AI & AIKO AND THE LITTLE CURVE

Ai and Aiko—immensely popular cartoon characters who have gone viral on the digital platform GIPHY—make their picture-book debut.

Ai, a child with a cloudlike puff of hair and paper-white skin, and his Shiba Inu, Aiko, love going to Grandpa’s cafe; on Sunday afternoons, with the business closed to the public, Ai creates art with Grandpa’s guidance. After completing a self-portrait (“a good reminder to love yourself,” Grandpa muses), Ai proudly shows off his work. Grandpa advises adding “a little curve” to the work. But before he can explain, he’s interrupted by a phone call. What could Grandpa mean? Ai and Aiko set out on an adventure. Ai’s magical scarf transforms into a paper airplane, and the two of them fly high, encountering curves everywhere they go: in the fluffy clouds, in the rainbow they slide down, and in a green hill and a flowing stream. At last, the boy returns home to work on his self-portrait. But it’s Grandpa who helps him put the finishing touches on the piece: the curve of a smile. Infused with kawaii sweetness, Draw’s illustrations evoke movement and warmth, using color and lines to convey movement and emotion. Ai and Aiko’s lighthearted journey includes a few important nuggets: Inspiration is all around us, and joy is key to the process.

A vibrant tale to motivate burgeoning artists.