The Tea Party in the Woods

by Akiko Miyakoshi, Akiko Miyakoshi (Illustrator)

Overview

When a young girl named Kikko realizes her father has forgotten the pie he was supposed to bring to Grandma's house, she offers to try and catch him as he makes his way through the woods. She hurriedly follows her father's footprints in the snow and happens upon a large house she has never seen before. Curious, Kikko peers through the window, when she is startled by a small lamb wearing a coat and carrying a purse. Even more surprising, the lamb speaks, asking her in a kind voice, “Are you here for the tea party?” Suddenly, Kikko realizes her trip through the woods has turned into something magical. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi has beautifully crafted an original fairy tale picture book that will delight and enchant. The unique visual presentation features mostly black-and-white art with the occasional use of red or yellow to help guide readers through the pages. Kikko's blend of courage and reticence along with her inquisitive nature makes her a character children will relate to, and the many unexpected twists and turns of her adventure keep the intrigue growing. The ambiguous ending — in which it is not clear whether Kikko imagined the tea party or if the animals simply disappeared back into the woods — provides a terrific opportunity for children to weigh in on what they think happened. This book also could launch classroom conversations about children's own experiences of being trusted with big responsibilities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771381079
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	01/08/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	374,216
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Akiko Miyakoshi was born in Saitama, on the island of Honshu in Japan. She began creating picture books while studying visual communication design at Musashino Art University. Her first picture book, The Storm, won the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix.

Akiko Miyakoshi was born in Saitama, on the island of Honshu in Japan. She began creating picture books while studying visual communication design at Musashino Art University. Her first picture book, The Storm, won the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix.

Editorial Reviews

Miyakoshi's illustrations are quietly magical. Viewed close up, they seem to be made of simple grainy marks, but if you hold the book at arm's length, the drawings take on the appearance of selectively tinted old photographs…It's a gem of a book, with just enough Grimm foreboding and a suitably enigmatic ending.

The New York Times Book Review - Sophie Blackall

★ 05/18/2015
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. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

As beguilingly surreal as the Mad Hatter's party, with its own enigmatic appeal.—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

The graceful proportions, atmospheric detail, and quiet, bewitching light of Miyakoshi's charcoals distinguish this small gem.—Publishers Weekly, starred review

... a beautiful Alice in Wonderland/Little Red Riding Hood mashup.—Quill & Quire

This is a delightfully unique story with striking illustrations ...—School Library Journal

Miyakoshi's fairy-tale-like language, fanciful scenes, and cheery ending make this offbeat take on Little Red Riding Hood perfect for sharing.—Booklist

... the varied delights offered by this strange, captivating picture book.—The Boston Globe

The hardest part of letting children do things on their own ... is giving them an opportunity to fail ... which is why this amazing book resonated with all three of us.—Globe and Mail

A superb, atmospheric mix of fairy tale and dream, wild woods and home comfort.—Toronto Star

... young readers will enjoy exploring The Tea Party in the Woods on their own while adults similarly will enjoy sharing it with the young people in their lives.—CM Magazine

... simple, textured drawings are detailed enough to convey the characters' emotions.—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

07/01/2015
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

School Library Journal

★ 2015-04-15
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)

Kirkus Reviews