I have to laugh at myself each time I finish the book. The enchanted attic, with its imposing branches and immense beasts, could have been terrible and frightening.īut those are, so often, grownup fears, right? How many jellybeings have been waiting at the bus stop for me? How many have I fled, like running from my own shadow? That’s what I love about Tanaka-san’s The Little One. Her friend could have been a ghost, a No Face, like the one in Spirited Away. Her adventure could easily have been the stuff of bad dreams. I have to say, I admire the courage of this little girl. It’s also, I think, about introducing some light into the darkness. It’s a story about trusting the imagination, following where it leads, and enjoying the journey. Into a secret garden, into a tea house, into an attic with trees and blinking lights and a giant furry creature snoozing in a warm, inviting heap. Everywhere she follows the Little One, mysteries and magic follow too. In fact, every time she sees the Little One (sitting at a bus stop or between two bonsai), she comes a little closer. Then, all of a sudden, there it is, a little living jellybean, black as midnight, looking down with great big, startling eyes.īut she’s not startled. She probably passes it routinely on her way to school. Join the pair on an afternoon filled with tea and adventures, friendship, and magic One day, a young girl sees a mysterious little figure sitting on a wall. Just a typical, nothing-special sort of wall. This sweet book was awarded Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2022 On her way home, a young girl meets a little figure that only she can see. Kiyo Tanaka’s The Little One (くろいの) is about a small girl and the imaginary friend she discovers sitting like Humpty Dumpty on top of a wall.
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