Honda: The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars

by Mark Weston, Katie Yamasaki (Illustrator)

Overview

The life story of Soichiro Honda, pioneering Japanese businessman and innovative motorcycle and car manufacturer.

One day in 1914 when Soichiro Honda was seven years old, an astonishing, moving dust cloud appeared in his small Japanese town. The cause was a leaky, noisy automobile-the first the boy had ever seen. At that moment Honda fell in love with cars, and a dream took hold. He would one day make them himself.

It took Honda many years to reach his goal. Along the way he became an expert mechanic and manufacturer of car parts. After World War II he developed a motorized bicycle, the forerunner of his innovative motorcycles. Eventually Honda began manufacturing cars, first race cars and then consumer cars. Constantly seeking ways to make his products better than his competitors', Honda grew into a global industry leader.

Soichiro Honda had an inventive mind and a passion for new ideas, and he never gave up on his dream. A legendary figure in the world of manufacturing, Honda is a dynamic symbol of lifelong determination, creativity, and the power of a dream.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620141915
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	294,919
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD870L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Mark Weston was inspired to write a children’s book about Soichiro Honda after the extensive research he did for his highly praised adult book about pioneering men and women of Japan, called Giants of Japan. A former attorney, journalist, and Jeopardy! champion, Weston is now a full-time writer. He lives with his wife in Sarasota, Florida.

Katie Yamasaki is an illustrator, author, muralist, fine artist, and teaching artist. Growing up in the “car culture” of Detroit, Yamasaki had an immediate connection to Honda’s story. Yamasaki comes from a huge, diverse family that is full of (among many other things) artists and teachers. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

"Weston's writing is clear and accessible, even to those who might not know any automotive lingo. . . There has been very little published about Honda for children. This story takes a step toward filling that gap." -- School Library Journal

"Weston presents Honda as a perfectionist, an innovator in his field and a model corporate leader, who encouraged his workers, listened to them and treated them well. . . . Yamasaki's detailed and whimsical acrylics add zest to the proceedings. A worthwhile introduction to a neglected subject." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Mark Weston and illustrator Katie Yamasaki bring [Soichiro Honda] and his machines to life." -- The Horn Book

Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education

From the Publisher

Gr 3-5

This picture-book biography follows the life of Soichiro Honda, born in 1906, from his beginnings as a boy working in his father's smith shop to his international success as a manufacturer. Weston's writing is clear and accessible, even to those who might not know any automotive lingo. The book reads like a story, with fictionalization of Honda's thoughts and dialogue and emphasis on his persistence and ingenuity. Yamasaki's acrylic illustrations dominate each page. At first glance they seem representational, but on closer inspection readers will find little men climbing on the engine parts and pieces of machinery swirling up into the air like dust, miniature cars going around a globe and down Honda's arm, and figures on tiny motorcycles on mountains as a backdrop to modern, colorfully clad men and women riding on the road. Yamasaki's creative composition makes the pictures interesting and dynamic. There has been very little published about Honda for children. This story takes a step toward filling that gap.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT

School Library Journal

Soichiro Honda was, in his own way, the Henry Ford of Japan. He became fascinated by automobiles from his very first sight of a Model T. Determined to learn everything possible about cars, he began as a cleaner in a garage and eventually became an expert mechanic with his own business. Later he designed racecars and manufactured car parts and airplane propellers. After World War II, he developed small motorcycles and started the Honda Motor Company, constantly adding improvements and innovations to his products and then designing and manufacturing fuel-efficient automobiles. Weston presents Honda as a perfectionist, an innovator in his field and a model corporate leader, who encouraged his workers, listened to them and treated them well. However, with the exception of a list of retirement activities, Honda's life beyond business is nowhere to be found. Yamasaki's detailed and whimsical acrylics add zest to the proceedings. A worthwhile introduction to a neglected subject. (author's sources, afterword) (Picture book/biography. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews