Kondo, a big yellow creature, and Kezumi, a small orange one with snazzy neck frills, live together happily on a small island. They have all they need and are content, but then a bottle appears. Inside the bottle is a map - a map of other islands! Kezumi is all for exploring, but Kondo is not so sure. After some discussion, they start cautiously and slowly begin to explore.
They discover wonderful things, including an island of cheese, before being caught in a giant storm and wrecking on the shore of a strange island. Will they be stranded there forever? And who does the frightening and mysterious voice belong to? It turns out they have landed on Giant Island and the giant is the volcanic mountain who comprises the bulk of the island. Albert (really, it should be Albert Island) is delighted with new friends, but Kondo and Kezumi don't want to stay forever. Can they be friends with Albert but still return home?
The pages are decorated with colored illustrations in Tsurumi's cartoon, sketchy style of illustration, showing the strange creatures and islands the two friends encounter. There are also little details of bugs and tiny creatures, including on that accompanies them, along with a special egg, in a secondary, wordless storyline. Kondo and Kezumi don't really correspond to any particular creatures; Kondo has male pronouns and Kezumi female, but their characteristics are uniquely their own. Kondo prefers safety and staying at home; Kezumi wants to adventure and make new discovers. Both enjoy fruit and playing simple games and activities together.
The attraction of this story, in addition to the strange and wonderful creatures and kooky islands, is the warm friendship between the two and then with Albert. It's also a delightfully healthy friendship too, unlike many shown in children's books. At the beginning, when Kondo is reluctant to travel and asks Kezumi what she will do if he doesn't go with her, instead of saying that she will stay with him, she gives him a hug and says she will go alone and bring back stories to tell him. When Albert plays a trick to keep them on his island, they are angry but work through their feelings and find a compromise - and it's not staying forever with Albert or even finding him a different friend. They all accept that they have different needs and wants and work out how best they can work together. That being said, this isn't a particularly deep or serious book - it's lots of fun! Just like a healthy relationship can be lots of fun!
Verdict: A fun addition to your illustrated beginning chapter books, like the Branches series and Princess in Black. The reading level is a little challenging, but it would also make a great read-aloud. I can't buy these right away, but I hope to add them soon and am looking forward to new titles in the series coming this year.
ISBN: 9781368025775; Published 2020 by Little Brown; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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