Yoko Finds Her Way

by Rosemary Wells

Overview

"A terrific book to share with children preparing for their first flights as well as Yoko's fans." —Kirkus Reviews

Join Yoko the cat as she learns how to keep her cool and build independence in a big, unfamiliar place—from beloved, bestselling author Rosemary Wells.

Yoko and her mama are going on a trip to Japan! Yoko helps Mama get to and through the airport by reading signs along the way. By the time they get to their gate, Mama is exhausted. While Mama naps, Yoko goes to the washroom. But when Yoko takes the wrong exit, she finds herself in a completely different part of the terminal. Before she knows it, Yoko is on the moving walkway, zipping toward Baggage Claim. Will she be able to follow the signs back to her mama?

With her flair for sly humor, Rosemary Wells defuses an anxious situation by keeping Yoko cool and confident. Readers will enjoy reading the signs along with Yoko in this happy-ending story about navigating a very big but very friendly airport.

Don’t miss Yoko, the book that started it all!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423165125
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/08/2014
Series:	A Yoko Book
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,140,611
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than thirty years and sixty books. She is the creator of such unforgettable characters as Ruby and Max, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in the bestselling My Very First Mother Goose. She lives in Greenwich, CT.

Editorial Reviews

03/17/2014
Yoko returns in her sixth picture book, which has the green-eyed kitten and her kimono-wearing mother getting ready for a flight to Japan. The kitten serves as a self-assured and observant guide to the airport experience, helping her mother find the right airline, moving through security with ease, and being attentive to the signs that appear as icons across the top of most pages. Even when Yoko gets lost after a trip to the restroom, she knows just what to do (“Yoko followed the signs to the Airport Police and asked for help”). Wells offers a narrative-driven alternative to books like Maria van Lieshout’s recent Flight 1-2-3, one that will give young would-be travelers a boost of confidence. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Yoko and her kimono-clad mother have an adventure at the airport at the beginning of their trip to Japan…. The rich presentation, from endearing illustration to paper and design to color and touches of gold and silver, celebrates the experience of reading a book; that the story is told in both words and symbols allows young listeners to follow along in complex ways. A terrific book to share with children preparing for their first flights as well as Yoko’s fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Yoko... serves as a self-assured and observant guide to the airport experience, helping her mother find the right airline, moving through security with ease, and being attentive to the signs that appear as icons across the top of most pages.... Wells offers a narrative-driven alternative to books like Maria van Lieshout's recent Flight 1-2-3, one that will give young would-be travelers a boost of confidence."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
PreS-Gr 2—Yoko and her mother are flying to Japan, and the airport is big and unfamiliar to both of them. Following internationally recognized symbols for restrooms, escalators, information, police, etc., they make their way to the correct gate but not without first getting separated from each other. Wells is a master at showing emotions through her characters' expressions, drawing readers into their plight. Symbols run along the top of each page at the airport, adding to the sense of place and drama. A colorful cast of airport staff, along with Yoko's reliable smarts, saves the day and will help children learn to recognize the value of signs and of being alert to one's surroundings. Wells adds Asian flair by using Hokusai's famous Great Wave Off Kanagawa print as the logo for Big Wave Airlines. Artfully done.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2013-03-13
Yoko and her kimono-clad mother have an adventure at the airport at the beginning of their trip to Japan. The security process exhausts Mama, who falls asleep at the gate, so Yoko goes by herself to the restroom. But when she exits by a different door, she and her mother have some difficulty in finding each other again. Though each runs afoul of the basic principle of search and rescue—stay put—the glitch offers Yoko, and by extension young readers, an opportunity to be independent and resourceful. Yoko finds her way to the airport police, while her mother enlists the reassurances of several helpful workers, and they are comfortably reunited. For some reason, everyone in this airport, unlike at Yoko's school, is a cat—maybe to minimize the scariness of crowds of strangers? Icons for everything (food, stairs, elevators, terminals, airport police) give readers a chance to note details and to be observant along with Yoko as she figures out what to do. A successful conclusion for the trip and perhaps a recounting to grandmother of the adventure must wait for another book. The rich presentation, from endearing illustration to paper and design to color and touches of gold and silver, celebrates the experience of reading a book; that the story is told in both words and symbols allows young listeners to follow along in complex ways. A terrific book to share with children preparing for their first flights as well as Yoko's fans. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews