Little Shrew
by Akiko Miyakoshi; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Kids Can    72 pp.
6/24    9781525313035    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781525313462    $13.99

In three illustrated stories translated from Japanese, Miyakoshi introduces readers to the delightfully mundane life of the titular Little Shrew, a rodent with a daily schedule, a steady paycheck, and a Rubik’s Cube. Illustrated front-matter depicts close-up views of twee interior decor (push-pinned memorabilia, a tiny notebook with a shrew-sized pencil), drawing readers into the cozy world of the protagonist. The first chapter begins with Little Shrew’s daily alarm clock and ends with his reasonable bedtime; straightforward, matter-of-fact language and soft, hazy illustrations paint a day in the shrew’s life, one ordinary moment at a time. The following chapters, wherein Little Shrew makes a big purchase, discovers a new dream, and hosts guests for soup and singing, feature more story, but only very slightly; the one true moment of tension arrives when a page-turn reveals that—spoiler alert—Little Shrew solved his Rubik’s Cube. Miyakoshi’s heavily textured pencil, charcoal, and gouache art is atmospheric and full of eye-catching detail that provides a rich counterpoint to the spare text. Skillfully composed images capture the oddness of the tiny rodent’s existence in a human-sized world, while frequent soft-edged, rounded vignette scenes feel intimate and dreamy. Little Shrew himself is fuzzy, measured, and prone to staring (somewhat unnervingly) at readers as they look back. Equally uncanny and endearing, this is a strange slice of an extraordinary and fascinating tiny life.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.