Review - I Dream of a Journey

I Dream of a Journey
by Akiko Miyakoshi
Date: 2020
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

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 best-selling 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.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I went into this book with fairly high expectations, given that I've enjoyed the other books I've read by this author. Sadly, I Dream of a Journey just didn't work that well for me. It seems to lack the magic of The Piano Recital and The Tea Party in the Woods that so intrigued me when I read those books. In contrast, I Dream of a Journey seems more like a lament for adults, with a main character dreaming of the day he can leave his responsibilities behind and live the life he truly dreams of. I'm not sure how well that message is going to resonate with kids.

The illustrations are interesting, with black-and-white drawings of the innkeeper's everyday life contrasting with colourful dream sequences. Various anthropomorphized animals make up the cast of characters. The pictures have a certain charm, and will likely appeal to Miyakoshi's fans.

But the story is just a little too melancholy and... well, mature. It seems to be more about missed opportunities, regrets, and living vicariously through those around us. While the book does end on a hopeful note, the whole tone of the story seems just a little too gloomy and adult for the intended audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - The Piano Recital

The Piano Recital
by Akiko Miyakoshi
Date: 2012
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

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.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is simply adorable! I first encountered this author's work in The Tea Party in the Woods. This book features a similar illustration style (although it's a little less creepy in spots), with lots of black-and-white drawings and touches of colour. In this story, Momo is preparing for her turn at the piano recital. She's very nervous. But someone else is nervous, too. She looks down and sees a mouse in a fancy dress who's preparing for her own recital. The mouse invites Momo to watch the murine performance, and to help her new friend, Momo offers to accompany her on the piano. At the end, we find out that Momo has actually been performing for the human audience, having used her imagination to overcome her anxiety.

I really like the pictures in this. The mouse theatre is especially charming, with all the dressed-up mice filling the seats. Perhaps understandably (given that it's in Momo's imagination), there's more colour in these scenes; in the "real world", the only pops of colour are Momo's red dress and her pink cheeks.

I enjoyed this book more than The Tea Party in the Woods, partly because of the relatable story, partly because of the illustrations. I'd recommend this one to those looking for books about performance anxiety, who enjoy talking-animal fantasies, or who simply want a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.67 out of 5

Review - The Tea Party in the Woods

The Tea Party in the Woods
by Akiko Miyakoshi
Date: 2010
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Kikko sets out after her father with a forgotten pie for Grandma. When she arrives at a strange house in the wintry woods, a peek in the window reveals that the footprints Kikko had been following did not belong to her father at all, but to a bear in a long coat and hat! Alice in Wonderland meets Little Red Riding Hood in this charmed tale.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This wasn't really what I was expecting... but more on that in a moment. This is a cute little story about a girl who's on her way to her grandmother's house when she stumbles upon a very strange tea party in the woods. The animals are all very kind and welcoming, and help her solve her dilemma. The illustrations are an intriguing mix of cartoonish and realistic, with a bit of creepiness thrown in (there was one illustration in particular, where all the animals were looking at Kikko, that was a little unnerving). Overall, I quite liked the story and the tone.

There was one thing I found a bit confusing, though. (This doesn't affect my rating at all, but I just wanted to point it out.) When I picked this one up, I noted the Japanese author, and then saw that it had been translated from the Japanese. So I expected a story with Japanese flavour and characters. Instead, I got a very European-flavoured fairytale with a little blonde heroine. I was dismayed when, earlier this year, I saw that some people had down-rated the absolutely adorable Natsumi! simply because neither the author nor illustrator were Japanese. The Tea Party in the Woods highlights the problem of doing this; if the Japanese books made available to English-speaking readers don't feature Japanese culture, it seems unfair to penalize non-Japanese authors for filling that gap.

In any case, judging this book simply by the story and pictures, it's a lovely little picture book with a whimsical feel that offers a sweet look at the kindness of strangers.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5