There was a story that Mama read to Once, in old Japan, a young woodcutter lived alone in a little cottage. One winter day he found a crane struggling in a snare and set it free. When Jiro looks out the window into Mr. Ozu’s garden, he sees a crane and remembers that story. Much like the crane, the legend comes to life—and, suddenly, Jiro finds himself in a world woven between dream and reality. Which is which? Allen Say creates a tale about many things at the power of story, the allure of the imagined, and the gossamer line between truth and fantasy. For who among us hasn’t imagined ourselves in our own favorite fairy tale?