lantern"" enables Jiro to prove his obedience and kindness. As a result, his grandmother is healed and they are rewarded with treasures. Powers's watercolors, with well-defined lines and deep jewel tones, demonstrate sensitivity to his characters and their culture. The story's purpose, Powers notes, is to help ""children to know... that they have the power within them to set things right""; while most children may not have access to the magic that aids Jiro, the message adds backbone to an unexceptional story. Ages 6-9. (June)