Yukie's Island

Starred review from May 1, 2023

Gr 3-5-In simple text and pastoral illustrations, this book offers a look at how war affects children. Yukie lives an idyllic life helping her dad maintain the lighthouse and playing with her brother on a tiny island off the coast of Japan. It is 1945 and World War II feels very far away, until the day the bombs start to fall. When Yukie and her family emerge from the bomb shelter, Yukie no longer feels safe or lighthearted. The world around her begins to heal, but it takes a unique miracle for Yukie to feel like the explorer she once was. The text is minimal, with only one or two sentences per page. Oil on canvas filled with bright blues and greens create serene scenes that highlight the carefree and happy life that Yukie has before the bombings. These turn gray and dismal after the bombings to show the main character's inner turmoil-a jumping-off point for discussion in the classroom. Sheinkin's author's note describes how the idea for the book came to be. Kimura's note provides more detail about his mother, Yukie, and her life in Japan. VERDICT An accessible and compelling book on a tough topic. Purchase for a unique perspective on World War II.-V. Lynn Christiansen

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2023
A picture book based on Yukie Kimura's experiences growing up in World War II-era Japan. Yukie lives with her family on an island where her father is the lighthouse keeper. She and her brother have adventures around the island as they look for sea gull eggs; her sister prefers to read. One day, Yukie sees a giant ship with military personnel onboard. Up to that point, the war had felt far away. Suddenly, her world shifts as the military takes over the town, planes fly overhead, and bombs drop. Yukie notices that some children do not return to school after the war, but as the book closes, her adventures with her brother resume as they jump across ice floes that have floated south from Russia. References to her father's flute playing and the hidden meanings behind his intonation imply there is much that Yukie doesn't understand, though she perceives the underlying threats and tension. Disappointingly sparse text is paired with equally oblique illustrations. Kōdo Kimura's stiff and impersonal style portrays flat landscapes and children with adult, even elderly faces. Repetitive, unoriginal perspectives lack dramatic emotion, creating distance between readers and the story. Older children can read the in-depth backmatter for historical context; younger readers will need guidance from well-informed grown-ups. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A thin tale with far richer backmatter. (notes from Sheinkin and Kōdo Kimura) (Picture-book memoir. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 A Japanese survivor of WWII's American air raids reflects on that childhood experience in a contemplative autobiography crafted with the help of notable author Steve Sheinkin (Fallout, 2021) and her son, who also meticulously illustrated the account. Eight-year-old Yukie and her siblings enjoy adventurous youths as the children of a lighthouse keeper on a small island off the northern coast of Japan: "We were explorers and scientists. . . . We were treasure hunters." Until war approaches them. Although their daily routines continue, the heavy foreboding impacts Yukie's whole family. After bombs devastate their region in 1945, Yukie's community recovers and the children find simple joys again. Detailed oil-on-canvas and Photoshop illustrations capture the innocence and later unease of the family, and the palette shifts accordingly. Crisp greens and clean blues are replaced by sooty grays and muted tones in the bombing's aftermath. Meaningful notes from Sheinkin and Kōdo Kimura further personalize Yukie's story. Insightful and compassionate, this lightly fictionalized recounting brings welcome insight about children in conflicts and lends humanity to the ravages of war.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 24, 2023
A lighthouse keeper’s family leads a magical life on a beautiful island until the interruption of war in this luminously illustrated collaboration from the Kimuras, a parent/child team, and Sheinkin. Eight-year-old narrator Yukie enjoys helping in the garden and in the lighthouse. And alongside brother Yoshio, “We were explorers and scientists” combing the island’s coastline; “We were sailors too.... It was the only way to get to school.” But when a military presence arrives, threats unsettle the family. American planes bomb the island, and though the war ends soon after, it takes a surprising natural event for the children to reconnect with the the natural world. Photorealistic oil paintings from Ko¯do Kimura visualize personal beats throughout this story of wartime endurance. Creators’ notes contextualize the story’s WWII-era beginnings. Ages 4–8.