A Caldecott Honor Book based on a Japanese folktale and highlighted by Allen Say's beautiful art.

Lazy Taro gets his comeuppance when his wise mother uses his trick to avoid work to her own advantage.

"The pictures, handsome in every respect, are done in Japanese style, and complement a well-crafted story." (Booklist; starred review)

Dianne Snyder spent part of her childhood in Japan, where she heard many traditional folk stories and trickster tales— like "The Boy of the Three-Year Nap"—told by itinerant storytellers. She now lives in Virginia.

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He dreamed of becoming a cartoonist from the age of six, and, at age twelve, apprenticed himself to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. For the next four years, Say learned to draw and paint under the direction of Noro, who has remained Say's mentor. Say illustrated his first children's book -- published in 1972 -- in a photo studio between shooting assignments. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis. But in 1987, while illustrating THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (Caldecott Honor Medal), he recaptured the joy he had known as a boy working in his master's studio. It was then that Say decided to make a full commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated many books, including TREE OF CRANES and GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal. He is a full-time writer and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon.

"The pictures, handsome in every respect, are done in Japanese style, and complement a well-crafted story." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review —