0
    • Close Modal
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside

    Around the Sun

    Stories and Symbols from Across the World

    Author Yoshi Yoshitani
    Look inside
    Hardcover (Paper-over-Board, no jacket)
    $18.99 US
    Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | Ten Speed Press
    6.24"W x 9.76"H x 0.67"D   | 20 oz | 24 per carton
    On sale May 05, 2026 | 160 Pages | 9780593577899
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    Discover the universal allure of the hero’s journey captured in these global folktales, powerfully retold and gorgeously illustrated by the author and artist behind Tarot of the Divine and Beneath the Moon

    Around the Sun is a storybook comprised of twelve beautifully illustrated folktales from all around the world and across time, each featuring classic tropes such as a Hero, a Challenge, an Advisor, and a Desire. Among the legends and myths included is the story of Innana, the Sumerian goddess of war and desire who sought to extend her earthly power to the underworld; the Cochiti tale from New Mexico about a young weaver caring for her elderly parents and the coyote who wins her affection; the Indonesian lore from East Java about Panji Semirang, the beautiful princess turned fierce bandit; and more. For an additional layer of depth, background information on iconic recurring symbols, objects, and mythical tokens--such as The Mirror, The Magic Skin, and The World Tree--is interspersed throughout. 

    Yoshi Yoshitani's art style is dynamic and vibrant, featuring diverse and multicultural characters. Readers will be transported by Around the Sun's lush artistic details and gripping mythologies.
    Yoshi Yoshitani is a California-based artist whose vibrant illustrations draw on inspiration from across the globe, with a particular focus on multicultural identity. Past clients include Disney, DC Comics, Valiant, Image, DreamWorks, and Netflix. Yoshi spends time researching world mythologies, listening to audiobooks, creating fashion inspiration boards, and attending comic conventions and art expos across the country. View titles by Yoshi Yoshitani
    Introduction

    Growing up in a multicultural household, I was surrounded by myths and fairy tales from different traditions, each shaped by its own culture, beliefs, and environment. Yet as a child, I noticed that even though these stories came from such disparate backgrounds, they shared the same human experiences of high adventure, forbidden doors, fated romance, and tragic loss. These tales showed me that we can find connections in the stories we share and celebrate the differences in the ways we choose to tell them.

    As I grew older, I found that my childhood convictions remained true—stories both bind and individualize us. I began collecting as many stories from as many different places as I could. Used bookstores, museums, libraries, research journals, personal blogs, and social media all helped feed my fixation. But where I began to experience true joy was when I started sharing those stories back out.

    A decade ago, I started on what I thought would be a small project, matching a few fairy tales with tarot cards. That grew into the card deck and guidebook Tarot of the Divine and the storybook Beneath the Moon. In the years since, I have met countless people who have told me how this collection of stories impacted them. Some were thrilled to finally see on paper stories they had been taught as children, some felt connected to an unseen history, some were excited to learn about the world in new ways, and some resonated deeply with ancient stories they had never heard before. Over and over, I am awed at the power of stories and the connections they bring.

    Now I want to share even more stories. Where Beneath the Moon lightly summarized nearly eighty myths, legends, and fairy tales from across the world, in Around the Sun and the accompanying card deck and guidebook Oracle of the Divine, I choose to dive deeper into twelve stories and give readers more of a chance to fall in love with the characters and unique cultures they came from. But I also want to emphasize global similarities, so for that I choose twelve motifs that appear repeatedly in multiple unrelated cultures from around the globe.

    I hope you enjoy this collection and leave wanting to learn even more about one another, all of us spinning around the same sun.

    Yoshi Yoshitani
    Copyright © 2026 by Yoshi Yoshitani. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

    About

    Discover the universal allure of the hero’s journey captured in these global folktales, powerfully retold and gorgeously illustrated by the author and artist behind Tarot of the Divine and Beneath the Moon

    Around the Sun is a storybook comprised of twelve beautifully illustrated folktales from all around the world and across time, each featuring classic tropes such as a Hero, a Challenge, an Advisor, and a Desire. Among the legends and myths included is the story of Innana, the Sumerian goddess of war and desire who sought to extend her earthly power to the underworld; the Cochiti tale from New Mexico about a young weaver caring for her elderly parents and the coyote who wins her affection; the Indonesian lore from East Java about Panji Semirang, the beautiful princess turned fierce bandit; and more. For an additional layer of depth, background information on iconic recurring symbols, objects, and mythical tokens--such as The Mirror, The Magic Skin, and The World Tree--is interspersed throughout. 

    Yoshi Yoshitani's art style is dynamic and vibrant, featuring diverse and multicultural characters. Readers will be transported by Around the Sun's lush artistic details and gripping mythologies.

    Author

    Yoshi Yoshitani is a California-based artist whose vibrant illustrations draw on inspiration from across the globe, with a particular focus on multicultural identity. Past clients include Disney, DC Comics, Valiant, Image, DreamWorks, and Netflix. Yoshi spends time researching world mythologies, listening to audiobooks, creating fashion inspiration boards, and attending comic conventions and art expos across the country. View titles by Yoshi Yoshitani

    Excerpt

    Introduction

    Growing up in a multicultural household, I was surrounded by myths and fairy tales from different traditions, each shaped by its own culture, beliefs, and environment. Yet as a child, I noticed that even though these stories came from such disparate backgrounds, they shared the same human experiences of high adventure, forbidden doors, fated romance, and tragic loss. These tales showed me that we can find connections in the stories we share and celebrate the differences in the ways we choose to tell them.

    As I grew older, I found that my childhood convictions remained true—stories both bind and individualize us. I began collecting as many stories from as many different places as I could. Used bookstores, museums, libraries, research journals, personal blogs, and social media all helped feed my fixation. But where I began to experience true joy was when I started sharing those stories back out.

    A decade ago, I started on what I thought would be a small project, matching a few fairy tales with tarot cards. That grew into the card deck and guidebook Tarot of the Divine and the storybook Beneath the Moon. In the years since, I have met countless people who have told me how this collection of stories impacted them. Some were thrilled to finally see on paper stories they had been taught as children, some felt connected to an unseen history, some were excited to learn about the world in new ways, and some resonated deeply with ancient stories they had never heard before. Over and over, I am awed at the power of stories and the connections they bring.

    Now I want to share even more stories. Where Beneath the Moon lightly summarized nearly eighty myths, legends, and fairy tales from across the world, in Around the Sun and the accompanying card deck and guidebook Oracle of the Divine, I choose to dive deeper into twelve stories and give readers more of a chance to fall in love with the characters and unique cultures they came from. But I also want to emphasize global similarities, so for that I choose twelve motifs that appear repeatedly in multiple unrelated cultures from around the globe.

    I hope you enjoy this collection and leave wanting to learn even more about one another, all of us spinning around the same sun.

    Yoshi Yoshitani
    Copyright © 2026 by Yoshi Yoshitani. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

    Other Books by this Author

    Penguin Random House Retail

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)