Review by Booklist Review
Readers following author-illustrator Kobayashi's series about the Afghan village of Paghman will find this second installment originally published in Japan in 1996 both delightful and harrowing. Yamo and his flute-toting friend, Mirado, are working in the fields when the circus comes to town. The two boys experience the chaos and wonder of the circus, from spinning swings to enticing toys to a fire-eating man. By the end of the night, they conclude their village is the best in the world; but as the circus packs up, joy makes way for hard goodbyes and tragedy. Yamo learns Mirado will leave to play flute with the circus. Winter comes, and readers learn that, along with the snow, war came to the village, destroying it. This poetic tale pits the joy and laughter of a circus against a harsh reality. Kobayashi's use of colors masterfully sets the evolving mood, with orange and brown tones of autumn giving way to the vivid lights of the circus, ultimately ending with a gray-white winter.--Lydia Mulvany Copyright 2020 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this follow-up to The Most Beautiful Village in the World, Yamo and his friend Mirado are thrilled that the traveling circus has come to their Afghani mountain village of Pagham. Pagham is scenic, yet the author doesnt romanticize the childrens difficult lives; they work long hours in the fields alongside adults, and Mirados father went to war and hasnt returned yet. This harshness provides a strong contrast to the circuss much-needed gaiety, as performers bring worlds full of wonder to inhabitants who set aside work for a few hours to enjoy themselves. Mirado, who plays the flute, is invited onstage; he plays songs that capture everyones hearts and the next day decides to join the circus. As in Beautiful Village, the story ends with a surprising shock: That winter, the village was destroyed in the war and all the survivors scattered. Originally published in Japan, the series is inspired by Kobayashis travels to Afghanistan in the 1970s and early 1980s. The author/illustrator blends bits of his Nihonga (traditional Japanese-style art) aesthetic with Central Asian Islamic-style details and motifs, in illustrations that are varied, colorful, and full of life. Julie Hakim Azaam January/February 2020 p.73(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Following The Most Beautiful Village in the World (2018), Kobayashi offers a second picture book featuring Yamo, a boy who lives in a bucolic village in the Afghan mountains. The opening spread depicts a scene of everyday village life: men gathered in a pavilion drinking tea, a street vendor, donkeys laden with cargo, boys playing simple games. But the arrival of the circus makes this day extraordinary, and an excited Yamo runs home with the news. Yamo and his friend Mirado, however, must work in the fields, harvesting wheat and yams. The following day they enjoy the circus, where the highlight for Mirado, whose father "went to the war," is playing his father's flute with the traditional instrumental band accompanying a "beautiful" singer. Mirado enchants the audience with his flute and is invited to join the circus, prompting Yamo to wistfully tell him that he may see his father as it travels. Yamo's own future is significantly less hopeful, conveyed in an epilogue that brings the war home. The colorful, detailed illustrations have a nostalgic quality. Young readers/listeners will doubtlessly notice the simplicity of village life, with its low-tech pastimes and slower pace, and the tinge of melancholy is pervasive. While the minimalist text does not match the interest level of the illustrations, readers will be eager for the third volume, due in 2020, to see how events for Yamo and his community unfold.A humanizing glimpse into Afghan culture. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
