A Carp for Kimiko
Virginia Kroll, author
Virginia Kroll attended Canisius College and the State University of New York at Buffalo. She was formerly an elementary school teacher and has raised six children of her own. It was Virginia's love of children that led her to begin her career as a children's writer in 1984.
Virginia has a special talent for understanding and communicating with children. Her efforts to cross cultural lines and address multicultural issues have won her the praise of critics and readers.
Read more about Virginia.
Katherine Roundtree, illustrator
Katherine Roundtree graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design Katherine is an elementary school art teacher. She lived for many years with her extended family on the banks of the Ohio river, but currently resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Read more about Katherine.
Booklist
Kimiko very much wants a calico carp kite like her brother's to fly on Children's Day. She can't have one, though, because she's a girl, and Japanese tradition dictates that only boys get colorful kites. Luckily, Kimiko has understanding parents, and the day after the festival, she wakes to find a real calico carp swimming in a tank in her room. The intention of this title, stated on the jacket blurb, is to introduce readers to Japanese customs and traditions, such as the Children's Day and Doll's Day celebrations mentioned in the story. With brightly colored paintings and a believable premise, the story succeeds, relaying its information with a minimum of didacticism and more than a little charm.
Kirkus Reviews
Kimiko yearns for a carp-shaped kite to fly on Children's Day, like the one little brother Yukio has, but it's not the Japanese tradition: kites are for boys. When she tries, politely, to negotiate, her parents are firm—but not unsympathetic, especially Mama. It's true, as Kimiko says, that Yukio shared in the Doll Festival by coming to Kimiko's party; Mama, sighing, says, "You remind me of the carp, Kimiko, always wanting to swim against the current," but agrees to "bend" tradition: she may unpack one of the dolls reserved for that festival. Better, once Children's Day is over, Kimiko gets a special gift: a live carp in an aquarium. Roundtree's illustrations are stolidly literal, her bright colors almost garish—an unfortunate choice for a gentle story distinguished by unusual warmth and subtlety. An upbeat but still bracing look at a culture in which children learn to accept tradition—and, like all children, to bargain within the constraints they're given.
School Library Journal
A straightforward story that focuses on a Japanese holiday. On the fifth day of the fifth month, Children's Day is celebrated, formerly called Boy's Day. Families fly a carp windsock for each son, and Kimiko longs to have one fly in her honor along with the three for her brothers. Her mother makes the obvious comparison-her daughter is like a carp struggling against the current. Traditional ways prevail, and a colorful windsock does not fly for Kimiko. But, the morning after the holiday, she is delighted to find a live calico carp in a fishbowl by her bed. The bright, realistic illustrations are filled with the details of Japanese life, including a corner rock garden, shoe rack, and table setting. In one overzealous attempt to provide information, the author gives the Japanese words for various family members in a phonetic manner instead of in the accepted method of transcription. This will prove confusing to anyone with some knowledge of Japanese.
Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-88106-411-7
Ages: 4-7
Page count: 32
10 x 8