The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi

Her use of color is so effective too, little spots of brightness and then that sweet, colorful pie. While the woods were once empty, full of white space and leafless tress, the animals fill it in a sort of parade. “You’re never alone in the woods,” Kikko answered, smiling. Instead of the woods being a place to fear, this story portrays it as a place of wonderful surprises and generous, welcoming spirits. But no scary bits here, remember? The figure in the coat and hat Kikko followed was actually a bear, the house the setting for a wonderful tea party with other forest animals and pie. She thinks she’s following his footsteps, but instead she’s led to an unfamiliar house in the woods. When her father forgets the pie he’s bringing to Kikko’s grandmother, Kikko sets off to find him. A girl in a red cap, a pie, a grandmother, a bear. This one feels like a fairy tale without the scary bits. Her books, for me, quietly captivate and make the world slow down. Miyakoshi’s work is infused with stillness, curiosity, connection, comfort, hope, imagination, and a little bit of magic. A deeper reading could encourage critical thinking by comparing the different pastimes of the neighbors or, ultimately, what it means to be home.That’s right-today I’m sharing Akiko Miyakoshi’s picture book life! She’s had three picture books published as author-illustrator in English so far, and I’m looking forward to more! Her work is absolutely infused with imagination and her charcoal and pencil drawings allow her to alternate beautifully between spare and substantial, depending on the tone of the moment she’s portraying. This offers a perfect prompt for young children to create extensions of other stories they have read or heard. The book is intriguing in that it contains twice-told stories, once as they are observed and second as the bunny imagines them. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi's softly focused black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of neutral color have a dreamlike quality, just right for nodding off to sleep with. This beautiful picture book captures the magical wonder a child feels at being outside in the night. ?Are the party guests saying goodnight? Is the person on the phone getting ready for bed? And what of the footsteps that can be heard in the street as the bunny falls asleep?Will she take the last train home? But the bunny continues to wonder about the neighbors' activities. When they reach home, the father rabbit tucks the bunny into bed. ?Most of our neighbors are already home.? The bunny can see their lights in the windows, and hear and smell what they might be doing: talking on the phone, pulling a pie out of the oven, having a party, saying goodbye. ?My mother carries me through the quiet streets,? the bunny explains.

A mother rabbit and her young bunny are on their way home in the dark night.

The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi