Yoshitomo Nara's first children's book is fascinating for young children. Somehow the idea that a dog can be too big for anyone to see captures their imagination. And then, climbing up a paw and discovering a whole new world -- fun for a kid and for the kid in the adult doing the reading aloud.
Yoshitomo Nara has become known world wide for his neo-pop style paintings and sculptures that featuring big-eyed children, sometimes sad, sometimes mischievous, sometimes a little dangerous. Nara denies that the weapons held by his kids are dangerous. "Look at them, they are so small, like toys. Do you think they could fight with those? I don't think so. Rather, I kind of see the children among other, bigger, bad people all around them, who are holding bigger knives...." [His thought reminds me of the closing scene in Lord of the Flies, where murderous children are stopped by well dressed naval officers, themselves engaged in murderous activities.] However you interpret the kids, however, as one critic wrote: "his tender and friendly dogs offer absolution and tranquility."
Nara's art is clearly autobiographical. He was a "latch-key kid" who spent time out of school with virtually alone, with only pets for company. "My art represents my childhood experiences. It is not influenced by Japanese pop culture. I played with sheep, cats and dogs when I came home from school."
I first encountered Nara's art in Philadelphia and learned more from the catalog, Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens. The book is a wonderful description of Nara's work and its influences.
At the end of the analysis, however, this puppy is adorable, and the kid within all of us will love it. Mine sure did.