The Perfect Sushi

by Emily Satoko Seo (Author) Mique Moriuchi (Illustrator)

The Perfect Sushi
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Miko likes things to be perfect. When she makes lopsided sushi for her grandmother's birthday, she replaces it with perfectly formed sushi created by a restaurant robot.

Upon delivering her gift, Miko discovers that kokoro (heart) - not impeccability - is the key ingredient to the perfect present. Sprinkled with engaging onomatopoeia, this unique title is infused with Japanese culture and delivers a universal message about the value of intention.

A do-it-yourself sushi recipe is included.

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Paperback
$9.99

Kirkus

A sweet story that reminds readers to always put their hearts into whatever they do.

Publishers Weekly

A Japanese child's desire to get things just right for her grandmother's birthday becomes a lesson in what truly matters in Seo's quietly heartfelt story. Wanting to make "the perfect sushi" for her sushi-adoring grandmother, perfectionist Miko--who "always paints inside the lines"--begins rolling rice balls, but finds that, despite her practice, "not a single piece" passes muster. Asking her grandfather for help and tying on a hachimaki, she follows his lead, but her result remains lopsided. The result? "She steams up like a rice cooker" and goes in search of perfect sushi elsewhere. As step-by-step text replicates onomatopoeia ("kuru kuru kuru... koro koro koro"), Moriuchi's fetching cut-paper and gouache collage is in keeping with the handmade-is-best theme--though the sharp-edged style reproduces sushi to a mouthwatering degree, its charm lies in its imperfections. A glossary and recipe conclude. Ages 4-9. (Apr.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--Miko (black hair, light brown skin) is a perfectionist, so of course she wants to make her grandmother's favorite dish, perfect sushi, for Babi's birthday. With hand-painted, textured-paper collage and a bright but peaceful color palette, the illustrations show a familiar and comforting home: laundry basket, stuffed animals, house plants, paints. What might be less familiar to some is sushi and, while the text allows for readers to seamlessly absorb Japanese words like Babi, Jiji, and Koroko, and sounds--gyu fwa gyu and koro koro kuru--it never really explains sushi and nigiri. "She takes a slice of fish and places it on top. She adjusts the topping." Does topping referring to the fish or to something unseen in the illustration? "Something doesn't look right," but readers will not understand why it isn't perfect. The sushi in the illustration looks great. Six pages later Jiji shows Miko how to make the sushi, and when it still turns out "lopsided" readers learn what the problem has been all along. Still, the message of family and food and the importance of doing something from the heart is loud and clear, and the illustrations are so lovely, few readers will have such qualms. A recipe at the end offers further interactions and more about sushi. VERDICT A solid purchase, and one that will look great on display. --Hillary Perelyubskiy

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes




Emily Satoko Seo
Emily Satoko Seo, a Japanese Canadian chemist turned children's book author, writes about food, culture, science and nature. She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two young children and enjoys making homemade sushi with her family. Emily has also written The Science of Boys and Our World: Japan.

Mique Moriuchi spent her most memorable childhood years in Japan between the ages of seven and ten. Mique currently works as a primary school librarian, children's book illustrator and occasional lopsided sushi maker with her partner and their two children in Bedford, UK. Her illustrations are created by hand, using collage and acrylic paint.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781646868384
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Barefoot Books
Publication date
April 04, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV030020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Asia
JUV050000 - Juvenile Fiction | Cooking & Food
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Grandparent and child
Japan
Social life and customs
Perfectionism (Personality trait)
Sushi

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