Thank You Miyuki

Miyuki

by Roxane Marie Galliez, Seng Soun Ratanavanh (Illustrator)

An enchanting intergenerational children's story and picture book about gratitude and mindfulness, enhanced by Seng Soun Ratanavanh's gorgeous Japanese-inspired illustrations.

Miyuki can’t wait to begin her day of play, but her grandfather is engaged in tai chi and meditation. Miyuki's curiosity is piqued, and soon Miyuki is excited to learn to meditate too! "When do we start?" she asks repeatedly. Grandfather enjoys the warm sun and stops to smell a rose, inviting Miyuki to join him.
 
Together they admire the garden, observe the river, and gaze at the clouds. An afternoon spent in contemplation of nature deepens their gratitude for each other and the world around them, and Miyuki comes to understand that meditation takes the form of small acts of mindfulness throughout her day.
 
This endearing story invites young readers to appreciate the many small moments of delight and wonder.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Japan, Nature, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Asia

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Roxane Marie Galliez is a prize-winning writer, poet, and children's book author. She has a doctorate in the history of ancient civilizations and traveled the Pacific Islands for several years as a researcher and journalist.She lives near Saint-Etienne, France.

Reviews

[Marta Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

“- E quando provámos o chá e a água da chuva, também estávamos a meditar?
- Sim, Miyuki, porque não pensámos nem no antes nem no depois. Estávamos simplesmente no presente.”

Um livro sobre meditação com belíssimas ilustrações!

[Os Livros da Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obrigado, Miyuki!

Texto de Roxane Marie Galliez
Ilustrações de Seng Soun Ratanavanh

Tradução de Joana Cabral
Revisão de João Behran

“Então Miyuki pegou na mão do Avô e os dois entraram em casa. De repente, Miyuki parou.
- Avô, é muito bom estar aqui.
- Sim, Miyuki, é muito bom estar aqui e agora, contigo. Obrigado, Miyuki.”

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. This is a book about meditation and inner peace. Miyuki wants to learn to meditate as her grandfather does and so throughout the day she follows him while he walks through the garden, sits by the stream and other daily routines. By the end of the day she has learned a fine lesson on meditation and appreciation of life and nature. A very good book for us to read with our children who are so caught up in rushing everywhere and not appreciating, concentrating and understanding life and the things around us. In this electronic age meditation is a lost art and this wonderful book helps all of us learn to meditate, appreciate and understand the world around us. Peace!

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Семпла книжка, с красиви илюстрации.

[Aliza Werner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Concept? Powerful.
Illustrations? Stunning.
A white woman appropriating Japanese culture? Problematic.

This book is part of a series about a little girl named Miyuki and filled with a lot of traditionally symbolic images of Japanese culture. While the illustrator is of Asian descent, she is not Japanese and draws in a “Japanese style”. The author? White. So why are these two folks creating this story, which feels deeply intimate and personal, about a culture not their own?

It feels like East Asian Japanese culture fetishized wrapped in a beautiful package.

-The story is about meditation and title has literally nothing to do with that.
-Grandpa is practicing tai chi, a Chinese martial art. While not exclusively practiced by the Chinese, if the point is to showcase Japanese culture, why not have him engaging in art or exercise of Japanese origin?
-Japanese aesthetics and symbols saturated the book, which would be powerful created by a Japanese artist, but looking back it feels like a “check all the boxes” overall visual.

I would defer to what Japanese folx have to say about this and am curious to hear those thoughts.

[Saburi Pandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely, beautiful, and heartwarming story, Reminded me of my grandfather and my meditative and deep relationship with him. Absolutely stunning illustrations. One of the warmest children's books that I've read, It teaches the simple joys of everyday living.

[Alexandra Maia E Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Avô quando é que vamos meditar?
Quando é que começamos a meditar Avô?

Uma história de encantar da Miyuki e do seu Avô, desacelerar, aprender a contemplar, a ficar encantado com pequenos nadas que são na realidade tudo, viver aqui e agora, valorizar detalhes que são imperceptíveis se não nós focarmos no aqui e agora.

Tudo ganha uma dimensão enorme com as ilustrações maravilhosas, parecem pintadas a lápis de cor, motivos de papel japonês, pássaros e flores lindos, abelhas esvoaçantes todo um maravilhamento.

Sem dúvida um livro lindo, com uma história simples mas muito importante
Parar no aqui e agora
Viver , desacelerar, como na história da Olga Tokarczuk dar tempo para que a nossa alma perdida encontre o nosso corpo.

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прекрасна Миюки 💕

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

You think meditation is some math kind of complicated thing?! See how your mind changes after reading this beautifully illustrated book about a young girl and her grandfather spending some quality time in the garden.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Miyuki book I've read, the other being Patience, Miyuki . I didn't like Thank You, Miyuki nearly as much as its predecessor. (I've still yet to read Time for Bed, Miyuki... although, now I'm not sure if I really want to.)

The pictures here are lovely, if a little bit trippy. They're whimsical and imaginative, which is in glaring contrast to the narrative of the book, in which Grandpa ignores Miyuki's questions all day and seems to disparage her imagination. The whole point of the story is that Grandpa is going to teach Miyuki to meditate. But he doesn't communicate much with her about that, leading to Miyuki's incessant questioning of, "When do we start to meditate?" (Talk about annoying.) When they look at clouds, the child sees all sorts of shapes. Grandpa sees only clouds, and it's implied at the end that this is the "right" answer because that's what meditating is all about. (Meditation is supposed to be boring, I guess.) I really don't like seeing a child being discouraged from using their imagination, even if it's to meditate in some sort of "correct" way.

To be honest, though, I think I knew this book was going to annoy me from the very first line:

Lilac dew and mist on the grass, Grandpa wakes early to greet the wind.

I mean... what kind of grammar is that? (I thought maybe that first word was supposed to be "like", but it's probably just supposed to be poetic or something.)

That said, the illustrations are very pretty. A limited colour of palette of turquoise, red, yellow, pink, and green works to bring the characters and their fantastical world to life. (I likened the illustrations in Patience, Miyuki to something out of Alice in Wonderland, and that's true here as well.) I could see some of the pictures as framed prints in a child's room; that's how nice they are.

Overall, this was just okay. If you like the other Miyuki books, you'll probably like this. Personally, though, I'm only here for the pictures.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank You, Miyuki // by Roxane Marie Galliez // illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh

Miyuki and her grandfather spend the day together in the garden. Her grandfather tries to enjoy the simple things without much talking but Miyuki continually asks him questions about what he's doing. Once she learns about meditating, She asks him to teach her and their enjoyment of each other's company heightens as Miyuki learns to appreciate the little things.

The first thing that stands out as soon as you have the book in your hands is how absolutely beautifully it is illustrated. The color scheme fits the story so well and the playful yet simple illustrations are perfect for the simple day grandpa wants as well as the play that Miyuki tries to bring to their afternoon together. Miyuki is a typical small child that asks a lot of questions without much pause to take a breath. I like how grandpa slowly helps her to slow down and enjoy the small things. I love this as an introduction to meditation but I do wish the lesson at the end (what forms meditation can take) was a little bit more clear. While it looks like Miyuki may have learned it, I don't think young children would understand it easily without more explanation. Overall though, this is a lovely book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for this – it's a book that feels more like a vignette for the adult than a story a youngster will engage in for long. Miyuki is a boundless ball of energy, and constantly interrupting her grandfather's tai chi and laidback attitude to life. (Or, conversely, Miyuki is an active girl frustrated by the old man's idleness and unwillingness to answer a single simple question.) In sharing his inactive ways with her for the day we see the pleasure in mindfulness and meditation, even if it never actually convinced me either way. It certainly looks attractive – a delicate touch with lots of Asiatic patterning and nature. But I can't see it as containing that successful a lesson, nor as being a book turned to often.

[JoyAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might purchase for SEL/meditation topics. The illustrations are beautiful. The text shows how meditation opportunities and practices can be all around us. But the text also felt a bit lacking to me.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a stunningly beautiful book about an active little girl and her grandfather. She follows him all day wanting to be involved with all he is doing and wanting to meditate like him and then learns at the end of the day that what she has done all day has been a form of meditation after all.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and the story is really sweet.

[Paula Margarida Margarida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito lindo, este livrinho imbuído de uma filosofia oriental que nos faz muita falta: a meditação, a procura da tranquilidade, a fruição do momento presente.
O texto é poético e simples. As ilustrações são belíssimas, e só por elas valeria a pena ler/ver o livro.

[c · Rating 2 out of 5]

extra star for the v pretty illustrations but yaaa i take issue w a white woman writing this 🙃

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, playful meditation. I could get lost in these illustrations.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*

Vídeo de Opinião em: https://youtu.be/PCSxIq9RfhM?t=491

Belíssimo! Uma história sobre aproveitar o presente, e um livro com umas das ilustrações mais lindas que já vi.

[Mar*Grieta* · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Grandpa, doesn’t it feel good to be here right now?”

Truly wonderful book for little readers! After reading this book I have a temptation of gifting it to all my friends that have children! Wonderful illustrations, pure child’s mind, deep meaning. It’s so important to learn to live here and now! In the present.

Plot of the book: Little Miyuki is asking grandad, what’s meditation? He’s then introducing her to a beautiful world that surrounds us, clouds in the sky, flow of the river, beautiful flowers. And the most important, the art to appreciate everything that is surrounding us. 💓

I think it’s very important to stop sometimes and think of everything that is around us. There is so many things that we don’t appreciate on a daily basis and only pay our attention to negatives. Let’s all find our ways of meditation.

[Dylan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, this is a beautiful book. Drawing inspiration from classical East Asian art, this picture book gives a new perspective on meditation while showing a grandfather and granddaughter bonding with shared time.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS-- Delightful illustrations and a peaceful, gentle story.

[Katrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are beautiful (though I do question why Miyuki is depicted in a birdcage at one point), but I have questions about the text. Why is her grandfather doing Tai Chi? I suppose some Japanese people do this traditionally Chinese martial art, and the point of the book is meditation/mindfulness (which, by the way, is incongruous with the title), but it seems like an odd choice to me. Then Miyuki makes “tea,” which is just cold water, and then they walk until evening - so since it spans from morning until evening, all they eat or drink all day is that water? With colorful language that is maybe supposed to be evocative of a traditional style (“as day gets dressed for evening”), it feels like the author is trying too hard to make the book sound foreign, and smacks a bit of orientalism to me.

I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.

[The Book Chief · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this gorgeous cover while browsing on Netgalley and was intrigued. When I read the blurb and found that it is a picture book about meditation, I was hooked. And luckily the publisher, Princeton Architectural Press, approved my request.

Thank You, Miyuki takes us through a day that little Miyuki spends with her grandfather. Miyuki, like most little children, is excitable, restless and has a short attention span. Early one morning, she wants to chatter away and play with her grandfather, but finds him lost in meditation. When Grandpa opens his eyes, she insists on learning meditation from him - it’s a new game to be learned and explored!

We then see Grandpa and Miyuki spend the day in quiet ramblings- they go out into the garden and look at the bees, the grass and the stones. They walk to the river and Grandpa asks Miyuki to look at the flowing water- just look, without tracking and tracing its flow. They look up at the vast sky and while Miyuki excitedly points out clouds in different shapes, Grandpa gently tells her to see the clouds just as they are. At every stop, Miyuki reminds Grandpa that he has to teach her meditation. But Grandpa just takes her little hand in his and leads her on to the next little destination. As they walk back home in the evening, Miyuki reminds her grandfather that they never did meditate- and Grandpa tells her that they’d meditated all day. And Miyuki, with all the innocence and unerring clarity of childhood, sums up: “Grandpa, doesn’t it feel good to be here right now?”

I loved this book because it explains the essence of meditation and mindfulness in a beautiful and simple way. And the illustrations! Oh my! They are like the wings of a butterfly- delicate, colourful and with incredible detail. A stellar example of splendour in subtlety.

I would LOVE to get this in a printed copy (I got the eARC from Netgalley) for the more discerning of my nieces and nephews. Unfortunately it’s only available in an EXPENSIVE hardcover edition as of now. 😅

You can read a slightly more detailed review with pictures from the book at my blog: https://www.facebook.com/855005157962...

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

This is the third book I've happily reviewed about Miyuki. This time, she's impatiently waiting for grandfather to be done with tai-chi so they can have adventures. Miyuki wants to learn to meditate *right now*. Each part of her quest is accompanied by full page illustrations which are breathtakingly lovely, crisp, and beautifully rendered. This is a wonderful book for children and adults alike and would make a super read-together for bedtime (or library read-along). The concepts of meditation, mindfulness, patience, and gratitude in the moment are presented gently and accessibly.

I'm so enchanted by the clean expressive style of the artwork and the gentle lulling lyricism of the prose. This is a really beautifully made book and it would make a superlative selection as a gift or classroom/library book.

Superlative. Five stars

Stats:
32 pages, anticipated release date 1st Sept, 2020, available in hardback format.
Author: Roxane Marie Galliez
Illustrator: Seng Soun Ratanavanh
Published by Princeton Architectural Press

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

[Jamie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Day Meditating with Grandpa

Grandpa and Miyuki start their day with tai chi, but Miyuki finds it difficult, so she makes tea for herself and her grandfather. But Grandpa is meditating and doesn't want to drink the tea right away. Miyuki asks him to teach her how to meditate. Grandpa takes her through a variety of places, having her just observe certain things, like the water in a stream and clouds. All the while, she is asking when he will teach her to meditate. At the end of the book, Grandpa tells her that they have been meditating all day when they simply observed nature and appreciated it for what it was at the moment. What makes this book stand out is the illustrations. They are whimsical and imaginative, often having patterns I've seen on origami paper. The two-page dandelion spread is especially beautiful. I like how Grandpa was trying to get Miyuki to slow down and appreciate what the natural world has to offer. I also found it lovely that these moments were shared between a patient grandparent and a loving and respectful grandchild. I do have one small quibble, though. The book's first sentence starts with a dangling modifier. I did receive an ARC copy, so this may have been corrected in the book to be published (as I am writing this review before publication). There was one other punctuation mistake that jumped out at me as well. I don't like it when children's books have these kinds of errors, as children learn from everywhere, especially their books. Other than that, though, I thought this was a lovely book to perhaps inspire you to have a few hours with your child or children, doing precisely what Miyuki and her grandfather do.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a poetic, gorgeous picture book by the same team that wrote Patience, Miyuki and Time for Bed, Miyuki. Translated into English from the original French, Galliez offers a deceptively simple story about a young Japanese girl who observes her grandfather practicing his self-care routine in the garden. She imitates and enjoys him only to learn that the whole experience has been one of meditation and love.

I cannot say enough good about Ratanavahn's watercolor and colored pencil illustrations. The varying patterns seem inspired by origami paper. The predominantly pink, blue, and yellow palate and the delicate drawings are warm, peaceful, and, at times, whimsical. So many of the pictures charm and enchant, I find it difficult to select a favorite. If this work had originated in America, it would be a strong contender for the Caldecott Medal.

Thanks to NetGalley, I read this galley on Kindle three times, and I could read it ten more and not grow tired. At the conclusion, I was left feeling peaceful, which is what the author and illustrator intended. Highly recommended for children ages 4- 8 or older.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, the usually reliable Goodreads Blurber (and book publisher in America) might kind of miss the point. At least to this Goodreads reviewer.

Is this story really about gratitude and mindfulness? Maybe.

To me, however this story includes Miyuki's lessons in deep consideration for a person who is not herself. (In this case, her kind but relentless grandfather.) It's like a lesson in the long conversational pauses when Japanese people have a conversation, where extra silence -- by Western standards -- gift-wraps each speaker in a soulful kind of respect.

I wish, Goodreaders, you and I could be reading this book in Tokyo.

Not in the quieter places, like my friend Catrien's healing center near Mt. Fuji, where she treated me with immense consideration as her guest.

But in bustling Tokyo, with downtown subway stations where the underground exits at one stop can can stretch for a mile. And where the crime rate is almost unbelievably low... And where the silence can hit a Western tourist like a slow-motion blast of fresh air. (And spiritual grace.)

FIVE STARS for this book. Please, if you would though, also read my comment below.

[Gayathiri Rajendran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Thank You Miyuki follows Miyuki and her grandfather throughout a single day. This book is mainly about meditation and achieving inner peace. Miyuki wants to learn how to meditate and she asks her grandfather to teach her. Miyuki then follows her grandfather as he walks in the garden,drinks the tea she made for him,sits by the stream and looks at the clouds in the sky. Her grandfather patiently answers her questions and gives her some pointers on what to do and how to enjoy and live in the moment.

As the day draws to a close, Miyuki has learnt how to appreciate life and how to be one with nature. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful and the story is really sweet. This is a good book to read to children and also to remind ourselves to not get caught up so often that we miss the small pleasures and happy moments in life.

An excellent book for kids to remind them of the art of meditation, appreciation of nature and life etc.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miyuki has seemingly boundless energy, but her Grandpa likes to take things slow. When she sees Grandpa meditating, she asks him to show her how to meditate. Without knowing it, Grandpa shows her how by doing things like walking in the garden and watching clouds.

A lot of families will have different ideas in mind when they hear the word meditate. For Miyuki and her Grandpa it seems to mean just slowing down, appreciating nature, and being more restful and quiet. If you are looking for a book that gives a child ideas of calm and restful things to do, this is your book. It also celebrates a grandparent and grandchild spending time together. I just love Seng Soun Ratanavanh’s whimsical illustrations. I could look at them for ages and the 4 stars are mostly for those. The story wasn’t as enchanting as the other Miyuki books, but the illustrations are delightful.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathleen (Woven From Words) · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Thank You, Miyuki' expresses the loving bond between grandparent and child through everyday life experiences. Miyuki is fascinated with her grandfather’s passion for meditation. Throughout the story, Miyuki's grandfather guides her through the process. Featuring daily life experiences, Miyuki’s grandfather teaches the key to mindfulness while staying in the present moment.

The connection between Miyuki and her grandfather is so precious! I feel that it’s very important for children to have stories with close intergenerational bonds at its core. Young children gather valuable information from their elders, for they have much to share in the world.

The illustrations are also very stunning! Every visual ties into the garden surroundings within the book. I would definitely pick up this book to show children the peace and beauty of nature!