Review - Kiki & Jax

Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship
by Marie Kondo & Salina Yoon
illustrated by Salina Yoon
Date: 2019
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

International tidying superstar and New York Times bestselling author Marie Kondo brings her unique method to young readers in this charming story about how tidying up creates space for joy in all parts of your life, co-written and illustrated by beloved children’s book veteran Salina Yoon.

The KonMari Method inspires a charming friendship story that is sure to spark joy!

Kiki and Jax are best friends, but they couldn’t be more different. The one thing they always agree on is how much fun they have together. But when things start to get in the way, can they make space for what has always sparked joy—each other?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I was a bit skeptical about this one, but it's actually really cute! It's like the kids' version of the KonMari method, wrapped up in a little story about friendship.

Kiki the squirrel and Jax the owl are best friends. Kiki's a bit of a hoarder, though, and eventually her tendency to hang on to everything starts to affect her friendship with Jax. He comes over to play ball... but she can't find it. He comes over to ask her if she wants to go swimming... but she can't find her suit in the mess. Jax is annoyed that things are getting in the way of their friendship, so he makes Kiki a gift to remind her of what's important. When Kiki receives the gift, she's thrilled, and goes to Jax's house to thank him. Then they play. When Kiki wishes they could play at her house, Jax offers to help, and they tidy up the squirrel's abode using the KonMari Method.

It's a great introduction to Marie Kondo's techniques for kids. It even gives enough description that adults could probably get something out of it (if they haven't already read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). There are also illustrated instructions at the back on how to fold a shirt so you can stand it upright in your drawer.

Fans of the KonMari Method will probably want to have this for their kids. But it could probably be a valuable little book for any messy kid who needs a few pointers on how to keep the clutter to a minimum.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5