Allen Say is a favorite author of mine, and my children’s. We have been immersing ourselves in Japanese culture and readings all year and Say has been a huge part of it all.

I highly recommend all of his books, but this one might be my favorite. As we began, I was prepared for a more melancholy turn of events. However, this book is filled with a familiar nostalgic feeling (regardless if you’re Japanese or not) that brings forth a lot of joy at the end.

My kiddos stayed alert through the story and my older ones (9 & 8) were really glued to the story.

Artwork is stunning. Which I would expect nothing less from an Allen Say book.

Read it. It’s a beautiful story that should be shared as a family.