Chirri & Chirra, In the Tall Grass (Chirri & Chirra #2)

Whether readers decide it’s all imaginary or not is irrelevant; they will love every moment, regardless. Utterly charming. 

The identical-looking girls from 2016's Chirri & Chirra are back, riding their bicycles ("Dring-dring, dring-dring!") into the tall grass of a nearby meadow, and emerging much smaller than before. This new perspective allows an up-close view of the lives of small creatures who they follow home: bees offer the girls freshly baked "honey sponge cake balls wrapped in flower petals" and, later, they cook up fluorite candies with a lizard. The language is straightforward, but Doi's gauzy images revel in the details described. It's a delicious vision of the rewards of curiosity, exploration, and having the freedom to chase adventures wherever they lead. Ages 2-8. (June)

PreS-Gr 2--Take a fantastical voyage through a luscious green meadow with rosy-red cheeked Chirri and Chirra. In this second book about the twins, the girls are yet again only distinguishable because one has blue buttons on her dress and the other has red. It is in these tiny details that Doi excels. The use of color pencils to masterfully guide readers on a leisurely paced tour is reminiscent of days gone by. "Dring-dring, dring-dring!" goes the bicycles, and magically the twins become tiny. They follow a bee to eat a delicious honey cake, flower chafers to drink juice made of "yumberry fruit and raspberry pulp," a lizard to eat fluorite candies, and finally fireflies back to their own house. Doi creates an enchanted world that harkens back to a quieter time. There is never any sense of danger or anxiety, either in the artwork or in the spare poetic text. Through pacing and a soft-focus lens, pale cream-colored pages in a small rectangular format, and the bleed over onto the next page, Doi sets the tone of a gentle read. Nature is celebrated in a bucolic setting. In this dollhouse come to life, children will enjoy picking hidden surprises out from the illustratons. This book is best enjoyed one-on-one, so readers can luxuriate in the artistic nuances. Careful observers will notice that the endpapers serve as a map for the twins' journey. VERDICT A highly recommended purchase for any size collection where readers will delight in the whimsical nostalgic artwork.--Eva Thaler-Sroussi, Glencoe Public Library, IL

"Doi's books are completely unique. The two characters react to nature and the foods offered them with wonder and curiosity. There is no fear here, just adventure and joy."—Tasha Saecker, Waking Brain Cells

"A beautifully rendered portrayal of the magic of childhood."—Miranda Rosbach, My Bookbloom