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Sato the Rabbit, The Moon by Yuki Ainoya tr. Michael Blaskowsky

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ACHUKA Book of the Day 28 Jan 2021

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“Sato, in text and (gorgeous) pictures, is industrious, curious, experimental, and focused, using the found materials around him to fashion inventions (a curtain made of rain, a rolled-up red carpet made of fallen leaves) that enhance his surroundings and provide an arena for his imagination. In other words, Sato is every child at play.” Horn Book
“The artwork pops with color and texture and depicts beautiful, dreamlike vistas. Sato endears himself to readers; he is inquisitive, clever, and generous… A welcome return.” KIRKUS
“Each episode is over in a few pages, and every one offers kaleidoscopic, pleasingly sensorial images made for dreaming on.” Publishers Weekly

Pastoral and surreal, the seven short tales in this collection are a celebration of the senses, and of the harmony that can exist between a gentle creature such as Sato the Rabbit and the natural world. Whether it’s a pillow of cool, fresh water offered to him for a nap by the spring on a blisteringly hot day, a fragrant floral air float to carry him and his dreams, a hole in his hat, through which he discovers a midsummer forest full of singing cicadas, or a moon basket, nature’s offerings are a bounty to be marveled at and enjoyed. The second book in a whimsical trilogy from Japan, this collection of stories invites readers to embrace the wonders of nature, the transportive power of the senses, and the transformation of the imagination. Because, as Sato shows us, the beauty that we see in the world is actively created by the eyes which perceive it and the imagination that conceives it.

The first Sato The Rabbit title was an ACHUKA Book of the Day last April.

A third, and possibly final, book about Sato — Sato the Rabbit, A Sea of Tea — will be out in the UK this summer.

Follow Yuki Ainoya on Instagram:

Milo Imagines The World by Matt de la Pena ill. Christian Robinson

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New York Times Best Books Of 2021

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“This poignant, thought-provoking story speaks volumes for how art can shift one’s perspectives and enable an imaginative alternative to what is…or seems to be.” HORN BOOK

A warm and richly satisfying story from award-winning and New York Times bestselling picture book duo Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson about a little boy with a big imagination who learns that you can’t know anyone just by looking at them. Set in a bustling city, and full of a family love that binds even in difficult circumstances.

Milo is on a train journey through the city with his older sister, looking at the faces of the other passengers and drawing pictures of their lives. The whiskered man with a crossword puzzle he imagines playing solitaire in a cluttered flat full of pets. The little boy in bright white trainers he imagines living in a castle with a moat and a butler. But when the little boy gets off at the same stop and joins the same queue as him, Milo realises that you can’t judge by appearances and that we are all more alike than we are different: both boys are visiting their mothers in prison.

Follow Christian Robinson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartoffun/

David Almond: how to let your imagination fly

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David Almond, describing a school visit…

I showed them my messy notebooks, and we talked about how the apparent perfection of a published book is an illusion, that the book, like all of the best human achievements, like society itself, is the product of an imperfect, dogged, messy, passionate, optimistic process. We talked about the importance of honouring the time you spend on a story or a poem, respecting the language, respecting yourself, not dismissing your work as useless, finding something to like in everything you write, the value of careful editing.

via David Almond: how to let your imagination fly – Telegraph.

The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival brings together the country’s best writers for children. The 2013 programme has been designed by guest artistic director David Almond, the award-winning author of Skellig.

The other authors appearing range from your favourite picture book creators to the latest Young Adult sensation. They include Michael Rosen, Axel Scheffler, Sarah Ferguson, Michelle Paver, Robert Muchamore, Andrew Motion, Chloe Inkpen, Anne Fine, Derek Landy, Eoin Colfer, Lauren St John and Patrick Ness.

General booking is now open for the festival, which runs from Friday September 27 to Sunday October 6, and is held at various venues around the city of Bath.

You can book online by visiting bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature, where you can also browse the entire programme. You can book by telephone by calling 01225 463 362 (Monday to Saturday, 9.30am-5.30pm) or visit the box office in person at Bath Box Office, Bath Visitor Information Centre, Abbey Chambers, Abbey Churchyard, Bath BA1 1LY.