The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden - by Heather Smith

About the Book

This gorgeously illustrated picture book tells the story of a young Japanese boy who loses his dad in a tsunami.

Book Synopsis

★ "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.

Review Quotes

★ "Inspired by the true story of a personal art piece that become a comfort to thousands, this heart-wrenching picture book includes an age-appropriate portrayal of grief."

-- "Foreword Reviews, starred review"

★ "A beautifully rendered tale of loss, love, grief, and gentle healing."-- "Kirkus Reviews, starred review"

★"A moving tale...offers comfort and peace to those left behind."-- "Booklist, starred review"

★"An affecting, well-rendered resource for talking about catastrophes and grief both personal and communal."-- "Publisher Weekly, starred review"

★"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 for most picture book collections."-- "School Library Journal, starred review"

"[An] affecting story...Will provide much material for thought and discussion. The artwork will also give inspiration to budding illustrators of all ages."-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"A moving concept, and the book might open discussion about ways to deal with death and loss."-- "The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books"

"Beautifully lyrical...This story is sure to be a favourite...Highly recommended for all children's libraries."-- "Resource Links"

"Tackles tragedy with compassion and shows that beauty and community can be found in even the darkest times...The illustrations, inspired by traditional Japanese art, are my favorite from any picture book in 2019 and perfectly capture the story's themes of hope and loss. While young readers may have many questions about death, this book answers one of the biggest ones--how do we move forward? The answer, according to Mr. Hirota, is together."-- "Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Canadian Children's Book News"

"Text and illustration come together to make this a memorable story of love, loss, and despair tinged with the hope that comes when healing can finally begin...This book has a wide range of appeal and will fit into many curriculum areas. Highly recommended."-- "School Library Connection"

"This book is an essential purchase for elementary school libraries and home libraries. Children need to learn empathy, coping skills and the simplicity of communicating to help during the healing process."-- "Must Read Literature"

"This tender look at both personal and community loss shows how we begin to take the first small, difficult steps toward healing."-- "The Horn Book"

"Touching tale of loss and resilience."-- "Hakai Magazine"

"Wondrous, full of grace, and so poignant."-- "Sal's Fiction Addiction"

About the Author

Heather Smith is the author of several picture books, including the award-winning The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden. Her middle-grade novel Ebb and Flow was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, and her YA novel The Agony of Bun O'Keefe won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, the OLA Forest of Reading White Pine Award and was shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. Most recently, Heather authored the middle-grade novel The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale. Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her family.

Rachel Wada's work is defined by heavy texture, bold color and intricate details that capture the nuances of people, places and ideas, real and surreal. Rachel's identity as Japanese-Cantonese, an immigrant and a woman informs her artistic practice. She loves to put her own spin on traditional techniques, motifs and symbolism inspired by her cultural background. This duality of old and new is also apparent in her use of both traditional and digital mediums, and she draws inspiration from a variety of sources, from Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese pottery and ceramics, food packaging design to traditional folk art. Rachel lives in Vancouver.