The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden
Heather Smith, Rachel Wada, Kelly Nakatsuka
Type:
Fiction
Categories:
Social Issues | Historical | Science & Nature
Themes:
Death & Dying, Asia, Disasters
Language:
English
Publisher:
Grade Level:
1-3
Age Range:
6-8
Description
★ “Smith spins a quietly moving narrative...Wada’s large-scale woodblock style illustrations are a perfect complement to the story’s restrained text...The graceful way in which this book handles a sensitive and serious subject makes it a first purchase."—School Library Journal
When the tsunami destroyed Makio's village, Makio lost his father . . . and his voice. The entire village is silenced by grief, and the young child's anger at the ocean grows. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project—building a phone booth in his garden. At first Makio is puzzled; the phone isn't connected to anything. It just sits there, unable to ring. But as more and more villagers are drawn to the phone booth, its purpose becomes clear to Makio: the disconnected phone is connecting people to their lost loved ones. Makio calls to the sea to return what it has taken from him and ultimately finds his voice and solace in a phone that carries words on the wind.
The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is inspired by the true story of the wind phone in Otsuchi, Japan, which was created by artist Itaru Sasaki. He built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed, saying, "My thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the town of Otsuchi, claiming 10 percent of the population. Residents of Otsuchi and pilgrims from other affected communities have been traveling to the wind phone since the tsunami.
Contributors
Formats
Awards
Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Marilyn Baillie Picture Book AwardShort-listed
Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express AwardNominated
Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of the YearCommended
Stiftung Internationale Jugendbibliothek The White RavensCommended
National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Freeman Book Awards - Children’s LiteratureWinner
Rocky Mountain Book Award (RMBA)Short-listed
Forest of Reading Light Reads, Great StoriesCommended
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book AwardWinner
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Pacific Northwest Book AwardsNominated
Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award - Honourable MentionCommended
BC and Yukon Book Prizes - Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature PrizeShort-listed
School Library Journal (SLJ) Best BooksCommended
Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the YearCommended
Children’s Book Council & National Council for Social Studies Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young PeopleCommended
CCBC Best Books for Kids & TeensCommended
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List (OIB)Commended
The Sakura Medal ProgramCommended
Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets - Honourable MentionCommended