Kirjahaku

ONE OF STYLIST'S BEST NON-FICTION PICKS FOR 2024 'A mind-altering and supremely generous exploration of kinship, selfhood, memory and the roots we share' NAOMI KLEIN, AUTHOR OF DOPPELGANGER 'A lucid and compelling memoir of family rupture and repair and the power of plants to anchor us in the world' SUE STUART-SMITH, AUTHOR OF THE WELL-GARDENED MIND __________ Three months after Kyo Maclear's father dies, a DNA test reveals that they were not biologically related. All at once Kyo's mother becomes unknown to her; she has a big story to tell, the story of a secret buried for half a century, but her memories are fading. Words are failing them both, so she looks to gardening - her mother's second fluent tongue - to bridge the gap between them. Unearthing is written in the wild green language of soil, seed, leaf and mulch. A memoir of inheritance that goes far beyond heredity, this is the story of what happens when we give up the weeded and pruned plots of our family histories and open ourselves up to a more expansive view of kinship. Told through the passage of seasons, with beautiful illustrations by the author, it is a deeply thoughtful meditation on race, lineage and grief and a tender testimony to the ineradicable love between a mother and a daughter. PRAISE FOR UNEARTHING: 'A lyrical and at times cryptic meditation on nature, kinship and the lives of both humans and plants' NEW STATESMAN 'I could not put this gorgeous book down... at once vulnerable and precise, gentle but unforgettable' JESSICA J. LEE 'Fierce, loving, inquisitive, devastating - this book got under my nails, and into my heart' LULAH ELLENDER 'A masterful lyric exploration of identity, inheritance and belonging in the wake of an unsettling discovery... absorbing and transformative' POLLY ATKIN 'A tender and precious gift of a book, that holds out grief like an opening flower. Deeply moving, beautifully written and delicately delivered' VICTORIA BENNETT

A STYLIST BEST NON-FICTION PICK 'A lucid and compelling memoir of family rupture and repair' Sue Stuart-Smith, author of The Well Gardened Mind 'Gorgeous and generous . . . a mind-altering journey that challenges biological determination' Naomi Klein, Esquire Three months after Kyo Maclear's father dies, a DNA test reveals that they were not biologically related. All at once Kyo's silver-haired mother becomes a mystery to her; she holds the story of a secret buried for half a century, but her memories are fading, and words are failing them both. Maclear does not speak Japanese and so to unearth the past, she must turn to her mother's second fluent tongue: gardening. Unearthing is a memoir written in the wild green language of soil, seed, leaf and mulch. With exquisite illustrations by the author, this is a tribute to the ineradicable love between a mother and daughter.

The Liszts make lists. They make lists most usual and lists most unusual. They make lists in winter, spring, summer and fall. They make lists every day except Sundays, which are listless. Mama Liszt, Papa Liszt, Winifred, Edward, Frederick and Grandpa make lists all day long. So does their cat. Then one day a visitor arrives. He's not on anyone's list. Will the Liszts be able to make room on their lists for this new visitor? How will they handle something unexpected arising? Kyo Maclear's quirky, whimsical story, perfectly brought to life with the witty, stylish illustrations of Julia Sarda, is a humorous and poignant celebration of spontaneity."

A joyful celebration of Japanese cultural traditions and body positivity as a young girl visits a bath house with her grandmother and aunties You'll walk down the street / Your aunties sounding like clip-clopping horses / geta-geta-geta / in their wooden sandals / Until you arrive... / At the bath house / The big bath house. In this celebration of Japanese culture and family and naked bodies of all shapes and sizes, join a little girl--along with her aunties and grandmother--at a traditional bath house. Once there, the rituals leading up to the baths begin: hair washing, back scrubbing, and, finally, the wood barrel drumroll. Until, at last, it's time, and they ease their bodies--their creased bodies, newly sprouting bodies, saggy, jiggly bodies--into the bath. Ahhhhhh With a lyrical text and gorgeous illustrations, this picture book is based on Kyo Maclear's loving memories of childhood visits to Japan, and is an ode to the ties that bind generations of women together.

A vibrant historical picture book about Tokyo's bicycle food deliverers, or demae, who balanced towering trays of steaming hot noodles on their shoulders while navigating crowded city streets. When the deliverymen set off in the morning, the children wait for the flicker of pedal and wheel. It's the demae-- delivery men-- setting off to deliver steaming trays of noodles to hungry customers all over the city. They are acrobats: whizzing past other bicycles, soaring around curves, avoiding the black smoke of motorcycles. When the children see them, they want to be them. And so they practice with bowls of wobbling water stacked on trays. The day passes, and, finally, exhausted, the demae return home, to their families, and, yes, to steaming bowls of noodles. This beautifully crafted, visually exciting story by a powerhouse author and illustrator team is sure to be adored by food lovers, young and old.

The uplifting journey of a cloud ("kumo" in Japanese) who overcomes her shyness -- and discovers the rewards of feeling seen. Kumo is a bashful cloud whose only wish is to float unseen. When she's assigned cloud duty for the day, she feels overwhelmed by self-doubt and her fear of being noticed. But after learning that closing your eyes isn't a good solution to your troubles, Kumo pulls her fluff together and does her duties -- drifting, releasing rain and providing shelter -- meeting some new friends along the way and inspiring the imagination (and capturing the heart) of a small daydreamer like her. Kyo Maclear's sweetly humorous and lyrical parable about overcoming shyness, inspired by her own experience as an author, and vividly brought to life by Nathalie's Dion's ethereal illustrations, is an affirmation of the pleasures of community and the confidence that can arise from friendship and visibility.

A feel-good celebration of the power of imagination and sisterhood

Charles wants to find a wish tree. His brother and sister don't believe there is such a thing, but his trusty companion Boggan is ready to join Charles on a journey to find out. And along the way, they discover that wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways. The poetic text and heartwarming illustrations evoke the true essence of the holiday season and will inspire wishers everywhere. This gem of a book deserves centre stage year round.

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up and mastering the art of having a good time, Julia, Child is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child -- a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter.