Catalan / Spain
Hachiko. El gos que esperava
(Hachiko. The dog who waited)
Prats, Lluís
(text)
Celej, Zuzanna
(illus.)
Barcelona: La Galera, 2015. – 148 p.
ISBN 978-84-246-5539-6
Dog | Loyalty
Reading age: 10+
White Ravens issue: 2016
Even today, the story of Hachikō the Akita dog touches many people around the world. The pet of the Ueno family in Tokyo, he waited every night at the nearby train station to greet his master when he came home from the university. After the death of Professor Ueno, nothing could dissuade the animal to keep waiting, day in, day out, until nine years later, when he died in 1935. Hachikō, still venerated in Japan today, has been honoured by statues, books, manga and films. The amazing story of the dog who was so very human and who stands for unerring faithfulness, loyalty and patience inspired Catalan author Lluis Prats to create this version of the tale, which certainly speaks to readers of all ages. The author expertly composes the text, accompanied by Zuzanna Celej’s atmospheric water colour illustrations, and tells the story of Hachikō and of life in Tokyo more than eighty years ago in beautiful literary language.