Yuki's Ride Home Book

After a perfect day together with Grandma—feeding koi in the pond, folding origami paper in the garden, eating a delicious dinner, and listening to the “night music” by the water—Yuki realizes too late that night has come. Waving goodbye to Grandma, Yuki knows she’ll have to be brave to make it home without anyone’s help. Even though Grandma wants her three pets to accompany Yuki home, Yuki sends them back, because she doesn’t want Grandma to be lonely.

Children's Literature

Yuki has exciting news as she visits her grandmother—she can ride her bike home by herself. Grandma is happy to hear Yuki's news. From the illustrations, Yuki must ride over a small bridge to get to Grandma's house. Yuki spends the day with Grandma feeding the fish and birds, making origami animals, and sharing a meal. At the end of the day, Yuki fears she has waited too long to ride home because of the fog. Grandma offers to let her pets travel with Yuki but Yuki decides she must ride alone. The illustrations in this book take center stage with combinations of pencil sketches, Japanese patterns, and beautiful colors using digital techniques. The sweet interaction between Yuki and her grandmother is wonderful but shifts attention away from the ride home. The story might have been stronger if the two had focused on the ride and Yuki doing things by herself. The beautiful illustrations and unusual activities make this a nice multicultural read for preschoolers and kindergartners as long as one does not expect to read about the ride home. Reviewer: Elizabeth Fronk