The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi

The second book I tried by Miyakoshi is The Storm, a relatable story about a boy whose plans to visit the beach seems to get waylaid by a storm. The Storm by Akiko Miyakoshi (illus.), transl. The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais (illus.)Ĭhildren’s picture book little red riding hood with a twist The Only Child by Guojing (illus.)Ĭhildren’s picture book kid gets lost on the way to grandma’s house and has a fantastical adventure with animals on the way I recommend it if you want a picture book that has a fairytale quality to it. How she’s illustrated, especially when she’s walking through the woods, also reminds me of fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood and classic fantasy tales like Alice in Wonderland. Kikko, for example, has blonde hair and a red hat and skirt. However, Miyakoshi also uses colored ink to include pops of color on a few characters. The majority of the illustrations are done in charcoal and pencil, so the colors are limited to the shading provided by those tools. I also like how she composes certain scenes, like when the animals notice Kikko for the first time and when all party attendees gather around the table to eat.

I like how the figures are drawn, the variety of textures, and the details included. In this way, as well as the illustrations, the story reminded me of fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood and classic children’s fantasy like Alice in Wonderland.

Kikko expresses some surprise and alarm at this and at suddenly finding a bunch of anthropomorphized animals in the woods, but she quickly overcomes the shock. The real world slowly melts into a fantasy one when Kikko realizes that the figure she had been following through the woods is not her father. The beginning was a little jarring to me because it gives the impression of continuing from a previous page or something, but I didn’t mind it much. But on the way through the woods, Kikko arrives at a tea party with a bunch of animals in attendance. Believing she can quickly catch up to her father, Kikko decides to follow his footsteps in the snow to take the pie to grandma. I began my introduction to Miyakoshi’s work by reading The Tea Party in the Woods, a charming story about a girl who befriends animals she met at a tea party in the woods.īecause it had snowed all night, Kikko’s father decides to visit grandma’s house, which is on the other side of the woods, to clear the walk for her. The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (illus.), transl. Anyway, here are more details on what I read. They do a great job depicting a child’s voice, and I had a wonderful time reading them, although I’m not a fan of the endings. The ones here are charming, relatable, and fantastic. They have a coziness to them that greatly appeals to me.

After reading the three books by Miyakoshi below, I now consider myself a fan of her work.

The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi