Product Description
A joyful celebration of Japanese cultural traditions and body positivity as a young girl visits a bath house with her grandmother and aunties\
You'll walk down the street / Your aunties sounding like clip-clopping horses / geta-geta-geta / in their wooden sandals / Until you arrive... / At the bath house / The big bath house. \
In this celebration of Japanese culture and family and naked bodies of all shapes and sizes, join a little girl--along with her aunties and grandmother--at a traditional bath house. Once there, the rituals leading up to the baths begin: hair washing, back scrubbing, and, finally, the wood barrel drumroll. Until, at last, it's time, and they ease their bodies--their creased bodies, newly sprouting bodies, saggy, jiggly bodies--into the bath.
Ahhhhhh!\
With a lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations, this picture book is based on Kyo Maclear's loving memories of childhood visits to Japan, and is an ode to the ties that bind generations of women together.
From School Library Journal
Gr 3–5—A young Japanese girl visits her baachan, or grandmother, and enjoys the shared experience of the big bath house, the community bathing spot. The narrator remarks on the feeling of seeing women comfortable in their bodies and empowered in this moment. An end note conveys the autobiographical nature of the story and how it shaped the author's view of women's bodies and celebratory way of being. This story exudes freedom and joy, which children will appreciate. The illustrations are colorful in their depictions of Japanese clothing, settings, and culture, and will invite children into discussions. The nudity is developmentally appropriate for mid-elementary students, though the book may be more suitable for family or one-on-one sharing than classroom use. VERDICT This is a warm celebration of a particular aspect of culture that may still be unfamiliar to some children, and which skillfully incorporates Japanese words and phrases.—Tracey Hodges, Univ. of Alabama, Northport, AL
Review
★ "A must-have celebration of cultural understanding and community—and the joy of family." —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review\
★ "Maclear and Zhang portray with great warmth the nourishment offered by this cultural institution, making clear to readers the ritual’s cozy, home-away-from-home feeling."
—
Publishers Weekly, starred review\
★ " …a warm and tender story of time with beloved distant family.”
—
The Bulletin, starred review\
★ "Zhang's bouyant illustrations in ink, gouache, and watercolors match the water-focused story with transparent, watery hues anchored by strong black outlining. —
The Horn Book, starred review\
★ “[An] exuberant celebration of family.” —
BookPage, starred review\
About the Author
Kyo Maclear is a critically acclaimed author whose books have received starred reviews, appeared on numerous "Best of" lists, and been published in multiple languages around the world. One of her picture books,
Virginia Wolf, has been adapted for the stage, and another,
Julia, Child, is currently being adapted into an animated television series. Visit her on the web at kyomaclear.com.\
Gracey Zhang is a freelance illustrator and animator. She graduated with her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her first author-illustrator picture book,
Lala's Words, will be published in 2021 by Scholastic. Visit her on the web at graceyzhang.com.