The Smile Shop

by Satoshi Kitamura

Overview

Acclaimed author-illustrator Satoshi Kitamura (Hat Tricks) celebrates human connection and community in this hopeful story about a boy, a benevolent shopkeeper, and a shared smile.

A small boy has saved all his pocket money, and today's the day he'll buy something special just for himself!

There's lots to see and smell at the market, from tasty pies to colorful toys and noisy instruments. But before he can even make up his mind, disaster strikes, and he loses his money down a drain. Oh no! But wait, what's this? A store called the Smile Shop? Could he buy a smile? A small one, perhaps, to cheer himself?

Featuring charming, classic illustrations reminiscent of Maurice Sendak and Tomie dePaola, Satoshi Kitamura's The Smile Shop is an absorbing story of community, self-worth, and the effect of a smile shared between two people. An apt parable for a time when smiles and expressions of warmth are in high demand.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682632550
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,092,484
Product dimensions:	9.35(w) x 10.51(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Satoshi Kitamura is an award-winning children's picture book author and illustrator. As a child, he drew constantly and devoured comics. A self-taught artist, his career began in advertising and magazines before he moved to London, where he debuted as a picture book illustrator with Hiawyn Oram's Angry Arthur, a 1983 Mother Goose Award-winner for the Most Exciting Newcomer to British Illustration. Since then, he has illustrated over twenty of his own books, plus collaborated on many others.

Editorial Reviews

02/15/2021

Kitamura (Hat Tricks) captures the endless interest of a bustling environment as an East Asian child with a fistful of coins wanders alone through a city’s market and shops, planning “to buy myself something for the very first time.” An apple pie draws the child to a baker’s window; an appealing model ship (“Oh, what a beautiful little boat”) is too expensive; a black hat “suits me head to toe.” In a flash, though, a sidewalk mishap scatters the money, and the day’s plans fizzle—until an encounter with an older Black shopkeeper redeems things. Throughout this simple story, shoppers, schoolchildren, buskers, and street sellers of various ages, ethnicities, and religions jostle one another along streets and sidewalks, all rendered in intricate ink and wash scenes. There’s plenty to see in the shops, too: cakes and rolls, musical instruments, a wall of clocks (“I wonder which clock is telling the right time?”). Far from ruining the day, the loss allows the protagonist to change focus, from considering the city’s myriad offerings to encountering its denizens’ smiles alone—one precious thing, Kitamura hints, that doesn’t cost any money. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Told in the first person, the boy's narrative features evocative language that conveys his experiences as he takes in the sights, smells, and temptations of the shops. . . . Simple illustrations brimming with eye-catching details are stylistically reminiscent of Uri Shulevitz with a dash of Tomie dePaola. The classic, subdued palette perfectly complements the boy's journey. . . A satisfyingly—and deceptively—simple tale about sincere pleasures in hectic times."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"[A] wonderful story. . . The busy illustrations. . . feature fine but imprecise line work that give a childlike quality to scenes sure to resonate with young readers. . . . A lovely reflection on happiness." —Booklist

"Kitamura 's art warms us like the red scarf on a cheerful boy, a smile stretching ear to ear." —The New York Times

From the Publisher

12/24/2021

K-Gr 2—A little boy has enough money saved to go shopping for the first time. But what should he spend it on? The little boy is clad in blue, save for a bright red scarf. The scenery behind him is muted in color and makes the boy stand out. On his walk, he sees several things that catch his eye: apple pies, clocks, an expensive little boat, even a unique-looking horn. While the boy is window shopping, a child on a skateboard bumps into him and all the money, except one coin, goes down the gutter drain. Thinking that he can no longer buy anything, he hangs his head and then looks up and sees a shop called Smile. Inside, the boy asks if he can buy a smile with his one small coin. The shopkeeper, who is Black, tells him, "A smile is really only something you can exchange and share!" The shopkeeper offers a wide grin and the boy responds in kind. Illustrations are done in pen, ink, watercolor, and gouache. Richard Scarry—like spreads where the boy is happily window shopping, are orange-tinged and filled with busy shoppers and vendors. In the scene where he loses his money, the background is in gray instead, and the boy is the only point of color. Kitamura's expressive faces and loose line will draw readers in. VERDICT A valuable book to add to your library collection.—Tracy Cronce, Stevens Point Pub. Sch. District, WI

School Library Journal

★ 2021-02-09
Amid a bustling city, a young boy seeks something to call his own.

A young boy with pale skin and dark brown hair feels special. For the first time, he has his own money. But what will he buy? Told in the first person, the boy’s narrative features evocative language that conveys his experiences as he takes in the sights, smells, and temptations of the shops. The boy is portrayed in bold primary colors, drawing readers’ eyes with each page turn; around him, a racially diverse crowd rushes about, painted in a fainter palette. Contemplating toys, tasty treats, and more, the boy is bumped by a kid on a skateboard and loses most of his coins down a storm drain. Dejected, the boy goes into a shop with a sign that says “Smile” and asks the brown-skinned shopkeeper if he can afford a very small smile. The boy has previously been mostly on his own, but the shopkeeper interacts with him directly and gives him just what he needs—for free. In doing so, he opens up the boy’s perspective to appreciate the world around him. Simple illustrations brimming with eye-catching details are stylistically reminiscent of Uri Shulevitz with a dash of Tomie dePaola. The classic, subdued palette perfectly complements the boy’s journey, fading to gray at the story’s darkest moment and brightening with the resolution.

A satisfyingly—and deceptively—simple tale about sincere pleasures in hectic times. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews