Chibi Samurai Wants a Pet: An Adventure with Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl

by Sanae Ishida

Overview

In this new additon to the Little Kunoichi series, author and illustrator Sanae Ishida’s beautiful art pairs with a gentle, fun lesson, featuring Little Kunoichi’s buddy, Chibi Samurai.
Inspired by Little Kunoichi’s relationship with her pet ninja bunny, Chibi Samurai sets off to find a companion for himself. He explores many possibilities from Japanese culture—both real and mythical—thinking about how each creature might be as a pet.
 
Little Kunoichi and her pet bunny cheer him on as he searches and searches, until finally Chibi realizes that the perfect pet, just right for a little samurai, has been with him all along.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632171177
Publisher:	Sasquatch Books
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Series:	Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

SANAE ISHIDA grew up drawing princesses, reading Japanese comic books, and writing stories she never shared with anyone. She enjoyed stints in wide-ranging fields including illustration, education, technology, retail, and theater arts. When not creating on the page, she sews, frequents coffee shops, and overly shares stories on SanaeIshida.com. She lives in Seattle with her wonderful husband and fabulous daughter—inspiration for Little Kunoichi.

Editorial Reviews

Featured in the Seattle’s Child summer reading issue

"Ishida seamlessly weaves Japanese cultural references into the text and art... A delightful romp."
—Kirkus Reviews

"The watercolor art with pen and ink whimsically complement this well-told tale... expands on the fun and whimsy of the previous book and will leave readers eager for more adventures with Chibi and Little Kunoichi."
—School Library Journal

"A wonderful addition to the series.... This book is SO MUCH FUN." 
—Let's Talk Picture Books

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—In this follow-up to Little Kunoichi, the Ninja Girl, Chibi Samurai envies his friend's close relationship with her pet, the stupendous Ninja Bunny. Bunny and Little Kunoichi do many things together, causing Chibi to observe that: "A pet is a friend and a snuggly companion." With map in hand, he sets off on a quest to find the perfect pet. The potential pets he considers are a hilarious mix of mythological and real, including a giant salamander, tanuki, water-dwelling kappa, macaque monkey, crane, and baby sasquatch. Each is unsuitable: the mischievous tanuki transforms into a fast car and zooms off; while the stinky, slimy kappa has a bad attitude toward humans. Cheered on by Little Kunoichi and Bunny, Chibi finally finds the perfect pet: a stag beetle, prized in Japan for its strength and loyalty. This surprise conclusion is likely to send readers flipping back through the pages for beetles and other clever details concealed among the illustrations. The watercolor art with pen and ink whimsically complement this well-told tale. A helpful page of factoids adds information on the Japanese animals and references in the story. VERDICT This delightful text expands on the fun and whimsy of the previous book and will leave readers eager for more adventures with Chibi and Little Kunoichi. —Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2017-05-31
Little Kunoichi's dazzling pet inspires Chibi Samurai's quest for his own. Ninja Bunny is awesome. Audacious and strong, the rabbit and Little Kunoichi are inseparable. Wanting a similar snuggly friend, Chibi Samurai gears up and sets out. Across mountains, forest, and swamp the intrepid boy greets Japanese creatures, both mythic and real (giant salamander, mischievous kappa, hot-spring-loving monkeys!), but none stay. Dejected, Chibi returns home to find a loyal and mighty stag beetle has been with him all along. Ishida seamlessly weaves Japanese cultural references into the text and art, integrating traditional clothing, decor, games, and even a haiku into the tale. Backmatter explains these visual cues, adding to the seek-and-find fun on many pages. Watercolor illustrations are reminiscent of Taro Gomi's, with their appealing, earnest simplicity. Like a child's artwork, they have a spontaneity, a fizzy energy, that's never labored. Despite this appearance, each page is meticulously planned. Unfortunately, the stag beetle may seem like an obvious play for Kubo fans, and the front-cover design doesn't capture the vivacity of its contents; however, if readers only turn the page, a playful adventure awaits. Young readers will love returning to find hidden treasures among these pages—a delightful romp. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews