Description

Maiko Antiques Special Edition. Softcover 64 pages.
Release date: 3 April 2025. Pre-order now.

Published by Little Soldier Stories.

‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier in the Land of the Yokai’ is the tragic story of a toy soldier’s love for a maiko doll. When he finds himself on the shelf of an extraordinary antique toy store in Japan,
the tin soldier is warned against gazing at the doll by a jealous yōkai, but he persists. Spurred on by supernatural forces, he is propelled head first into a chain reaction of terrifying events that even the most steadfast tin soldier surely couldn’t survive.

Told entirely with photographs by award-winning visual story-tellers Jules and Pierre-Jacques Ober, nothing is lost of the poignancy of the original, nor of the mystery and magic. This is not only a heartbreaking love story and a great adventure, it’s also an excellent tool for learning. It explores themes such as persistence through adversity, jealousy, love and ultimately, transformation: nothing is ever lost but changes shape and continues anew.

‘Extraordinary… remarkable… gives a special depth to this classic Andersen tale transposed into the Japanese landscape, culture and imagination.’
Laura Legros, Atoutlivre