Grandpa Kuma (which means ‘bear’ in Japanese) is a beautiful debut book from author/illustrator Michelle Maiden.
It tells the story of a little girl, Miko, who goes to meet her grandad at the airport. She’s so excited, but when he greets her with “Konnichiwa” she doesn’t know what he’s saying – so they have a problem. They don’t understand each other, so how are they going to play? The story unfolds as Miko and Grandpa each find ways of communicating through card games, origami, meals and trips to the city.
The characters are wonderfully drawn and the adventures they have are very simply illustrated. It’s ideal for grandparents and grandchildren, but as it’s for 3+ years parents, teachers and older siblings can read to youngsters. As a bonus there is also a free ‘Read Along’ audio book, narrated by Michelle, which is accessed by scanning the QR code inside the front cover. And, if readers want to be more adventurous, there’s a helpful Japanese pronunciation guide, with English translation at the end of the book.
Grandpa Kuma, published by the wonderfully named Wacky Bee Books, makes a great gift or, if you’re a collector of beautifully illustrated children’s books, then add this to your shelf.
So from Grandpa Kuma and me, ‘Ja, mata ne’.
deilibri 