The Tea Party in the Woods

Starred review from May 18, 2015
With great delicacy and keen draftsmanship, Japanese artist Miyakoshi weaves fairy-tale elements into a dreamy and sometimes haunting story. In the manner of Little Red Riding Hood, Kikko sets off through the snowy woods to her grandmother’s with the pie her father has forgotten; she spies him walking far ahead of her and follows him to a house she’s never seen before. In a genuinely spooky scene, she peeps through the window to discover that the man in the hat and overcoat she has followed isn’t her father—it’s an imposing bear in a three-piece suit. Kikko is ushered into the dining room, where an even more arresting spread reveals a tableful of formally dressed animals—a boar, two stags, the bear, and many more—who gaze at Kikko in wordless surprise. At that moment, the story shifts. “Please, come in and warm yourself,” the animals say, greeting her with kindness. In the end, there’s a new pie and a parade to Kikko’s grandmother’s house. The graceful proportions, atmospheric detail, and quiet, bewitching light of Miyakoshi’s charcoals distinguish this small gem. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from May 1, 2015
When Kikko wakes up to snow, her father goes off to clear the walk around Grandma's house but forgets the pie he was to take with him. Kikko hurries to catch up to him, falling and crushing the pie in the process, but she discovers she has been following not her dad but a bear in a suit and hat! She follows him to a house she's not seen before, where a well-dressed lamb invites her to tea. Around the tea table are seated carefully attired animals, greeting Kikko with interested gazes. They sit her down, invite her to eat and drink, and replace the smashed pie with slices of their own forest-made pies before accompanying her to Grandma's in a grand parade. The illustrations are lovely and mysterious: what looks like charcoal or pencil softly indicates forest and interiors as well as the visages of upright and clothed deer, bear, rabbit, goat, and others. Spare use of color sparks in Kikko's bright gold hair, her red hat, and the multihued pie slices. Minimal line and shadow suggest the forest as a Japanese print might, while the tumbled richness of the tea table evokes rich Dutch still lifes. Kikko's family reads as Asian, perhaps Japanese, and the animals are as serene and otherworldly as Totoro. As beguilingly surreal as the Mad Hatter's party, with its own enigmatic appeal. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-This work feels new and old, combining motifs from traditional and canonical literature. Elements from "Red Riding Hood" and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland have the strongest presence with possible nods to "Goldilocks" and the less-known tale of the "Twelve Months." Kikko chases through the woods after her father with a pie for Grandma. Finding herself outside a different house, she joins a tea party. When her animal hosts hear that her pie had been crushed, they assemble an assorted dessert and parade with her to Grandma's house before disappearing. The translated text seems a bit flat and stilted in comparison to the fresh story concept and the pacing tends to lag at times, occasionally pausing on uninspired dialogue. Overall, the illustrations work well in some aspects and fall short in others. With a blend of realism and surrealism, Miyakoshi's style is reminiscent of Anthony Browne. The texture of the charcoal on paper gives the dark trees of the forest a wavery roughness as the author-illustrator artfully creates a barren landscape with the adept use of value, white space, and perspective. Although the stark bleakness makes sense for the outdoor scenes and Miyakoshi's tender grayness fits the real-life frame, the tea party scenes have a static, dusty quality for example, when the animals stare upon the newcomer through what might be described as a dry haze. With the restraint of the monochromatic palette and spot color, the wildly shifting perspective feels unnecessarily dramatic. The greatest disappointment may be that Kikko's minimal facial features occasionally read as inappropriately cross, comical, or smug, suggesting that perhaps more than just words are lost in the translation. VERDICT This is a delightfully unique story with striking illustrations but lacks the magic of a more lyrical translation and comprehensively distinguished visuals.-Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

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August 1, 2015
Grades K-2 Kikko is crushed when she accidentally ruins the pie she's taking to her grandmother's house, but she keeps following the man she thinks is her father through the snowy woods. Only she doesn't recognize the house once they arrive, and the man she's been following isn't her father at all but a bear in a suit! Luckily, the strange building is home to a party attended by all kinds of friendly woodland creatures in their finest attire. They warmly welcome her in, replace her ruined pie with wedges from their own baked goods, and escort her to her grandmother's house in a merry parade. Miyakoshi's meticulous, realistic charcoal illustrations show the starkness of the winter woods in crisp white and shadowy blacks and grays, with the exception of a few patches of red and yellow, which grow more frequent along with the increasingly warm, festive atmosphere. Though the animals initially appear slightly menacing, Miyakoshi's fairy-tale-like language, fanciful scenes, and cheery ending make this offbeat take on Little Red Riding Hood perfect for sharing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)