Striking, memorable imagery—a lost hat enjoying a new life as a bird’s nest, the mystery of a cicada’s molted...
A combined picture-book biography and brief anthology of poems by Japan’s foremost 20th-century poet for children.
In her brief life, Misuzu Kaneko wrote and published hundreds of poems exploring the feelings of snowflakes and sardines, whales and birds. After her death, though her work was translated into many other languages, Misuzu’s poetry fell into obscurity in Japan, revived only following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Tohoku. The biographical portion of the book, by journalist Jacobson, covers Misuzu’s triumphs and tragedies, incorporating 10 poems that reflect her interest in the natural world and her gift for investing creatures and inanimate objects with unique perspectives. This section also sensitively addresses Misuzu’s suicide at age 26, following the swift progression of a then-untreatable sexually transmitted infection contracted from her husband. The second half of the book, which can be read along with the biography or separately, comprises 15 more of Misuzu’s poems—presented in both the original Japanese and in translation—accompanied by warm, thematically related illustrations. Each brief poem addresses nature, children’s observations, or both, in language that will be both accessible to the youngest readers and thought-provoking for adult caregivers.
Striking, memorable imagery—a lost hat enjoying a new life as a bird’s nest, the mystery of a cicada’s molted husk—guarantees fruitful rereadings for readers of all ages. (Picture book/poetry/biography. 6-11)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-63405-962-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Chin Music Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
A magnificent creation myth, reflective and reverential.
The cosmos is within us, and this ethereal origin story sprinkles philosophical star stuff on every page.
Stars spring up from “a web of inky endlessness.” They multiply, “cast across endless time,” and eventually gather into a dusky blue-skied planet populated with not only animals and “tree and root and seed” but also indulgences like garlands, beds, and fluttering books. Still, a trail of stars from the sky cascades deep underground before reversing course “so life could reach back to the darkness,” the inexorable cycle of life revealing no beginning or end but an indomitable recurring connection among all life. Dark whorls of bruised-black paint on fully saturated pages play host to delicate details like arcing constellations and a flotilla of starships, the spreads revealed to be smaller sections of one massive and glorious artwork rendered in the golden ratio. The unseen narrator’s spare and conceptually sophisticated text sets a lyrically tranquil if mature tone, and frequent anthropomorphization of the stars and their evolution keeps the story more mythlike than cosmographic. This profoundly beautiful and thought-provoking pick offers a beatific view of the birth of the universe and makes a moving selection for contemplative readers who connect deeply with Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes’ The Stuff of Stars (2018).
A magnificent creation myth, reflective and reverential. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9781592704910
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject.
The paths of four migrant children from different Central American countries cross as they enter Mexico, and together they continue their journey to the United States.
Though their reasons for undertaking the perilous journey are different, their hopes are not: They all hope for asylum in the U.S. Ten-year-old Alessandra, from Guatemala, hopes to reunite with her mother, who left four years ago. Thirteen-year-old Laura and her 7-year-old brother, Nando, from El Salvador, are going to live with relatives in the U.S. And 14-year-old Rodrigo, from Honduras, will try to join his parents in Nebraska rather than join a local gang. Along the way they encounter danger, hunger, kindness from strangers, and, most importantly, the strength of friendship with one another. Through the four children, the book provides but the barest glimpse into the reasons, hopes, and dreams of the thousands of unaccompanied minors that arrive at the U.S.–Mexico border every year. Artist Guevara has added Central American folk art–influenced details to her illustrations, giving depth to the artwork. These embellishments appear as line drawings superimposed on the watercolor scenes. The backmatter explains the reasons for the book, helping to place it within the larger context of ongoing projects at Baylor University related to the migration crisis in Central America.
An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject. (Picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64442-008-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Six Foot Press
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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