The Fox Wish: Kimiko Aman and Komako Sakai
March 02, 2017
Book: The Fox Wish
Author: Kimiko Aman
Illustrator: Komako Sakai
Pages: 32
Age Range: 2-5
The Fox Wish was originally published in Japan in 2003, and was brought to the U.S. this year by Chronicle Books. Written by Kimiko Aman and illustrated by Komako Sakai, The Fox Wish is about two children who find magic in what might have been an ordinary day. The first-person narrator, a little girl, realizes that she has left her jump rope at the playground. She heads out to get it, taking her little brother (barely more than a toddler) with her. This is the first fanciful aspect to the story, really, since two children that young would not, today, be likely to just head out on their own without a word to any adult. Anyway, the children discover that the jump rope has been taken by a group of foxes, who are attempted to jump rope and singing a fun song. The girl ends up helping them (they are having problems with caught tails). At the end of the book, the girl has a chance to help a young fox's wish come true.
There is certainly a message to this book, about how lovely it is watch someone else's wishes come true. But the message comes only at the end of a charming, if somewhat quirky, adventure. Kimiko Aman's text is quiet and contemplative, like this:
"But there wasn't anything left hanging from the tree branch where I'd left it.
Where could it be?
A big wind blew.
"What's that?" Lukie asked.
From somewhere nearby we could hear other kids laughing."
And:
"Lukie and I were quiet all the way back through the park.
The light was golden and the air was warm, and in our footsteps I kept hearing the rhythm of the jump-rope rhyme."
Komako Sakai's acrylic gouache, oil pencil, and ballpoint illustrations did not originally grab me, but they've grown on me as I spend more time with the book. There's a remote quality to the illustrations, the children's faces just barely drawn in, that adds to the fanciful feel of the story. The Fox Wish feels like a tale that might be told at bedtime to children in Narnia.
The Fox Wish won the Japan Picture Book Award, and it certainly has an international feel (though the children look more American than Japanese). I'll be interested to see how it's received by children in the U.S. Personally, I found the story charming and unusual. It left me with a good feeling, and a desire to see people's wishes come true. Recommended.
Publisher: Chronicle Books (@ChronicleKids)
Publication Date: March 14, 2017
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
© 2017 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through affiliate links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).