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WHEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS FALL

Name: WHEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS FALL
Author: Katrina Goldsaito
ISBN: 9780316281126

by Katrina Goldsaito ; illustrated by Yas Imamura ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 10, 2026

An elegantly moving, if lofty, exploration of time and transition.

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A young Japanese girl learns that nature can’t be rushed.

As the story opens, Yuna is perched in a bare brown tree, amid wintry fields “buttered” with snow. Impatient, she asks her hībāchan (great-grandmother), “When will your sakura tree bloom?” Hībāchan agrees that it’s difficult to await the cherry blossoms, only to watch them quickly blow away in the wind soon after they arrive. Nevertheless, this ephemerality is what makes the blooms so beautiful—a quality Hībāchan refers to as “mono-no-aware.” As spring approaches, Hībāchan’s eyesight dims, and Yuna describes what she sees, from green buds closed “tight as fists” to “the slightest blush of pink” to flowers that resemble sea anemones. Hībāchan appreciatively murmurs, “Ah mono-no-aware, ne?” When Hībāchan dies, the grieving girl climbs the tree; surrounded by bright pink blooms, she remembers her great-grandmother’s spirit until the blooms fly away, giving her a firsthand experience of the fleeting nature of beauty and time. Though poetic and gracefully told, Goldsaito’s story will likely require explanation of these complex philosophical concepts. Imamura’s vibrant, geometric illustration style effectively uses varying perspectives to immerse readers in hanami, or flower watching. Her palette balances the stark browns of winter with the pastel pinks and greens of the coming spring.

An elegantly moving, if lofty, exploration of time and transition. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026

ISBN: 9780316281126

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
by Katrina Goldsaito ; illustrated by Julia Kuo

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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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MANGO, ABUELA, AND ME

by Meg Medina ; illustrated by Angela Dominguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...

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Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?

The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.

This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)