A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book, 2024 - Kirkus Best Book of 2024 - Starred reviews from Kirkus, The Horn Book, Publishers Weekly - Kids Indie Next Pick

Akiko Miyakoshi returns with a beguiling, quietly magical appreciation of life's little pleasures.

Little Shrew is diligent in all parts of life. He's a hard worker and follows a strict schedule from morning to night. But even a life that runs like clockwork can be filled with unexpected pockets of joy, such as solving a puzzle for the very first time, enjoying the scent of freshly baked bread, seeing the vast beauty of a shimmering blue ocean or delighting in a visit with friends.

This collection of three short stories -- perfect for emerging readers -- is illustrated in Miyakoshi's signature soft monochrome palette with pops of color. The charming tales celebrate enduring friendships, dreams for the future and the little pleasures that make everyday life more meaningful.

When a young girl named Kikko realizes her father has forgotten the pie he was supposed to bring to Grandma's house, she offers to try and catch him as he makes his way through the woods. She hurriedly follows her father's footprints in the snow and happens upon a large house she has never seen before. Curious, Kikko peers through the window, when she is startled by a small lamb wearing a coat and carrying a purse. Even more surprising, the lamb speaks, asking her in a kind voice, Are you here for the tea party? Suddenly, Kikko realizes her trip through the woods has turned into something magical. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi has beautifully crafted an original fairy tale picture book that will delight and enchant. The unique visual presentation features mostly black-and-white art with the occasional use of red or yellow to help guide readers through the pages. Kikko's blend of courage and reticence along with her inquisitive nature makes her a character children will relate to, and the many unexpected twists and turns of her adventure keep the intrigue growing. The ambiguous ending --- in which it is not clear whether Kikko imagined the tea party or if the animals simply disappeared back into the woods --- provides a terrific opportunity for children to weigh in on what they think happened. This book also could launch classroom conversations about children's own experiences of being trusted with big responsibilities.

A mother rabbit and her young bunny are on their way home in the dark night. My mother carries me through the quiet streets, the bunny explains. Most of our neighbors are already home. The bunny can see their lights in the windows, and hear and smell what they might be doing: talking on the phone, pulling a pie out of the oven, having a party, saying goodbye. When they reach home, the father rabbit tucks the bunny into bed. But the bunny continues to wonder about the neighbors' activities. Are the party guests saying goodnight? Is the person on the phone getting ready for bed? And what of the footsteps that can be heard in the street as the bunny falls asleep? Will she take the last train home?This beautiful picture book captures the magical wonder a child feels at being outside in the night. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi's softly focused black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of neutral color have a dreamlike quality, just right for nodding off to sleep with. The book is intriguing in that it contains twice-told stories, once as they are observed and second as the bunny imagines them. This offers a perfect prompt for young children to create extensions of other stories they have read or heard. A deeper reading could encourage critical thinking by comparing the different pastimes of the neighbors or, ultimately, what it means to be home.

As this evocative picture book begins, a little boy is excited about a trip to the beach with his parents planned for the following day. But a bad storm is coming, and he has started to worry they won't be able to go. He watches as the sky grows darker through the afternoon. His mother and father close the shutters and bring the potted plants indoors. Then the storm arrives. All through dinner, the rain beats hard against the shutters. The wind howls and blows, the boy says. I try not to be scared. At bedtime, he thinks, I wish I had a ship with big propellers that would spin stronger winds to drive the storm away. While asleep, his wish becomes his dream, and he manages to blow away the dark clouds with his imaginary vessel. Then, to his delight, when he awakens, he finds his dream of clear blue skies has come true. Author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi uses spare text and black-and-white drawings to echo the tension and uncertainty a child feels when encountering severe weather. The boy knows he is safe, yet danger is near. When he faces his fear in his dream, he becomes empowered by having conquered it. This is a perfect book for a quiet storytime on a rainy day. It would also work for launching conversations about fears, particularly those that are nature related, or as the impetus for children's own imaginary stories of how they could be courageous and save the day.

It's the day of Momo's first piano recital. As she nervously waits for her turn to play, she tells herself, I'll be okay ... I'll be okay ... Then she hears a voice nearby, also saying, I'll be okay ... I'll be okay ... It's a mouseling! And the little mouse is nervous about her first performance, too. The mouseling invites Momo through a small door backstage, where Momo is amazed to find a miniature theater filled with an audience of finely dressed mice there to watch singers, dancers and circus performers! When it's the mouseling's turn, Momo agrees to accompany her on piano. The mouse audience is so appreciative! But then, as she rises to take her bow, Momo is surprised to discover -- it isn't a mouse audience at all!

Here's another magical, dreamlike picture book from Akiko Miyakoshi, the multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling author-illustrator. The imaginative narrative is woven around the common childhood experience of anxiety, felt by performers but also by every child who faces a new life challenge. Momo serves as a wonderful example to children, using the power of her imagination to understand and work through her feelings. Even the youngest readers will be able to follow this story through the beautiful and fantastically detailed illustrations, which perfectly capture Momo's emotions as she transitions from the real to the imagined and back again.

Akiko Miyakoshi's enchanting picture book explores how an innkeeper who spends his days at the crossroads of others' journeys secretly longs to have adventures of his own.

People from all over the world come and go at the innkeeper's little hotel. He enjoys meeting them, and many even become his friends. Only, sometimes, when he goes to sleep at night, the desire to travel far away himself wells up inside him. He dreams of packing a big bag and journeying wherever he pleases, from one unfamiliar town to another. He imagines stopping to visit friends and having wonderful and unexpected experiences. The innkeeper continues to go about his daily routine at his hotel, but, someday, he is sure, he will explore the world.

This beautiful picture book from multi-award-winning and internationally bestselling author-illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi thoughtfully speaks to the common experience of longing for something new and exciting, while feeling comfort in the familiar. The artwork's muted colors and soft focus give it a dreamlike quality and, paired with the spare, simple text, invokes wonder, leaving many questions open to interpretation. This book perfectly captures the feeling of wanderlust, of being curious about the world, wanting to see other places and how other people live. It could ignite intriguing conversations with children about what they long to do. Its message is also likely to resonate with adults.

Las magistrales ilustraciones de Akiko Miyakoshi nos transportan al coraz n de una ciudad que se dispone a dormir. Mediante un estilo cargado de claroscuros y en el que predomina una atm sfera on rica y misteriosa, la autora nos sumerge en una an nima ciudad poblada por animales y que poco a poco se cubre de sombras. La autora intenta responder a la pregunta: Qu pasa cuando nos vamos a dormir?

Akiko Miyakoshi's majestic illustrations transport readers to the heart of a city that loves to sleep. In a style that's both dream-like and mysterious, she creates a nameless city inhabited by animals that is gradually submerged in shadow. The question is, what happens when we go to sleep?

Los secretos que oculta el bosque son revelados por una de las grandes ilustradoras japonesas de nuestros d as. Una historia on rica, absolutamente m gica, para so ar y ser transportados a la tierra de los cuentos de hadas, donde todo es posible. Una ma ana, la peque a Kiko se despierta y, al mirar por la ventana, descubre que todo est cubierto de un hermoso manto blanco. Su pap se fue muy temprano al otro lado del bosque para ayudar a la abuela a limpiar el techo. Pero olvid llevarse consigo el rico pastel especialmente preparado para ella Por ello, Kiko ha decidido llevar el pastel ella sola. Sale de su casa y sigue las huellas dejadas por su pap en la nieve. A lo lejos divisa una figura que viste un abrigo negro. Es su pap ? Muy pronto, esta ni a vivir una extra a aventura, la cual parece salida de un sue o.

This dreamlike and magical story about the secrets of the forest transports readers to the land of fairytales where everything is possible. One morning, little Kiko wakes up to find everything outside covered in a beautiful blanket of white. Her dad left early that day to help her grandma clear off her roof on the other side of the forest--but he forgot to bring the delicious cake made especially for her Kiko decides to bring her the cake himself. She leaves home and follows her dad's footprints in the snow. In the distance, she can see a figure dressed in a black coat. Is it her dad? She'll soon embark on a strange, dream-like adventure.