Maya Miyama's Award-Winning "Book of Children Midsummerday"

Reviving Folktales through Imaginative Illustrations

Maya Miyama's "Book of Children Midsummerday" is a unique project that draws its inspiration from original fairytales and oral folk stories found in Waldorf education. The visual expressions in the book are reminiscent of hand coloring on copper prints, a technique popular in Victorian-era picture books. Miyama's passion for creating a world of fantasy is evident in her visualizations of various invisible beings, which she portrays through her unique expression. The book tells the mysterious adventure of a young girl using knowledge learned from illusionary biological history, folklore, and legends in ancient Europe.

What sets "Book of Children Midsummerday" apart is its successful revival of oral folktales into an imaginative story. The illustrations, a combination of delicate and gentle touches of colored pencil and pencil, give a visual depth that successfully expresses a fantasy world. The story is rhythmically drawn, adding a contemporary expression using a framework reminiscent of comic strips and double spread pages, which create a theater-like space, moving away from the classic style.

The book was created using a technique that involves hand coloring for prints. A black and white drawing is printed in four colors using a soft finish with an inkjet printer. Oil colored pencils are then used to add depth to the prints. The black and white drawing, initially drawn using only a pencil, is scanned and printed by an inkjet printer onto drawing paper. It is then drawn over again using colored pencils.

The project began in Tokyo in April 2014 and was exhibited in the Illustrators Exhibition Bologna Book Fair of Children in April 2016. It has since been exhibited in the USA, Japan, and China. The design was awarded Silver in the A' Graphics, Illustration, and Visual Communication Design Award in 2018, a testament to its remarkable design and innovation.

Through "Book of Children Midsummerday", Miyama aims to strengthen children's imagination and joy of living. The book tells the importance of nurturing humanity and emotions through fairytale, a concept that Miyama believes fosters the independence and originality of a child. The book is a testament to the power of imagination and the importance of nurturing humanity and emotions through storytelling.

Despite the challenges of rebuilding a simple episode based on oral literature into an imaginative picture story, Miyama was able to create a unique worldview using a method reminiscent of a picture story using hand-painted copper prints seen in fairytales from the Victorian era. The result is a children’s picture book that invites the reader into a fantastic story world.