Moni Ritchie Hadley

Every step, both miso making and working with family, is like a warm hug.

Chiyoko wants to build a snowman, since the snow now glistens at the foot of the nearby mountain, but her father insists there's more important things to be done first. Walking in the footsteps of generations of miso making, Chiyoko's father decides its time for her to learn the family business. But miso takes time to make it just right. Step by step, Chiyoko and her father go through the process, and while Chiyoko was show more reluctant to help at first, the magic begins to lure her in, too.

There's so much goodness in these pages. A young girl wishes to head outside to build a snowman and grows frustrated when her father, instead, has her accompanying him to the business to learn to make miso. It's easy to sympathize with Chiyoko as she helps her father work with the rice, especially since none of the steps are quick. Creating Miso takes time and patience...neither of which bring her to the snow. The change in Chiyoko's attitude follows a gentle flow and allows the love her father has for her to come across clearly. The sense of family is inspiring, and Chiyoko's growing respect for the company's business leaves a smile on the face.

And then, there's miso. While Chiyoko's experience offers warmth and security, readers also learn more about miso and how it's created. The text flows smoothly as it shortly goes through each step, but it's the illustrations which bring this aspect across best. Not only does the process gain clarity through the visual scenes, but the Japanese culture comes across nicely. It's enjoyable to gaze at each one and follow Chiyoko's learning journey.

This makes a lovely read-aloud and can also be explored by those readers, who have a very decent grip on their words. show less

This story about a lovely Japanese tradition is told by five-year-old Keiko, a fictional girl who is excited over the start of Tanabata Matsuri, or the Star Festival.

This celebration takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month. According to Japanese folklore, this is the only day of the year when the two stars, Altair and Vega, can meet. (In Japanese the stars are known as Orihime and Hikoboshi.)

[Note: The holiday varies among different regions in Japan. According to the formerly show more used lunar calendar, the seventh month is August rather than July. Thus in some places, they celebrate on August 7, alhough the official date is July 7.]

Colorful Tanabata festivals are held across Japan in early July and August. It is traditional to write wishes on colorful strips of paper and hang them on special holiday trees made from bamboo branches. People also decorate their houses and public spaces.

Keiko and her family tie paper wishes to their bamboo tree and dress in traditional kimonos. Keiko’s grandmother, Oba, reminds Keiko of the charming story behind the holiday, about the two stars that fell in love, but were forbidden to meet except for once a year.

Then the family goes into town for the celebration. In the dense crowds, Oba gets separated from them. Keiko and her mother imagine they are back in the story of the stars trying to find each other across the galaxy.

Finally they locate Oba just in time for the fireworks celebration.

At the end of the story, backmatter provides further explanation of the holiday along with a description of traditional foods and decorations. There are also instructions on how to make a Tanabata Matsuri tree on which to hang wishes.

Illustrations by Mizuho Fujisawa capture the bright colors and excitement of the crowds.

Evaluation: Children aged four and up of all backgrounds will be enchanted by the traditions of this festival, and may want to create their own version of a wishing tree. show less