Japanese / Japan
Yoru no kaerimichi
(Walking home at night)
Miyakoshi, Akiko
(text/illus.)
Tōkyō: Kaiseisha, 2015. – [32] p.
ISBN 978-4-03-332460-9
Night | Picture book
Reading age: 3+
White Ravens issue: 2016
In this beautiful picture book, a little rabbit boy being carried by his mother gets glimpses of other people’s lives on his way home at night and reflects on them in his bed at home. He spots people having a party, watching TV alone, finishing work, reading a book in a cosy room, cooking for their family soon coming home, and saying goodbye to their loved ones before going on a long journey. These common scenes of everyday life are illuminated by variegated light glowing through the windows. Soft light contrasts with richly nuanced darkness drawn with charcoal. Readers can find the same characters on different pages, including the endpapers, and imagine what their lives are like. The illustrations create cinematic vantage points: looking down from above or looking up at a building which rises to the sky. “Yoru no kaerimichi” received a special mention in the fiction category at the Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2016.