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Smith, Heather

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden

32 pp. | Orca | September, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4598-2103-3 $19.95 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-4598-2105-7
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rachel Wada. Makio's father and Mr. Hirota's daughter work at the harbor. One day, while Makio and Mr. Hirota watch, a tsunami strikes. Mr. Hirota builds a phone booth to talk to his dead daughter; Makio is disappointed that it's "connected to nowhere" until the villagers use it to speak to those lost. The quietly powerful text acknowledges the community's grief; the haunting art conveys Makio's emotions. This tender look at loss is inspired by real events following Japan's 2011 tsunami.
Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

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