Little Shrew

Starred review from March 11, 2024
With understated storytelling and shadowy pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache artwork that’s simultaneously winsome and melancholy, Miyakoshi (I Dream of a Journey) examines the everyday life of a small shrew who lives modestly among humans. In the first of three satisfying sections, Little Shrew breakfasts on honey biscuits, commutes by train to a routine day at the office, stops at a bakery for “two rye bread rolls and one white roll,” and, after dinner, works on “this evening’s to-do”—an act that results in a well-earned success. The second chapter reveals another side of Little Shrew as he trades his scarf for a used television and discovers a new world in an underwater ocean scene that catalyzes “a dream of traveling to a tropical island” as well as a minor decor change. In the final section, Little Shrew prepares for an annual visit from two dear friends. After he makes soup and cleans, the furry guests arrive bearing honey and fancy chocolate, and the three chat and sing before saying goodbye. (“It was a good year,” Little Shrew reflects.) Whether or not Little Shrew will one day get the trip he yearns for, renderings of quiet, precisely completed routines and the occasional celebration bring security and contentment to this intimate here-and-now portrait. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5–8.

April 1, 2024
A little creature lives a little life, devoid of opulence but full of splendor. Split into three brief stories, this Japanese import follows Little Shrew as he indulges in the neat and tidy order of his life. In the first tale, readers observe the minutiae of Little Shrew's day, from what he eats for breakfast to his commute to work. In a world full of large humans, Little Shrew has carved out a neat existence, replete with breaks at work and evenings filled with food, radios, and cozy chairs. The second story sees Little Shrew acquiring an old television set at a garage sale, along with a poster of Hawaii found in an alley; he then dreams of sunny shores. In the final entry, old acquaintances come to visit, and by the end Little Shrew thinks to himself, "It was a good year," and that is that. Miyakoshi elevates the quotidian, showing how a simple life can be deeply satisfying in its regularity. Her intricate pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache artwork tints each scene in a delicate light, rendering Little Shrew both novel and infinitely familiar all at once. With his small stature but adult ways, he's both a stand-in for young readers and a role model whom they may wish to emulate someday. Charm incarnate. (Fiction. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024

Gr 1-3-Anthropomorphic Little Shrew lives in an apartment, works in a people-filled world, and is content with his weekly routine. A story in three parts that has slightly longer text than many picture books follows Little Shrew as he solves a puzzle, then barters for a TV at a garage sale-which leads to dreams of visiting warmer places. In the third section, Little Shrew celebrates New Year's with two mice friends. The New Year's party scene does have the male mouse holding two alcoholic beverages. This is perhaps in recognition of Japanese culture, where there are beer vending machines and a different attitude towards alcohol. Using pencil, charcoal, and acrylic gouache, this tale is brought to life through black-and-white illustrations interspersed with colorful pages. The artwork does appear slightly pixelated; the black-and-white pages appear similar to an old TV set with an almost fuzzy look. A downside is the physical size, a mere 6 x 8 inches and 72 pages. Chapter book in size, but almost beginning reader-esque in the use of white space, picture book in concept-where to shelve this? The text is mostly one and two syllable words, with a few longer words included. VERDICT Charming in so many ways, this will take some hand-selling to find its true audience.-Sarah Sieg

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
In three illustrated stories translated from Japanese, Miyakoshi introduces readers to the delightfully mundane life of the titular Little Shrew, a rodent with a daily schedule, a steady paycheck, and a Rubik's Cube. Illustrated front-matter depicts close-up views of twee interior decor (push-pinned memorabilia, a tiny notebook with a shrew-sized pencil), drawing readers into the cozy world of the protagonist. The first chapter begins with Little Shrew's daily alarm clock and ends with his reasonable bedtime; straightforward, matter-of-fact language and soft, hazy illustrations paint a day in the shrew's life, one ordinary moment at a time. The following chapters, wherein Little Shrew makes a big purchase, discovers a new dream, and hosts guests for soup and singing, feature more story, but only very slightly; the one true moment of tension arrives when a page-turn reveals that -- spoiler alert -- Little Shrew solved his Rubik's Cube. Miyakoshi's heavily textured pencil, charcoal, and gouache art is atmospheric and full of eye-catching detail that provides a rich counterpoint to the spare text. Skillfully composed images capture the oddness of the tiny rodent's existence in a human-sized world, while frequent soft-edged, rounded vignette scenes feel intimate and dreamy. Little Shrew himself is fuzzy, measured, and prone to staring (somewhat unnervingly) at readers as they look back. Equally uncanny and endearing, this is a strange slice of an extraordinary and fascinating tiny life. Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

June 14, 2024
Grades K-3 Rendered in soft charcoal, mild-mannered Shrew, a big-eyed, tiny creature in a jaunty scarf, goes about his day-to-day in this gentle, quiet slice-of-life early chapter book. First Shrew describes his daily routine of eating breakfast, taking the train to work, eating lunch with a coworker, and running errands on the way home. In the next story, he buys a second-hand television and dreams of faraway places. The final story features Shrew getting ready for a yearly visit from his friends, the warmth of familiar company, and the quiet once they return home. There's a melancholy quality to Shrew's ostensibly lonely life, but there's also a touch of the fantastic--he's a small mammal occupying a human-scale world, which might strike a chord with children, who exist in a world largely designed for much-bigger adults. This lacks the over-the-top silliness that characterizes many early chapter books for this age group, and children who are drawn to quiet, spare worlds that ignite their imaginations will easily get pulled in by its unusual charm.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2024
In three illustrated stories translated from Japanese, Miyakoshi introduces readers to the delightfully mundane life of the titular Little Shrew, a rodent with a daily schedule, a steady paycheck, and a Rubik's Cube. Illustrated front-matter depicts close-up views of twee interior decor (push-pinned memorabilia, a tiny notebook with a shrew-sized pencil), drawing readers into the cozy world of the protagonist. The first chapter begins with Little Shrew's daily alarm clock and ends with his reasonable bedtime; straightforward, matter-of-fact language and soft, hazy illustrations paint a day in the shrew's life, one ordinary moment at a time. The following chapters, wherein Little Shrew makes a big purchase, discovers a new dream, and hosts guests for soup and singing, feature more story, but only very slightly; the one true moment of tension arrives when a page-turn reveals that -- spoiler alert -- Little Shrew solved his Rubik's Cube. Miyakoshi's heavily textured pencil, charcoal, and gouache art is atmospheric and full of eye-catching detail that provides a rich counterpoint to the spare text. Skillfully composed images capture the oddness of the tiny rodent's existence in a human-sized world, while frequent soft-edged, rounded vignette scenes feel intimate and dreamy. Little Shrew himself is fuzzy, measured, and prone to staring (somewhat unnervingly) at readers as they look back. Equally uncanny and endearing, this is a strange slice of an extraordinary and fascinating tiny life.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)