This visually stunning picture book sheds light on the cultural significance of cherry blossom season in Japan, showing the importance of slowing down to appreciate the moment and the beauty in nature. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

“An understated ode to an iconic Japanese cultural celebration, mindfulness, and the restorative power of the seasons.”Kirkus Reviews

When the Sakura Bloom by Nariso Togo sheds light on the cultural significance of cherry blossom season in Japan, and an insight into the unique mindset of its people. Through subtle text and gentle imagery readers will see the importance of slowing down to appreciate the moment. That comfort, not despair, can be found in the inevitable cycles of the seasons. How change can usher in opportunities and rejuvenation.

Moreover, When the Sakura Bloom is an understated illustration of the importance of celebrating the fleeting, delicate beauty of nature and the metaphor this represents for life itself.

Narisa Togo is a printmaker and illustrator and lives in Japan. She has a bachelor’s degree in ecology and a master’s degree in children’s book illustration. - (Perseus Publishing)

Booklist Reviews

"Hustle, bustle; hurry, dash." Early one morning in mid-March, commuters and students stride down a sidewalk in Japan, preoccupied with their thoughts, while the bare branches of sakura (flowering cherry) trees stretch out above them. Buds begin to open on the branches. Initially, the people are all looking down or forward, but eventually they notice flowers and pause to look up, touch, and take photos of them. Workers prepare for the coming sakura festival. That weekend, people flock to admire the trees' cascades of pale pink blossoms. Families picnic beneath them. After a fierce storm pounds the blooms to the ground, leaves are already sprouting and growing to form a new, green canopy. Two double-page spreads depict and briefly describe the growth of the sakura's flowers and leaves. Well suited to reading aloud, the concise text works well with the precise, delicate artwork, subtly encouraging viewers to slow down occasionally and enjoy fleeting moments of natural beauty. First published in Tokyo, here's a pleasing addition to classroom units on trees, spring, Japan, or cherry blossom festivals. Preschool-Grade 2. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

"Hustle, bustle; hurry, dash." Day after day, five strangers rush to catch the train, their eyes fixed straight ahead. They ignore each other, their surroundings, and the winter chill, focusing only on their destinations, their cellphone screens, and the day's impending challenges. Slowly, winter turns to spring. The bare Sakura trees lining the pavement begin to sprout leaves and flowers, and little by little, their branches fill with birds and the air with bird song. Yet the five busy travelers don't stop to take in the glorious spectacle. One morning, a young girl stops to pick up a fallen blossom and realizes something is different—preparations for the annual Sakura (cherry blossom) Festival have begun. After the festival decorations go up, usually preoccupied pedestrians slow down to marvel at the beauty of the cherry blossoms, take photos, and picnic under the blooming canopies. Eventually, it is nature and not human beings that puts an abrupt end to the festival, and though almost everyone returns to their frenetic routines, at least one character remains attuned to the rejuvenating power of the Sakura trees. The simple text and gentle visual imagery illuminate the magic to be found in the natural world and in small moments. The soft pastel artwork highlights nature's subtle transformations, and Togo skillfully achieves an accumulation of significance by repeating the same scenes, with slight variations, across spreads. An understated ode to an iconic Japanese cultural celebration, mindfulness, and the restorative power of the seasons. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—This wondrously illustrated picture book is weighed down by stilted text, lacking focus and engaging story. The story begins with people rushing to the train station. Some days later, as the weather warms, "The sakura [Japanese cherry] trees know what to do." They bloom, birds come, a festival takes place, a storm knocks down the blossoms, the tree makes leaves and fruit, and the story comes full circle with people rushing to the train station. Togo's painterly, luminous illustrations depict the bare trees, the phases of the flowers growing, and the festival itself beautifully. Certain characters reappear each time a morning trip to the station occurs. The delicate blooms of the tree, the contrast of the pink against the dark sky, and the lovely, colorful birds perching in a close-up on the tree are eye-catching and captivating. Unfortunately, the disjointed text is not engaging and does the illustrations a disservice. The information about the phases of the tree and the festival itself are interesting and effective. However, the narrative of the people rushing to the train and celebrating the festival is stilted, and doesn't integrate well with the nonfiction element. VERDICT Despite the lovely artwork, this doesn't hold together. Pass on this one, but be on the lookout for more from Togo.—Amy Lilien-Harper, Wilton Lib., CT