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TOM AND MOMO

Name: TOM AND MOMO
Author: Akiko Miyakoshi
ISBN: 9781525314476

by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi ; translated by Shana Rieko Shimizu ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2026

An urban dream of solitude and friendship.

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In this Japanese import, two youngsters move through the city on parallel paths.

Tom (a bear) and Momo (a rabbit) have both recently relocated to an urban environment distinctly reminiscent of New York. It’s cold, the trees are bare, and snow falls quietly on broad open park land as the protagonists bustle between subway trains, diners, and outdoor markets in their parents’ company. They cross paths but never meet. Neither has siblings, and they can both be found gazing out backlit apartment windows into the dark night, dreaming of a playmate. One night, by coincidence or fate, both are in line for Christmas cake with their mothers. Tom notices Momo’s yellow poncho. Later, at the grocery store, Momo notices Tom’s yellow snowsuit. Heading home, the children realize they are following the same path, and to their happy surprise, they arrive in the same apartment lobby. Finally, Momo and Tom find the gift of a playmate and jump joyfully into imaginary play together. Miyakoshi’s signature style is on full display here. Anthropomorphic animals bustle about busy streets, each image displaying deep appreciation for city life’s quotidian rhythms while capturing the ineffable melancholy of feeling alone amid a crowd. Miyakoshi’s aesthetic celebration of light and shadow is perfectly suited to Tom and Momo’s winter world, especially when inky-dark evenings are charmingly dotted with the twinkling lights of Christmas trees.

An urban dream of solitude and friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026

ISBN: 9781525314476

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE SHREW
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi

- BOOK REVIEW
I DREAM OF A JOURNEY
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi ; translated by Cathy Hirano

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PIANO RECITAL
by Akiko Miyakoshi ; illustrated by Akiko Miyakoshi

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)