Thank You, Miyuki

Roxane Marie Galliez

Sep 2020 · Chronicle Books

About this ebook

Miyuki and her grandfather return in an enchanting intergenerational story enhanced by Seng Soun Ratanavanh's gorgeous Japanese-inspired illustrations. Miyuki's curiosity is piqued by her grandfather's morning meditation routine, and she is eager to learn this new skill. Her wise and patient grandfather first takes her on a walk in the garden. "When do we start to meditate?" she asks repeatedly. Grandfather enjoys the warm sun and stops to smell a rose, inviting Miyuki to join him. Their walk in the garden, filled with many tender moments, heightens their gratitude for each other and for the world around them. Miyuki comes to understand that in the small acts of mindfulness throughout her day, she learned how to meditate.

Ratings and reviews

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.

About the author

Prize-winning writer, poet, and children's book author Roxane Marie Galliez 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.

A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Paris, illustrator and painter Seng Soun Ratanavanh lives just outside of Paris, France.