Words to Make a Friend: A Story in Japanese and English

by Donna Jo Napoli, Naoko Stoop (Illustrator)

Overview

A clever and innovative bilingual English/Japanese picture book about a Japanese girl and an American girl who prove you don't need to speak the same language to understand each other.

When a young Japanese girl moves into her new house, she is happy to see a girl her age playing in the snow just outside her window. The only problem is the Japanese girl doesn't speak English and the American girl doesn't speak Japanese.
 
How will these two girls have any fun at all? As it turns out, it's not that hard when both girls are looking for a friend! What starts with a simple "hello" and "konnichiwa" becomes a day filled with fun in the snow.
 
Each girl's love of play, snow, and making a new friend transcends the need to speak the same language, and by using simple words in their own languages, along with a bit of charades, the girls find they have all they need to build a snow creature.

An important book to show children that speaking the same language isn't a prerequisite to making a new friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593122297
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	11/09/2021
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	706,104
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and young adult fiction. Some of her work includes Treasury of Greek Mythology, Stones in Water, Treasury of Norse Mythology, and Daughter of Venice. She has five children and eight grandchildren. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden, bake bread, dance, and make pottery.

Naoko Stoop is a Brooklyn-based, self-taught illustrator. She grew up in Tokyo and has illustrated many picture books including Pup and Bear, Sun and Moon Have a Tea Party, and the New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Red Knit Cap Girl.

Editorial Reviews

07/19/2021

Spare, dialogue-only text by Napoli allows Stoop’s detailed textural vignettes, done in mixed media on plywood and finished digitally, to take center stage in this simple yet heartwarming picture book, showcasing two children bridging the language barrier on a snowy day. As a Japanese child in a Fair Isle sweater unpacks boxes in a new bedroom, they see a brown-skinned child in a light fuchsia puffer coat running out into the falling snow outside. After the first child dons snow gear as well, an enchanting spread surveys the duo from above as they approach each other over a layered white expanse of snow. Color-coded speech bubbles distinguish Japanese words, including “Konnichiwa,” “Gojira,” and various onomatopoeia, from their English counterparts as the duo builds a snow creature—and a friendship—in this sweet bilingual tale. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—This deceptively simple book celebrates communication and friendship through luminously detailed illustrations and a sparse bilingual text. A little girl (presumably Japanese) and her mother move into a new home during a snowstorm. As the little girl unpacks, she sees the neighbor girl outside playing. She puts on her coat and boots, and heads outside. "Konichiwa," she says. "Hello" the girl responds. The two play together outside, each communicating in simple words of their own language, finally heading inside for origami and snacks, ending with their sharing of the universal language of laughter. The text consists entirely of one to two words in each word bubble, symmetrically, first one girl and then the other. The illustrations tell the rest of the story here. Mixed-media illustrations, created on plywood and finished digitally, depict a beautiful snowy scene. Stoop strategically allows the texture of the wood to show through. The neighbor has darker skin and brown curly hair, while the protagonist has straight black hair framing her paler face. The girls are painted simply, in a style reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats, with oval eyes, rosy cheeks, and colorful clothes. VERDICT The story is universal, celebrating diversity and friendship despite differences. A lovely book.—Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Lib., CT

School Library Journal

2021-09-24
A day in the snow for two kids in two languages.

Readers might be tempted to flip past the frontmatter to the start of the story. But take time to linger over the evocative endpapers that show a big yellow moving truck parked outside a blue and white house in a snowy landscape. An adult and a child, both with pale skin and black hair, are standing on the porch, about to open the door. Turn the page, and there is another adult-and-child pair, both with brown skin and dark hair, bringing their new neighbors a gift of food. Like many friendships, this story builds slowly, one interaction at a time, urging readers to savor each moment. The first child speaks Japanese and the second, English; yet their intent and interactions are seemingly understood, facilitated by snowy-day play and bilingual conversation. Eventually the cold pushes them inside to enjoy Japanese tea, a treat, and origami. Stoop’s captivating mixed-media illustrations depict dramatic perspectives even in the kids’ first meeting, their bold, bright figures striking against a pastel snowy scene. Napoli’s spare text trusts primarily English-speaking readers to derive sufficient meaning from the bilingual spreads while lacking the scaffolding to facilitate deeper cultural comprehension for both kids. Notes from author and illustrator each offer depth and background as well as insight into their artistic partnership.

A simple tale of building a friendship and good memories using few words and luminous artwork. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews