May 2, 2022
A girl clad in a white shirt and a big red bow meets her baby brother, Daichan, who looks “just like a potato,” for the first time in this humorous comic. Less than impressed, she runs away from home to find a family who appreciates her, “with parents who will love me, and only me.” After finding a cardboard box and penning “Free Kid” on the side, she attempts to attract a new family by tooting a horn and waving flags proclaiming “cute kid!” Her methods bear no fruit, so she waits patiently (“No one’s going to feel sorry for a kid who’s dancing”), and is soon joined by a dog, cat, and turtle. When her companions are taken in and the girl is left alone, she begins to suspect it wouldn’t be so bad being a big sister to a potato. Simple line drawings with bold red accents against a white background provide visual gentleness, and the narrative recalls Shel Silverstein’s poem “One Sister for Sale.” In his first English translated work, Ito’s deadpan humor and the characters’ emotive facial expressions inject jocularity in a welcome exploration of the anxiety that some children face in response to siblinghood. Ages 5–9.
September 1, 2022
Disappointed that her new baby brother "looks just like a potato" and is always crying, a young girl heads to town to offer herself for free to a new family. She imagines she'll have servants, a big backyard, and, most importantly, no baby brother. The spunky narrator spends the day in a cardboard box with "FREE KID" written on the front. People walk by, but no one stops. As she waits, a lost dog, stray cat, and turtle join her. One by one, each animal is claimed by a passerby, and the girl finds herself alone in the box once again. Finally, at day's end, a loving family stops by "looking for a sister for our little potato." Ito's choice of a first-person voice -- "maybe I don't look special enough just sitting here" -- lets readers experience the fluctuations in the main character's emotions as she first rejects and then feels rejected by possible families. In the satisfying conclusion, she chooses her own family, giving her a much-needed sense of control. Uncluttered pages with just a few sentences on each feature spare cartoon-style black-line drawings with red accents. The self-declared "cute-kid" sports a black-and-white pleated skirt, short black hair topped with a red bow, and lollipop red cheeks. The chapter-book trim size should appeal to young readers looking to tackle a longer book; they will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator. Maeve Visser Knoth
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2022
Disappointed that her new baby brother "looks just like a potato" and is always crying, a young girl heads to town to offer herself for free to a new family. She imagines she'll have servants, a big backyard, and, most importantly, no baby brother. The spunky narrator spends the day in a cardboard box with "FREE KID" written on the front. People walk by, but no one stops. As she waits, a lost dog, stray cat, and turtle join her. One by one, each animal is claimed by a passerby, and the girl finds herself alone in the box once again. Finally, at day's end, a loving family stops by "looking for a sister for our little potato." Ito's choice of a first-person voice -- "maybe I don't look special enough just sitting here" -- lets readers experience the fluctuations in the main character's emotions as she first rejects and then feels rejected by possible families. In the satisfying conclusion, she chooses her own family, giving her a much-needed sense of control. Uncluttered pages with just a few sentences on each feature spare cartoon-style black-line drawings with red accents. The self-declared "cute-kid" sports a black-and-white pleated skirt, short black hair topped with a red bow, and lollipop red cheeks. The chapter-book trim size should appeal to young readers looking to tackle a longer book; they will be rewarded by getting to know this can-do narrator.
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)