by Yuki Ainoya ; illustrated by Yuki Ainoya ; translated by Michael Blaskowsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2021
Sweet, surreal, and contemplative.
A child’s vivid imagination transforms everyday activities into magical interactions.
This Japanese import emphasizes perspectives—especially those belonging to children who improvise and innovate on prosaic tasks and the minutiae of daily life. At the outset, Haneru Sato, a pale-skinned, black-haired lad, adopts both the identity and the likeness of a rabbit, thereby embracing alternate ways of experiencing the world. As he tends to the garden, a blue hose winds, looking rather like a stream, along a bucolic, tree-studded landscape with romping animals. It ultimately leads to an anthropomorphic pond that not only “blows water into the hose as hard as it can,” but also recedes “back to being its tiny, peaceful self at Sato’s playful signal that he’s done. Similarly charming artwork illustrates the interconnectedness among nature, children, and creativity in six other episodic expeditions featuring distinct themes: “A Sea of Grass”; “A Night of Stars”; “Watermelon” (used as a boat); “A Window to the Sky”; “Walnuts” (envisioned as coffee shop, bakery, and much more); and “Forest Ice” (evoking multicolored frozen treats in various flavors). Alongside Sato, readers travel through the seasons while sharing his myriad, surprising lenses on the universe. The journey culminates in a homecoming when Sato settles into bed, cozily “sipping stories late into the night.” The painterly illustrations suggest homage to Where the Wild Things Are, works by Eric Carle, and others.
Sweet, surreal, and contemplative. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-59270-318-0
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More by Yuki Ainoya
BOOK REVIEW
by Yuki Ainoya ; illustrated by Yuki Ainoya & translated by Michael Blaskowsky
BOOK REVIEW
by Yuki Ainoya ; illustrated by Yuki Ainoya ; translated by Michael Blaskowsky
by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2019
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures.
Pippa conquers a fear of the creatures that emerge from her storybooks at night.
Pippa’s “wonderfully wild imagination” can sometimes run “a little TOO wild.” During the day, she wears her “armor” and is a force to be reckoned with. But in bed at night, Pippa worries about “villains and monsters and beasts.” Sharp-toothed and -taloned shadows, dragons, and pirates emerge from her storybooks like genies from a bottle, just to scare her. Pippa flees to her parents’ room only to be brought back time and again. Finally, Pippa decides that she “needs a plan” to “get rid of them once and for all.” She decides to slip a written invitation into every book, and that night, they all come out. She tries subduing them with a lasso, an eye patch, and a sombrero, but she is defeated. Next, she tries “sashes and sequins and bows,” throwing the fashion pieces on the monsters, who…“begin to pose and primp and preen.” After that success, their fashion show becomes a nightly ritual. Clever Pippa’s transformation from scared victim of her own imagination to leader of the monster pack feels fairly sudden, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. The cartoony illustrations effectively use dynamic strokes, shadow, and light to capture action on the page and the feeling of Pippa's fears taking over her real space. Pippa and her parents are brown-skinned with curls of various textures.
A delicious triumph over fear of night creatures. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5420-9300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More by Lisa Robinson
BOOK REVIEW
by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Hadley Hooper
BOOK REVIEW
by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Lauren Simkin Berke
BOOK REVIEW
by Lisa Robinson ; illustrated by Rebecca Green
by Kathy Caple ; illustrated by Kathy Caple ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 10, 2021
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages.
Never underestimate the chaotic fun that magic and an angry bouncing ball can create.
When Frog goes to the library, he borrows a book on magic. He then heads to a nearby park to read up on the skills necessary to becoming “a great magician.” Suddenly, a deflated yellow ball lands with a “Thud!” at his feet. Although he flexes his new magician muscles, Frog’s spells fall as flat as the ball. But when Frog shouts “Phooey!” and kicks the ball away, it inflates to become a big, angry ball. The ball begins to chase Frog, so he seeks shelter in the library—and Frog and ball turn the library’s usual calm into chaos. The cartoon chase crescendos. The ball bounces into the middle of a game of chess, interrupts a puppet show, and crashes into walls and bookcases. Staying just one bounce ahead, Frog runs, hides, grabs a ride on a book cart, and scatters books and papers as he slides across the library furniture before an alligator patron catches the ball and kicks it out the library door. But that’s not the end of the ball….Caple’s tidy panels and pastel-hued cartoons make a surprisingly effective setting for the slapstick, which should have young readers giggling. Simple sentences—often just subject and verb—with lots of repetition propel the action. Frog’s nonsense-word spells (“Poof Wiffle, Bop Bip!”) are both funny and excellent practice in phonetics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4341-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Miranda Harmon ; illustrated by Miranda Harmon
by Paul Meisel ; illustrated by Paul Meisel
by Vikram Madan ; illustrated by Vikram Madan
More by Kathy Caple
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathy Caple ; illustrated by Kathy Caple
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathy Caple & illustrated by Kathy Caple
BOOK REVIEW
by Kathy Caple & illustrated by Kathy Caple
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.