Shinsuke Yoshitake

A little kid with brown hair, white skin, and red overalls over a yellow shirt struggles to open a package. Akira (according to the jacket copy; the kid's name is nowhere in the story) narrates, "Frustrating - really frustrating. I want some chocolate, but this bag is so hard to open." After many attempts and a lot of sound effects, Akira asks Mom to open it, which she does, no problem (except to prompt the kid to say "thank you"); readers who might have worried that Akira was not supposed show more to have chocolate realize that a parental restriction is not the obstacle in this story. Akira reflects that although they are small and weak now, they want to be good at opening things, "like Mom" - but they recognize that even Mom struggles to open things sometimes ("ummmph"). The kid imagines, "When I get a little bit bigger - maybe tomorrow or the day after - I'll be able to open anything." Thus follows a type of superhero montage and a series of things being opened with, again, a tremendous variety of sound effects ("phssst" of a soda can, "shwok" of a bottle cap). In the end, the dad shows Akira they are pretty powerful already: they can open dad's mouth by holding up a cookie. :-) show less

Never has boredom been so exciting as in these pages and been as boring as boredom truly is.

This boy is bored. He's bored of playing with his toys and can't think of anything to do. So, he complains to his mother, who wants to know what he expects her to do about it. Suddenly, the boy wonders—why am I bored? And this opens up a very packed and 'boring' adventure.

I've heard the same complaint from one of my sons quite a bit lately and had to laugh as I read through this. So did he (even if show more he insisted he was bored at those times...with a smile) Step by step, a little boy uses his fantasy, things around him and even talking to others to figure out how not to be bored. And with each new moment, he's doing something unexpected and not sitting around with nothing to do. Young readers will easily relate with the boy...although, like my son, I doubt they'd ever admit it. But their smirks, rolls of the eyes and twitching lips make it clear that they understand this completely.

This boy has quite the imagination, too! Rolling in a giant doughnut is only the beginning of what turns out to moments where fantasy and play are unleashed, and new activities are discovered. It's fun to watch the boy, and these moments won't only bring a few smiles, but also a few ideas for young readers to do themselves.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this book (as well as my son) enough to want to leave our honest thoughts. show less

For me boredom is knowing that there are things to do and I don't wanna do any of them. Though that's also a symptom of my depression, so I have to watch out. And yet, I can still identify with this kiddo. He philosophically unpacks that odd feeling that gets labeled boredom... but in a kid-friendly picture-book. And it's not hilarious, exactly, but it is definitely amusing and I did smile while reading it.

What would *you* call that feeling in between Boredom and Having Fun? Not when you're show more too busy to feel anything, but when what you're feeling is not either extreme? Contentment? Is there a word in Japanese that works better? Why did the author ask this question and not give us an answer? show less

I highly recommend Shinsuke Yoshitake's clever and sweetly insightful picture book. We can all relate to the unsettling feelings of an unknown future. With this quirky, heartfelt, and funny story, we are given a most enjoyable read as we join a young girl to find solace and answers to her feelings. Something that we may all need to do from time to time.

Even with such a philosophical focus in a children’s book and along with Shinsuke's endearing art style, we find a spirited and show more entertaining journey that can capture the attention of both children and adults in a really wonderful and hilarious way. Young children would likely gravitate towards and learn from the funny/creative illustrations, as older children can also appreciate the humor and adults can feel attached to the wonderful way questions about life are asked, and the wisdom shared is approached. Such an enjoyable book! show less