Honda

The Boy Who Dreamed of Cars
By Mark Weston, Katie Yamasaki
Paperback: $11.95

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

Front cover for The Story of Car Engineer Soichiro Honda by Mark Weston and Katie Yamasaki
This book is also available in English
The Story of Car Engineer Soichiro Honda
By Mark Weston, Katie Yamasaki

Description

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.

About the Creators

Mark Weston

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

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.

Awards

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

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

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620141915
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 2008
  • Trim Size 10.5 × 9 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1726
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781600602467
  • Price $17.95
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 2008
  • Trim Size 1 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1726
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Business & Economics
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / People & Places / Asia
  • Themes Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Biography / Memoir, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Comparing / Classifying / Measuring, Dreams & Aspirations, How-to / Instructional Nonfiction, Imagination, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Integrity / Honesty, Leadership, Mentors, Nonfiction, Occupations, Optimism / Enthusiasm, Overcoming Obstacles, People In Motion, Pride, Respect / Citizenship, Responsibility, Self Control / Self Regulation, Vehicles In Motion
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 11
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 6
  • Guided Reading S
  • ATOS Book Level 5.4
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 6
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 870
  • Reading Level Grades 3 - 4
  • SRC 3.4
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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