AWARDS AND REVIEWS

A Powell’s Books “Best of 2017” Pick
Featured in New York Magazine's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Best Books to Gift to Little Kids

★ "Kaya Doi is on to something with her fantastical-nonsensical Chirri and Chirra books. While spa treatments and allaying stress may seem like grown-up interests, modern-day kids are living in an adult-made world of media supersaturation and technological pyrotechnics; the Chirri and Chirra books allow young readers to escape into an adult- and complication-free dreamscape of animals, sweets and unimpeded fun." —STARRED REVIEW, Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness

"While riding their bicycles (Dring-dring, dring-dring!), Chirri and Chirra find a door made of ice. Behind it, they discover cheerful forest creatures sipping hot drinks, reading aloud and playing marbles with ‘the frozen buds of many kinds of flowers.’ When the girls and animals go to bathe in a hot spring, they bring the frozen marbles with them. ‘The ice on the buds melts and the flowers bloom,’ perfuming the warm water. Afterward, everyone eats cloud-like ‘rainbow-colored steamed buns from the hot spring, sprinkled with sugar.’ These exquisite touches give the book a magical feeling, as if it were a dream of childhood." —Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal

"Turning the pages of the Chirri & Chirra books, imports from Japan, feels like falling into a tiny, exquisite dream. This latest one has a wintertime theme and a mochi-colored palette. The adorableness is off the charts as the rosy-cheeked twins head out on their bikes and find the usual talking animals, sweet treats and other early childhood wish-fulfillment items (marbles, hand-held lanterns, a shelf of colorful books). This outing, on the first day of snowfall, takes them to an ice structure teeming with fun, then on to a cozy igloo for the night." —The New York Times

"Everything about this new book communicates cozy, snuggly, soft and warm. It’s a delight." —Kirkus Reviews

“With a cast of affable woodland creatures, tasty treats, and a soak in the hot springs, you can’t help feeling warmed by this charming book that pairs beautifully with the other two titles in this series.” —Miranda Rosbach, My Bookbloom

"Chirri & Chirra is an utterly charming series of children’s picture books...low on the angst scale and high on the charm meter. Doi is known for her softly styled drawings on rich creamy paper. She creates the illustrations in these books with colored pencils, pastels, and crayons, crafting them to give an old-world feel, a time of innocence and simplicity. The exquisite art radiates joy and has a dreamy quality to it that reflects how children imagine their ideal world to be. These delightful books are a welcome escape for young children from their anxieties." —International Examiner

"It’s simple, and the colored-pencil illustrations are very charming — the best imaginative treats." —Illustrator Sarah Jacoby, for New York Magazine’s The Strategist

"I love a book that is just so clearly written to access the world inside a child’s mind... It’s an adventure to nowhere and everywhere and is so visually enchanting." —Comedy writer and bestselling author Bess Kalb, for New York Magazine’s The Strategist

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Chirri & Chirra
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