I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
Because my Japanese is rather rusty and I haven't been reading much, I decided to extend my reading list to the Japanese books on Netgalley. I chose a children's book because it's easier to understand and it eases me back into the language. Also, children's books are so often incredibly cute.
This book is so effin' cute! The ice bear brothers, Noel and Pole, decide to sell obento at a market. While the older brother Pole cooks, Noel attracts other fluffy and chubby animal customers. Every single animal is adorable and I loved every single page of this book. Granted, it's a bit weird when every animal is sentient and they also order ham, fish or meat...the pelican brings even his own fish they carry in their beak and it looks in sheer terror as it realises that it's going to be cooked and eaten...
But this kind of weird logic is present in almost every children's book. It's just something you notice as an adult and it leaves you perplexed and in amused terror (I guess?).
Despite this, the food makes you crave tasty Japanese dishes while the drawings just warm your heart.
It's a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations and the text is easy to understand, even for foreigners learning Japanese. I'd recommend this book to anyone, even if you don't speak Japanese, just for the images.
