Review - The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
by Heather Smith
illustrated by Rachel Wada
Date: 2019
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

When the tsunami destroyed Makio's village, Makio lost his father... and his voice. The entire village is silenced by grief, and the young child's anger at the ocean grows. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project--building a phone booth in his garden. At first Makio is puzzled; the phone isn't connected to anything. It just sits there, unable to ring. But as more and more villagers are drawn to the phone booth, its purpose becomes clear to Makio: the disconnected phone is connecting people to their lost loved ones. Makio calls to the sea to return what it has taken from him and ultimately finds his voice and solace in a phone that carries words on the wind.

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is inspired by the true story of the wind phone in Otsuchi, Japan, which was created by artist Itaru Sasaki. He built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed, saying, "My thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the town of Otsuchi, claiming 10 percent of the population. Residents of Otsuchi and pilgrims from other affected communities have been traveling to the wind phone since the tsunami.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

What an interesting story! I hadn't heard about the "phone of the wind" before. Though the real one was built before the tsunami, it became a way for many to deal with their grief after the 2011 disaster.

Young Makio is watching the sea when the earthquake and tsunami hit. His father is washed out to sea and lost. From that point, he doesn't speak. It isn't until he starts to deal with his feelings--shouting at the sea, and even using the telephone to talk to his dad--that he begins to heal.

The story is lovely, and the illustrations complement it perfectly. Though it does depict the actual earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the book isn't too scary, and there's nothing overtly graphic. The illustration of Makio sitting on the dock and staring at a shadow of him and his dad on the water is one of my favourites. The colour palette is soft and limited, and it has a definite Japanese flavour that helps bring the setting to life.

The author's note at the end about the real phone booth is a nice touch. Though the story of Makio and Mr. Hirota is fiction, the inspiration is real and fascinating. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5