Summary
This is a beautiful story about a your girl who receives Kokeshi dolls from her family for occasions, and she has a beautiful collection of them. She has them in various shapes, sizes, colors, design, and for each season. Her family sends her the dolls and then she writes post cards back to them to thank them. There are translations for students in the book. The tradition of these dolls is being passed onto her and she is able to stay connected to her culture through these dolls.
Theme(s):
Culture, Family, Tradition
Personal Response
I thought this was a really beautiful book. I never knew about Kokeshi dolls, and being able to see such beautiful illustrations of them was really special. These dolls are a big part of Anna’s culture, and being able to share these dolls with students and your readers is a great way to share new cultures with them. I loved that the author included both Japanese and English in the book, and provided translations for students to read when they finish the book.
Teaching Ideas
To turn this book into a teaching point, I would have students write a mini autobiography, and then design their own Kokeshi dolls with stuff that is important about them that they wrote about. In their writing they would write about their own culture and how it is important to them, then they can design their own Kokeshi doll with their own culture in mind. This allows them to get more practice writing, and also allows them to be creative in making their own version of the Kokeshi doll.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
