Golden Threads

by Suzanne Del Rizzo, Miki Sato (Illustrator)

When a storm sweeps Emi’s beloved stuffed fox away from their mountain home, he ends up tattered and alone on a distant shore. A kind old man finds the fox and gives it to his granddaughter, Kiko. As she recovers from an injury of her own, Kiko mends the fox lovingly with golden thread.

As the seasons pass, Kiko cares for the fox as her own. But after discovering his origins, she sets out, with her grandfather’s help, to bring the fox back to its original home. Once together, Emi and Kiko piece together the fox’s journey and find delight in their newly forged connections.

Golden Threads is inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold. Kintsugi values repairing, rather than replacing, believing that the cracks give the broken item its story. This book is also a warm celebration of wabi-sabi, the Japanese idea that there is beauty in things that may be incomplete or imperfect.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Japan, Friendship, Art, Animals, Canada

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2020

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can read Golden Threads without getting a little choked up, you might have a heart of stone. This is a sweet story about friendship, being lost and then found again, and above all else, healing.

A little stuffed fox tells his story to the reader of the day he was taken from his little girl, Emi, by a storm. On the far side of a lake, a grandfather finds the battered toy and takes him home to Kiko, who's dealing with her own injury. The fox worries that Emi won't want him in his current state. Kiko understands, and sets about making repairs, using golden thread to stitch up all of his tears and wounds. Kiko also knows that someone is bound to be looking for the special little fox, and months later, she and her grandfather set out to find his true home.

The story is lovely enough, but the illustrations are really special. They look like paper and fabric collage, which is perfect for showing the little fox's broken and healed states.

I really enjoyed this one. I'd recommend it to readers looking for books about beloved toys, and those who enjoy books like The Velveteen Rabbit or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another beautiful story that is inspired by a Japanese art form. The story finds Emi's stuffed fox get blown away in a strong wind. He goes through a lot and when found by a kind old man, he is torn and losing his stuffing. The man repairs the fox using gold threads. He gives the fox to his granddaughter Kiko. She loves it, but then realizes that someone else lost it and is probably sad. She sets out with her grandfather to follow the path he might have taken to find the original owner. Of course, Emi and Kiko become fast friends. This is a cute story and my grandchildren enjoyed it. We talked about losing a favourite toy and how we feel, we discussed what to do when we find something that obviously belongs to someone else, and we also talked about repairing things instead of throwing them out. The last one was very dear to them as their Nonno has repaired their favourite toys many times. The back of the book talked about the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery where repairing something makes valuable as it has a story to tell. This would be a wonderful book to read for the above mentioned discussion points as well as when you are learning about the environment and the "3 Rs", but add a fourth, repair. I definitely recommend this one to primary/junior classrooms, schools and family libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Jasmine Ariti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost unbearably beautiful, this storybook moved me powerfully, brought me to tears.

I am grateful to the author and illustrator for teaching me this beautiful Japanese art of kintsugi (golden joinery) and concept of wabi-sabi.

Miki Sato's illustrations, especially of the poor, sweet fox, are so evocative. The page where the fox is being whirled through the storm, gorgeous.

I've read two of Suzanne Del Rizzo's books, and she writes with remarkable depth, heart, and sophistication.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, warm-hearted story of being lost, found,reunited; told by a toy fox.

While the story is charming, what lifts the book into the 'must read' category are the incredible fabric collage illustrations by Miki Sato. So beautiful, so detailed. I spent a lot of time examining them and enjoying them.

Lovely story + exquisite illustrations = winning picture book.

[Steff Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

| Reader Fox Blog |


I requested Golden Threads by Suzanne del Rizzo and illustrated by Miki Sato because, you guessed it, there's a fox on the cover. As many of you know, I'm a sucker for anything fox related, so much to the point that I've read plenty of books I had absolutely no interest in solely because there was a beautiful fox depicted on its surface. Well, fortunately, this children's bookabout love and loss, healing and finding your way back home was such a wonderful read.

Fox takes center stage, a young stuffed pet belonging to a little girl called Emi gets blown away with a storm one day, falling to disrepair along the journey. It is then that Kiko finds the damaged toy, gathering him up from outside and bringing him home in order to use golden threads to patch up his damaged body. And while the fox is happy with this new girl, he still worries over how Emi must feel without him.

And as the winter passes by and fades away, Kiko and her grandfather set out to bring the little fox back to his girl.

I loved this book so much. It's beautifully illustrated and the story it tells is wonderful. Bright colors pepper its pages to keep young readers engaged. And it's the perfect tale for any child who has lost their own favorite toys. Though they may miss them, they can imagine that their toy may be helping someone else while it is gone and perhaps one day they will find it again.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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[Beth Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely sweet story. Excellent illustrations.

[Alex Richey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up after seeing so many positive reviews, and I didn't imagine that it would mean so much to me.

This quote from the author's note says it all:

"Mending with gold teaches us that if we choose to embrace our struggles and repair ourselves with gratitude and love, we become more beautiful for having been broken."

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for fabric and paper cut out art.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golden Threads is softly stunning, visually and in its storytelling. A plush fox takes a tumble from his child Emi's home in a big storm, and is swept far away. Battered and torn, a man finds him, bringing him to a girl named Kiko. She sews him up with golden thread, much like kintsugi pottery. Seasons pass, but the fox still misses Emi. Perhaps the beautiful gingko tree from his house can lead him and Kiko there? Sweet, kind, and loving, a lovely book about getting lost, healing, and coming home.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and atmospheric. A little fox plushie gets separated from his owner, but another little girl finds him and eventually they all reunite together. I loved the detail about the fox being repaired with gold thread. I was a bit confused by how a falling branch knocked the fox from the porch to the river, though. There didn't seem to be a river nearby in the first pages of the illustrations? I guess I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief a bit more, haha.

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of kintsugi (putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold, built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art and honor the age and history of an item) being applied to a child's well loved toy.

I also really like the illustrations using pieced paper.

[Pink Leaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet & beautiful art!

Liked this from the Author’s Note:

We all fall down, get hurt, feel broken ….. but the stories we have to tell from our experiences make us stronger. Mending with gold teaches us that if we choose to embrace our struggles and repair ourselves with gratitude and love, we become more beautiful for having been broken.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork especially shines ✨
More than the main thread, it was the story between the lines that drew me in, climaxing with the emotive scene of the two girls burgeoning friendship over warm kukicha tea.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually unique, original, good ambiance / Japaneses vibes and just a calm and relaxing story. Worth it!

[Chelsea Elwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet with lovely, collaged illustrations

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, Mr. Fox. I know you are friends with the Velveteen Rabbit.

Such a beautiful story of love...

[Sam Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet & beautiful story with outstanding artwork and a truly special message

[Renee Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork and author’s note add deeply to a story that will resonate with fans of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and The Velveteen Rabbit.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Golden Threads by Suzanne Del Rizzo, illustrated by Miki Sato. PICTURE BOOK. Owlkids, April 2020. $18. 9781771473606

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A toy fox is so happy with his little girl until the day the storm blows him away across the lake. Ojiisan finds the fox and gifts it to his granddaughter, but the fox needs care and mending. The seasons go by and it isn’t until fall comes again that the new girl gets the clue to the fox’s original owner.

I know adults will enjoy this charming picture book – especially those who have lost a childhood toy friend and wondered if they would ever see them again. Students might learn the lesson of the value of repairing a toy instead of throwing it away. Sato’s illustrations really shine as the standout here.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful- illustrations, sentiment, language. Melancholy in a good way despite being very positive and uplifting.

[Kristin Guay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The important and encouraging message of this story and the beautiful and creative illustrations will have this book being read to young children for many years--destined to be a classic. This story draws from Japanese culture by presenting the art form of kintsugi and the concept of wabi-sabi. Kintsugi is the processing of repairing cracked pottery using “gold” adhesive. Broken pottery is glued back together, sanded, and then the glue is painted gold. In the end, the piece is as good as new with gold lines weaving through the pottery. Wabi-sabi is “the idea of finding beauty in things that are imperfect and incomplete. It describes a way of living that accepts the natural cycle of growth and decay.”
This story begins with a young girl enjoying a sunny day with her beloved stuffed fox. The weather quickly turns soar and she rushes inside to avoid a storm. Unfortunately, her fox is swept away in the wind and lands far from home, dirty and tattered. He is lovingly cleaned and repaired by another young girl who provides him with a comfortable home. She is blind and cannot see the fox, but she smells the pine scent on his fur and knows his home is in the pine forest. The fox also has a single ginkgo leaf embedded in his fur, and that provides a clue to his former life. She enjoys her time with her new friend, but also realizes that she needs to return the fox to his family. One day, the young girl and her father make a trip across the lake, following a trail of falling ginkgo leaves that have settled on the water’s surface. As they approach the other side of the lake, they see a young girl waiting hopefully on the water’s edge--not only for her long-lost stuffed animal, but also now for a new friend.
The artwork provided by Miki Sato was absolutely wonderful. She used fabric and cut paper pieces to create three-dimensional illustrations throughout this story. The lime green and yellow ginkgo leaves look like they are made out of needlepoint, the fox has textured fur resembling canvas, bits of dirty cotton are used to show the stuffing of the fox, fluffy white clouds looked like they were created from crumpled white paper, and the thrashed roof of a tea house appears to be made from finely cut pieces of brown paper. Clearly, a great deal of creativity and detail went into the illustrations for this story.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may be familiar with Suzanne Del Rizzo’s work as an illustrator, her beautiful plasticine illustrations have graced many of our favourite stories. I was so excited to see her second authored book Golden Threads on the list of new spring titles from OwlKids. Paired with illustrations by Miki Sato, Golden Threads tells the story of a stuffed fox, lost in a storm only to blow into the yard of a little girl and her ojiisan. The fox brings with it a treasure of a golden ginkgo leaf but also looks as though it has stumbled onto hard times. The little fox is torn and dirty with stuffing sticking out and a missing button in it’s overalls. Kiki stitches the fox back together using beautiful golden thread and in time, because of the golden ginkgo leaf, little fox finds its way home.

Golden Threads is a lovely story about beauty in the broken. Suzanne Del Rizzo puts it so eloquently at the end of the story in her author’s note. We learn so much about ourselves when we are broken and become so much stronger from the struggle and the mending. It is evident in this story as not only does the little fox require mending but Kiki does as well. When we can mend with gold, support each other and give kindness to each other, we will be stronger, kinder, and more aware of the beauty around us.

The illustrations by Miki Sato are incredible. The beauty of paper cut illustrations is they just jump off the page. There is depth and warmth in the three dimensional art she creates for this story, furthering the message of beauty. A story that will appeal to so many as many of us at one time or another have lost something important and cherished, especially children. The number of times a favourite stuffed animal has gone on an adventure in our house is astounding and it’s a miracle that nothing has been lost to us forever.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartwarming book tells the story of Emi and her beloved stuffed fox. They are inseparable. One day a huge storm arrives and her cherished fox is caught up in the severe weather assault and is whisked away. Little fox is battered, badly damaged, and all alone. Where is his Emi? Why doesn't she come and find him?

Fortunately an old man is out for a walk and discovers the fox's limp, tattered body. Tenderly he picks him and takes him back to his home and presents him to his granddaughter Kiko.

Kiko recognizes his value. Thus begins the long process of restoring him with tender loving care.

She washes away the mud that is caked on him, plucks the seeds that are nestled deep in his fur and stitches him together with tiny golden stitches. After many seasons pass she finally figures out his origin and she and her grandfather take him back to his dearly loved Emi. The girls become friends and revel together in the fact that little fox is now very happy to be back home where he belongs.

The book is reminiscence of "The Velveteen Rabbit" ( one of my favourites of all times) and the illustrations are gorgeous. They enrich the story so much and I love them. "Golden Threads" is inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold. Kintsugi values repairing, rather than replacing, believing that the cracks give the broken item its story. This book is also a warm celebration of wabi-sabi, the Japanese idea that there is beauty in things that may be incomplete or imperfect. I highly recommend this book.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Golden Threads is a beautifully illustrated and surprisingly bittersweet story about imperfection and the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. Due out 15th April 2020 from Owlkids Books, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a wonderfully illustrated sweet story about growing up and sustainability and repairing and breathing new life into the things which give us joy. The fabric and paper collage illustrations by Miki Sato are beautifully subtle, engaging and colorful. The text by Suzanne Del Rizzo is simple enough to be understood by very young children and is a perfect accompaniment to the pictures.

This is a lovely book and would be appropriate for all ages. It would make a nice gift for any youngster, a good library or classroom book, and a superlative read-to-me book.

Five stars. Beautiful and touching.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Golden Threads
By Suzanne Del Rizz
“Golden Threads is inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold. Kintsugi values repairing, rather than replacing, believing that the cracks give the broken item its story. This book is also a warm celebration of wabi-sabi, the Japanese idea that there is beauty in things that may be incomplete or imperfect.”
I love the idea of repairing or reusing something that was broken. It reminds me of The Great Depression saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” So much of what we have today is disposable without thought of what happens to the waste. This story, however, missed the point for me and became a story of a fox finding his way back home rather then an object being fixed to find new life. The illustrations, however, were on point being whimsical, colorful and fun to look at.
I enjoyed the picture journey and story but was disappointed the description built it up to be something it wasn’t.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now here's a children's book with a topic that kids can misinterpret. Kintsugi is the art of not just repairing but also finding love and acceptance in the imperfect. It's about accepting growth and decay. For destructive children, this can mean finding an excuse to break things. But that's missing the point. The philosophy of wabi-sabi intersects with the philosophy of ikigai here. Being open to acceptance does not always mean accepting people's faults as though they're normal. After all, something that can be made pretty on the outside hides some ugly truths. The fact that a lonely child can hear a stuffed toy's desires means a lot. The stuffed fox can very well accept his new home, but there is always something calling to him. The new child knows that she cannot keep the toy, as it would just make the toy upset.
The purpose of ikigai is to find what part of the foundation can stay afloat. It's a struggle but kintsugi teaches that this struggle and need to repair is not just physical. Repairing oneself also makes them grow more beautiful. This is a philosophy that many writers should know more about.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golden Threads is a wonderful little story of a fox doll that is happily enjoying it’s life with its owner, Emi. They would spend their days playing under the ginko tree near their home on the mountain.

One day, a mighty storm hit their home and Fox was whisked away by the wind.

Battered and torn, Fox was found by a man out on a walk and was brought home to his daughter, Kiko. Kiko loved Fox as much as Emi did, and stitched him up with gold thread, but she also knew there was a little boy or girl out there that missed Fox terribly.

Every stitch of gold thread tells a story and makes old, used things new again.

Del Rizzo’s story of Fox’s adventure away from home is wonderfully accented by Sato’s illustrations.

This heart-warming tale will encourage children to give their dolls new stories.

Thank you NetGalley and OwlKids Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

[Dolly Bigelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book deserves 5 stars for the illustrations alone. There is a beautiful layered textural paper look.

The linguistic flow of the text is something I’m not used to, but really enjoyed. The message or “lesson” of the book would be lost on very young children, but I believe it would be meaningful to those of a school age. There are many opportunities through reading this book to engage in conversation with your child about Japanese culture. I, reading this as an adult, took to google to ask a few questions of my own so I imagine this book could turn into a cultural learning opportunity for those of us who do not have a Japanese background. For the slightly older child I believe the text lends itself to exploring different related activities, which could really bring the story to life.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

[BreeAnn (She Just Loves Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I Loved:
The illustrations in this book were beautiful. The pictures had such texture, you felt like if you touched the page, you would feel the grooves of fabric or the softness of a petal. These wonderful artistic touches made reading the book so wonderful.

How I Felt:
The story was so sweet. The love that Emi shares for her fox shows in the words of the story. When the fox is lost and damaged, the care that Kiko shows after finding him sends a wonderful message about caring for things. Just because they are broken, does not mean they cannot be mended.

To Read or Not To Read:
This book is perfect for every child. It’s a beautiful story. It is perfect for Kindergarten to 3rd grade.

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

All of my children's reviews can be found at https://shejustlovesbooks.com/all-chi...

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! The story is sweet and beautiful, telling the story of a little girl's beloved stuffed fox, who is swept away in a storm and found by another little girl. She repairs his tears with golden thread, echoing the Japanese art of kintsugi, repairing broken pottery with gold to highlight the beauty of imperfect. She and her grandfather discover the way to the little fox's home, and reunite him with his owner. I'm leaving out lots of details here, because I don't wish to give away the touching elements of the story. The artwork- oh my, the artwork! So very lovely! Done in a mixed media collage style, the illustrations have an effect that is both crisp and delicate, and the 3-D quality adds depth to each scene. The detail in the illustrations adds so much to the story, and the author's note at the end adds another layer to the reader's understanding of the message. Just a beautiful book!

#GoldenThreads #NetGalley