Kiyoshi’s love for making paper lanterns becomes a problem when it distracts him from learning the more practical farming skills taught to him by his father. Fascinated by dragonflies that hum in their rice paddy, Kiyoshi crafts a lantern that changes his destiny.
Picture Book
Sumo Boy
Sumo Boy saves a girl from a bully using real sumo wrestling moves. When he hears a little girl’s cry of despair, he jumps to the rescue.
The Tea Party In The Woods
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.
Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds
Mr. Postmouse has loaded up his wagon and is ready to deliver the mail. From the lofty heights of the Birds’ tree houses to the inky depths of Mrs. Octopus’s ship, the intrepid letter carrier lets nothing stand in the way of his deliveries. This is an introduction to the postal system and an imaginative survey of different types of homes.
Loula And Mister The Monster
Loula panics when she overhears Mama saying that she can’t live with that MONSTER anymore! She knows Mama must be talking about Mister, Loula’s beloved dog, who can be a little too messy, a little too clumsy and a little too hungry. A lot of the time, Loula tells Mister if he doesn’t stop with the bad manners, Mama will throw him out, like an old pair of shoes! And what would Loula do without Mister? She’s just going to have to find a way to transform Mister the monster into the most perfect little dog no mama can resist.
The Specific Ocean
In this gently told picture book, a young girl is unhappy about having to leave the city for a family vacation on the Pacific Ocean (which she used to call the Specific Ocean). As the days pass, however, she is drawn to spend more time in and near the water, feeling moved by its beauty and rhythms. By the end of the vacation, the girl has grown to love the ocean and now feels reluctant to leave it behind. But as she soon realizes, it doesn’t ever have to leave her.
Look At The Sky
Look at the Sky describes the many moods of the skies, whether delivering blizzard blasts or lightening flashes. A child need only look to the sky to witness storms, thunder, hail, or fog.
Hear The Sea
Hear the Sea depicts the ocean as a majestic force that scatters starfish amongst its shores while making sails dance and changing colors with her mood.
Feel The Wind
Feel the Wind looks at the tricks the wind plays, making turbines spin, bubbles float, and kites soar higher. These three separate picture books are thematically linked, celebrating the wonders of nature that children encounter in their daily lives, but the rhythm of the text and style of the art are unique to each story.
Abukacha’s Shoes
n a Jewish folktale retold in the author’s family, Abukacha, who has the largest feet in the world, has a new pair of shoes and tries to get rid of the old ones, only to find that is not as easy as he expects.