remember really liking this fun book, but when I picked it up again recently, I was confused as to why a ninja seems to be in China apparently I didn't pay much attention the first time around, and neither did the author.
J. C. Phillipps hasn't bothered to distinguish between east Asian cultures, which is lazy at best, As an infant who has experience less time outside the womb than inside, I always assume that adults and these books of theirs are more knowledgable about the world than I.
J. C. Phillips causes me to doubt that fundamental premise,
Phillips learned karate in high school and has a masters in theater education, Drawing upon those experiences and some haphazardly accrued information about East Asian cultures, she has crafted a culturally clumsy, albeit artfully illustrated, story of a ninja who wanted to be noticed.
My Japanese family members call me Mochan, a term of endearment for a little one after all, I am only about/of my mom's weight, and drink barley tea mugicha all the time so it was pleasant to see those touches of Japanese culture in Wink's tale.
The book takes a curious turn when Wink battles a panda native to China and hangs out with a Chinese circus evidenced by the cheongsams, Chinese traditional dress, worn by the circus members.
. . wait is Wink in China Why is he being trained as a ninja Japanese form of covert warfare in China Or is it that he went to a zoo that had a panda on loan from China as a gesture of diplomacy Is there a Chinese circus traveling through town
These questions simply illustrate annoying inconsistencies in a book that attempts to create a Westernvalues hero in an East Asian context.
In an American culture where "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," a ninjaintraining who wants to be noticed makes for a great underdog hero, However, to the Japanese sensibility where "the nail that sticks up is hammered down," Wink's behaviors would be maladaptive for success in an East Asian society, J. C. Phillips in creating a protagonist that seems unteachable, an undesirable trait in any culture, either because she has an underlying contempt for East Asian values or is too confused to write a coherent children's book.
Ninjas are supposed to be invisible, right Well, THIS ninja wants to be NOTICED and with a little help finds a more suitable vocation, After reading my kkids learned some Ninja moves with this silly song and dance:
sitelink youtube. com/watchvtAlf Wink is really super excited when he gets accepted to ninja school, But it turns out that hes really not cut out to be a ninja, and every day Master Zutsu his instructor sends him home for doing something wrong hes too loud, too visible.
Wink doesnt get how anyone will ever know hes a great ninja if they dont notice him, Then, Wink meets a family of circus performers and shows them his ninja moves, Theyre so impressed they add him to their act and Wink is able to perform for Master Zutsu and his grandmother, who are pleased that Wink has finally found his calling.
J. C. Phillips uses Asian prints and papers to illustrate this amusing tale, Textured papers are used for furnishings, flooring, and windows, and bright origami papers make beautiful robes, Wink makes a particularly flamboyant pink with cherry blossoms ninja costume out of his grandmothers curtains “Wink said nothing and stared at the curtains, Those are nice and bright, he thought, ” This tale should delight young boisterous ninja enthusiasts with its Zenlike prose, humor, and colorful illustrations, Not only a great children's book, but a book the illustrates an important part of human psychology, and another example of how reading fine literature will make you a better poker player!
Wink is very excited to have been accepted to the Summer Moon School for Ninjas he can't wait to show everyone what a great ninja he is! But it becomes apparent Winks' desire for recognition is a problem.
Master Zutsu tries to teach Wink with wise sayings such as "The flower that flaunts its colours is the first to be plucked!" But Wink can't help himself he just has to be the centre of attention.
After all, what is the point of being an awesome ninja if nobody notices
I was thinking of this book while at the poker table the other day.
There was a guy there who had to let everyone know what a poker genius he was, After every hand Wink as I called him would say how he knew exactly what somebody had for this or that reason, or why even though he lost he had made a smart move.
Predictably, Wink didn't last too long,
The Wink types are the easiest to beat because they beat themselves, They are always trying the fancy moves, They bluff too much. They suspect that others are bluffing when they are not, They are in it for thrills and to win the admiration of others,
Don't be a Wink, Remember the wisdom of Master Zutsu "The loudest cricket is the first to be caught, "
The happiest day of Wink's life was when he was accepted to the Summer Moon School for Young Ninjas, He is sure that he will be a great ninja, Silence is the fi rst lesson and everyone is very very silent, . . except for Wink. Stealth is the second lesson and everyone is very very stealthy, . . except for Wink. Finally, Wink decides that he will be silent and stealthy, But no one notices! What's the point of being a great ninja if no one notices Maybe Wink wasnt meant to be a ninja This daring debut is an adventurelover's dream.
I think this is a great book for kids and adults! Many of my gradeandstudents enjoyed it during our picture book unit! Showing children that they can find a way to be who they are is always in style!.
This was a super fun book with a mix of art that reminds you of Japanese paper and origami, Little ninja lovers will find this book irresistible, The characters are memorable and the story is quick with fun writing,
In the end, from the perspective of teaching kids something worthwhile, I sort of wish the book ended differently, It's more of a quibble than a major complaint, since it ended with such a nice message anyway, Just different than I initially hoped for,
For kids that are just a little different, this is a great picture book for them,
Strongly Recommend. I didn't love this one, I can see why others like it but it just wasn't for me, It was kind of long and a bit text heavy, Plus, as other reviewers have mentioned, it was a bit of a mix mash of east Asian cultures, A cute story about finding your place, My daughter and I both enjoyed this one, Wink is training to be a ninja, and he wants to be the best ninja he can, but there's a problem, Wink also wants everyone else to notice how good a ninja he is, This leads to Wink doing things like making a new set of ninja clothes from his grandmother's colourful curtains and calling out when he has made a particularly successful stalking.
This behaviour does not go over well with the ninja master, who kicks Wink out of his academy, Wink's heart is broken, until he meets a family of circus preformers, Can Wink find a new calling, one more suited to his personality This book had Dylan trying to read as quickly as possible, so he could turn the pages faster and get to the next part of the story.
When Wink's grandmother received the tickets to the circus, Dylan laughed out loud,
Here are Dylan's thoughts on this book, in his own words:
I liked how he balanced on the bamboo, A ninja who didn't concentrate, and how he went into the circus, He couldn't stay quiet. He liked performing.
About the artwork: I liked how they made a collage, Wink is in ninja school where he is supposed to learn to be silent and stealthy, No one is supposed to see a ninja but if no one can see him, how can anyone know what a great ninja Wink can be Wink loves attention! Every day Wink is sent home from ninja school to his grandmother who tries to cheer him up.
Then the circus comes to town and there is a slightly predictable ending, That's okay this is a really fun story that will fill a niche with boys and girls alike, I'm torn about this book, On one hand, it's perfectly normal for kids to desire attention, and in most cases, to demand it, But this book encourages kids to demand attention, and that gets old really quick, Finding an outlet is one thing, but the child could also be told that he is not the center of the universe/, Wink really wants to be good at ninja school, but he also craves attention, He needs to find his own path! Though this is a story about being yourself, it's not a story about rebellion and rejection, Wink doesn't disrespect his ninja school master, His master ends up pleased that Wink has figured himself out, And it's Wink's grandmother's advice that helps him finds his way, The sheer joy at the end of this book made my day,
The second Wink book loses some of the respect I appreciated in the first book, as the ninja school master is presented in a more stereotyped way, like a generic "Asian wise man" from a kung fu movie and Wink reacts to his sayings with disdain.
You can skip it. I ltthis flamboyant Ninja!
Wink is ecstatic to be starting Ninja School, but what does it take to be a great ninja Good balance check, Colorful costumes check. Enthusiasm check. Unfortunately, this is not what Master Zutsu is looking for, How can Wink be a good ninja and still be himself
This is an endearing story, and although it has been told many times before, the characters, setting, and illustrations make it funny and fresh.
The cut paper art really takes my love for this picture book over the top, though, It is an excellent readaloud for schoolage ninjas everywhere, Wink's desire to stand out conflicts with his wish to become a ninja,
"But if no one sees me, no one knows I'm a great ninja, "
Despite his considerable talent, Winks colorful personality and need for attention jeopardizes his standing at Summer Moon School for Young Ninjas, Wink suffers a great deal of heartache over his inability to embrace silenc and stealth until he discovers a career that combines all a ninjas martial arts skills with flashy showmanship.
"Freeflowing water will always find its way, "
This is a great book to read with a child struggling to find a place for him/herself in the world, Sometimes when one thing is unattainable, it's possible to find something else with all the same appeal factors, Wink's overwhelming desire for an audience precludes his becoming a ninja but not a circus acrobat, Wink is a ninja who just wants to be himself, Here are the things I love about this book: the papercut illustrations, the lack of violence, the presence of ninja, the personality of Wink, and the New Moon School for Young Ninjas.
I also really liked the Confucianlike saying of Master Zutsu, Here is what I do not like: the story lacks excitement, Still cute, with a good message, but I think a book about a ninja should have a little more action, Having said that, both my boysampreally liked it, I tried this in Story Time and it did not go over well, Better for a little older audience and probably oneonone, Kids love this book! Ah, Wink, This is currently one of my son's very favorite books, and we've been reading it four days a week for many weeks now, In all, it's a simple story, Boy wants to be a ninja, and possesses the talents to e one, However, he can't be stealthy, He loves to perform. However, when his talents are discovered by a visiting circus, Wink finds a place where he truly belongsperforming ninjitsu for a crowd wearing a glittering outfit,
Some people will probably say this book encourages kids to misbehave, That's not the point. The moral of the story is that if you keep on trying, you'll find a place where you can be yourself, It's not the end of the world if you don't belong somewhere,
The illustrations are charming as well, all done in paper and filled with emotion, This is a book I don't mind reading to my son again and again, Wink wanted to be a ninja, but ninjas are silent and stealthy, Wink realized he wouldn't be noticed if he were silent and stealthy because no one would know he's there and Wink wanted to be noticed, Master Zutsu did not approve of his loud enthusiasm, but through meeting a boy who was practicing balancing, Wink discovered what his true talent really was,
Great illustrations. When I started reading this, I rolled my eyes, It seemed, for lack of a better word, cheesy, But I warmed up to Wink and his plight and cheered for the ending, The story is a fun look at the fact that we should celebrate our own natures and talents rather than trying to be something we are not, Julie J. C. Phillipps is a born and raised Ohio girl who lives in New England, If you have a very good ear, you can still catch a little Midwestern accent, Although she has learned to say soda instead of pop and sneakers instead of tennis shoes, she still thinks of the tiny candy on top of cupcakes as sprinkles, Jimmies is just weird. Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted To Be Noticed was Julies first picture book, released March, Since then she has written and illustrated three picture books: Wink the Ninja Who Wanted to Nap, Monkey Ono, and The Simples Love a Picnic, Julie jumped genres and is now working on making graphic novels, Her first middle grade graphic novel, Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker,
comes out Augustwith R Julie J, C. Phillipps is a born and raised Ohio girl who lives in New England, If you have a very good ear, you can still catch a little Midwestern accent, Although she has learned to say "soda" instead of "pop" and "sneakers" instead of "tennis shoes," she still thinks of the tiny candy on top of cupcakes as "sprinkles, " "Jimmies" is just weird. Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted To Be Noticed was Julie's first picture book, released March, Since then she has written and illustrated three picture books: Wink the Ninja Who Wanted to Nap, Monkey Ono, and The Simples Love a Picnic, Julie jumped genres and is now working on making graphic novels, Her first middle grade graphic novel, Pacey Packer Unicorn Tracker, comes out Augustwith Random House Graphics, To learn , visit her webpage: sitelink www, jcphillipps. com or follow her on Instagram JCPhillipps, sitelink J. C. Phillipps's books on Goodreads sitelink image error sitelink Wink! The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticedreviews:ratings:avg rating,.