Review by Booklist Review
On an early spring morning, when cherry blossoms are in peak bloom, a young girl and her parents head to the park for hanami, the Japanese tradition of admiring the fleeting, flowering sakura season. Sai waits eagerly all year for this spectacular viewing event that is combined with a big reunion of her Japanese American and African American extended family. Being surrounded by so many people she doesn't know fills her with excitement as well as apprehension: "The puzzle pieces of her world are starting to connect. Still, Sai feels a tiny bit like a stranger." When she meets her cousin Avi for the first time, the kindred spirits use their creative talents (Sai's interviewing acumen and Avi's drawing prowess) to get to know their relatives and record "all the journeys their history contains." Debut illustrator HifuMiyo's digital artwork is full of texture, pattern, and stunning aerial perspectives. Elegantly told, this picture book is a joyful appreciation of the beauty of being present in the moment.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
One glorious day, Sai and her loved ones rise early to find a picnic spot for hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, and to join an enormous family reunion. Sai "feels a tiny bit like a stranger" in the big group until she spies another child, Avi. At the heart of this sensitively written story by Takahashi are the discoveries the children exchange about their distinctive ways of delving into creativity. Helping at her parents' kimono shop, Sai asks customers questions that help her choose the right garment. Avi, an artist, captures fantasies and emotions with a notebook and ink. Billowy digital spreads give the story a sense of lightness as HifuMiyo renders the kimono store sequence in shades of peach, while Avi's drawings are rendered in deep indigo tints. They discover that their extended family contains many surprises as they take pleasure in seasonal clouds of cherry blossoms. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Everyone has a story to tell. Impatient to find a spot in the busy nearby park, Sai, a young Japanese girl, races ahead of her parents. Looking up, the family sees a lacy canopy of cherry blossoms, or sakura. Today they'll celebrate hanami, the annual cherry blossom observance in Japan. But Sai is also waiting for a family reunion with dozens of multiracial relatives, who crowd around and above Sai. Nervous and shy, Sai sees another child looking lost: Avi, a boy with brown skin and locs. The two begin talking, and readers learn that Avi, who uses his pen to tell stories, is an artist just like Sai, who helps her parents connect customers with the perfect kimono fabric in their shop. They draw strength from each other and use their shared talent to uncover and depict their family's stories in a creative family tree. Takahashi's prose occasionally glosses over explanations (how exactly does Sai know what fabric to pick out for the customers?). On the whole, though, the narrative is pervaded by a sense of warmth and love, while the illustrations effectively immerse readers in this flowery world, with the relatives varying in skin tone and facial features. An author's note provides information on hanami. An affectionately drawn tale of family.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
