What a great children's book.

The Phone Booth in Mr. Horita's Garden shows us how a tsunami destroyed Makio's village,

Makio lost his father and the entire village is silenced by grief. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project—building a phone booth in his garden. At first, Makio is puzzled; the phone isn't connected to anything. It just sits there, unable to ring. But as more and more villagers are drawn to the phone booth, its purpose becomes clear to Makio: the disconnected phone is connecting people to their lost loved ones. Makio calls to the sea to return what it has taken from him and ultimately finds his voice and solace in a phone that carries words on the wind.

Very well written and a delight to read.

'The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden' by Heather Smith with illustrations by Rachel Wada is a story adapted from a beautiful and poignant true story.

Makio lives in a village and he likes to stand with Mr. Hirota and watch his father head out to sea. When a tsunami destroys his village, Makio doesn't know how to deal with his grief. Mr. Hirota understands and builds a phone booth in his garden that is not connected to anything. Makio sees other villagers go to the phone booth and "make calls" to those they've lost. Can this help Makio?

The story is touching, but told in a really gentle way for younger readers. The illustations are in a Japanese style and are beautiful. I think this might make a good gift for a child who has lost someone important to them. It may help them through the grieving process.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A fascinating concept. I love the idea of this phone providing a method for sending your message out into the void, for expressing the thing your a feeling in the moment. Even bigger, though, is the idea of a single item, created to address one person's grief, providing an outlet for an entire town.

I hadn't heard about the "phone of the wind" before. This is based on a true event, but the real one was built before the tsunami. This is the story of how many people dealt with their grief after the 2011 tsunami that caused so much death and despair. I recommend that you read the end pages where the author shared the true story of the "phone of the wind".

Young Makio watches the sea everyday waiting for his father to return from work. He was doing that when the tsunami hits and his father is lost at sea. He stops talking and becomes extremely depressed. He begins shouting at the sea and eventually uses the phone in Mr. Hirota's garden to talk to his father. This begins the healing process. This is a beautiful story and I loved the way the illustrations added to the text. They are done in a soft muted palette demonstrating emotions. I am not sure what age this book is geared to. My grandson listened to the story and looked intently at the illustrations, but really didn't understand the story. I think it is better for children a bit older (8 or above). This would make a wonderful book to have in a family library, especially when dealing with grief. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

A beautifully illustrated book on dealing with grief, told in a gentle way to help children understand that it's okay to want to yell when you're grieving, and that speaking to the loved one who has passed can be comforting. The artwork is lovely, and goes well with the story.

If you are a regular follower you know I’m having a total love affair with Heather Smith’s writing. From her middle grade to her young adult work and through to her picture books, her writing is inspiring and diverse and equitable. The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden is the latest book to add Heather Smith’s brilliant bibliography. Rachel Wada, who brings the story to life with her gorgeous illustrations combining traditional Japanese art forms and techniques and giving them her own spin, uses a muted colour palette to convey the feeling of loss and sadness. This is the story of a great tsunami that takes Makio’s father and also Mr. Hirota’s daughter. It’s a story of grief and finding comfort in the power of words. Mr. Hirota builds a phone booth in his backyard after the tsunami and in it places an old rotary telephone. The telephone is not connected to any wires, it simply sits there as an invitation. Mr. Hirota uses it to speak to his daughter, Makio uses it to speak to his father, hoping their words are carried away on the wind to greet their loved ones who have gone.

Together Heather Smith and Rachel Wada create a story inspired by a man names Itaru Sasaki who built a telephone booth in his yard as a way to grieve his cousin. In this book, children and their loved ones are given another vehicle to work through loss. It could apply to the loss of a family member or even a loss of a pet. I love how Heather Smith embraces the hard topics. She is brave in her writing and she is creating books and stories our children so desperately need. She creates stories where so many people can see themselves reflected in the pages and feel comfort and hopefully feel seen and heard

Wonderful, wonderful book! Deserves the Newberry Medal (for author) and the Caldecott Medal (for illustrator).

This book delicately written and illustrated is a gentle way to help children (of all ages) learn about grief and loss. It shows how one man choose to grieve and how he, in turn, helped many others do the same. The fact that this is based on a real man is even better because not only do we see the benefits of what he did but it shows that even in our lowest point, we still can help others and ourselves.

I have seen a review of this book where the reviewer was unhappy that a white Canadian woman wrote this story as it was "not her story to tell." The reviewer thinks it should have been a Japanese author instead. She did, however, approve of the illustrator who is of Japanese descent. She mentioned that it felt like cultural appropriation to her. I understand her reasoning perhaps, but am not convinced it applies here.

Grief is a universal emotion, tragedies happen worldwide. It does not belong to any one culture or people. Every people, every culture, every nation, every race experience grief. I don't think it matters who tells the story, who helps us deal with or endure our grief. Yes the story takes place in Japan and yes the gentleman who erected the phone booth and who found comfort in speaking in the phone was Japanese, but we all experience grief. We all miss someone dear to us. I find it hard to believe that Mr.. Sasaki, having shared his phone booth with so many mourners would not wish to share this story with those of us not born in Japan or of Japanese descent. He comes across as a gentle and kind person who recognizes how difficult grief is to process and who is caring enough to share with others what gives him some comfort.

But back to the book. I recommend buying this book in print not as an ebook if at all possible. While the illustrations are beautiful, they are separated from the text in the ebook format and it can be frustrating and it certainly can break the spell. They belong together as they are more powerful together. I, and our child, read this book on our tablet and we did wish for a print book - some things you just want to hold in your hands. It is still lovely onscreen, we just may be old-fashioned. It is definitely a book to pass down. Get it before you need it, the conversations that can come from this are invaluable and can help prepare both you an your child for any sad times to come.

I think that a Japanese author, not Heather Smith, should have been the person to write this story. Since it is based on a true account of the work of a grief-stricken Japanese man — Itaru Sasaki — helping thousands of other mourners in his country after Japan was hit by multiple major tragedies, I don't think this was a white Canadian author's story to tell.

I do love the illustrations, though: the art of Rachel Wada (who is of Japanese and Cantonese descent) is breathtaking — gentle and lyrical, they give you a sense of a warm breeze drifting past your face to remind you of the beauty of life and the bittersweet ache of remembering a lost loved one.

My thanks to Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Smith's story and Wada's illustrations are a wonderful combination for this heart-warming tale of loss. It's a good thing my son is not young anymore as I would have to rank this up there with Dav Pilkey's God Bless the Gargoyles for being unable to get through without tearing up. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most when you are dealing with grief and loss. For the characters in Smith's book, it comes in the form of a disconnected phone sitting quietly in his peaceful garden.

Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publisher for the opportunity to read an advance ready copy.

I received an electronic ARC from Orca Book Publishers through NetGalley.
Based on a real phone booth built as a way to process grief.
Smith tells the story of a young boy who lost his father to a tsunami and stopped speaking from grief. His neighbor builds a phone booth with a disconnected phone. Mr. Hirota speaks to his daughter who was lost in the same storm. Others come and share their grief with the wind too. Finally, Makio also speaks to his dad through the phone. Help readers see the connection that his mom also used the phone booth.
Tenderly written about the aftermath of a huge disaster. The gentle language allows readers to see and feel the grief. Some may be able to relate due to grief in their own lives. Others will see how events like this change entire areas and people.
Illustrations are lovely and support the message.

A short child book that ends somewhat abruptly but more of a "story will go on" kind of way rather than ruining the story, I feel book wouldn't be great for children who need to learn how to deal with grief and I love that this is based off a true story.

This was a really sweet, cute story about tragedy and how to deal with loss. It was a really well illustrated and a beautiful story for children to read and learn from <3

Smith chose well when she fictionalized the story of the real life phone booth built by Itaru Sasaki after the death of his cousin. This story is both particular, set in Japan after a tsunami, and universal as it shows a unique way of dealing with grief. Wada's pictures honor Japanese culture and make the book stand out. Recommended. Review based on an ARC through NetGalley.

The pictures in this book are beautiful! While the book is sad I think it does a wonderful job of dealing with loss on a level that is easily read and understood by children, The phone booth is such a perfect way to continue communicating with those we have loved and lost.

This is a sweet, sad story of ways the people choose to mourn their loved ones. The book actually exists.

In this story, this phone, in side a phone booth in the garden, is only attached to the wind. It is used to communicate with the dead, even if the dead never come back, or ever say a word.

Although Mr. Hirota built it for his own grief. And when there is a tsunami that takes so many people from the town, people come to the booth for comfort

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.13.09-PM.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5063" />

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.14.41-PM.png" alt="The phone booth in mr." class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5062" />

A wonderful book on death and dying and resilience.

Thanks to Netgalley fro making this book available for an honest review.

This was a beautiful and powerful book. The book tells the amazing story of how one man dealt with his grief after the Japanese Tsunami in 2010 in a very unique manner and how it helped other people deal with their own grief. The book is based on a true story, but the details were modified (e.g. a young character added) to gear it towards a young audience. I thought the book did a marvellous job of tackling a child's grief but not dwelling on it. The book had a nice flow and rhythm to it - quite like the ocean.

I knew I was going to love this book and it did not fail to deliver. This was such a beautiful way to show ways of dealing with grief as well as community and healing together. I love when Makio uses his "big voice" to scream at the ocean. What a powerful scene! So often when people are grieving, they feel the need to shut it in when they want to scream. Makio shows us that we need to scream sometimes.. and it's okay.

My only complaint? I wanted more! I could have used more insight into the healing process. In a sense, I want to see what happens over time or what it was like when Makio used the phone.

Beautiful story. I will keep this in mind the next time I have a student who is grieving.

The warm and winsome book is a testimate to surviving tragedy with its sublime watercolor sand gentle prose. I can imagine tiny origami phone booths created as a new generation of cranes. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is because of its length. If there was nothing more to say, I would have liked more illustrations.

What an interesting story! I hadn't heard about the "phone of the wind" before. Though the real one was built before the tsunami, it became a way for many to deal with their grief after the 2011 disaster.

Young Makio is watching the sea when the earthquake and tsunami hit. His father is washed out to sea and lost. From that point, he doesn't speak. It isn't until he starts to deal with his feelings--shouting at the sea, and even using the telephone to talk to his dad--that he begins to heal.

The story is lovely, and the illustrations complement it perfectly. Though it does depict the actual earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the book isn't too scary, and there's nothing overtly graphic. The illustration of Makio sitting on the dock and staring at a shadow of him and his dad on the water is one of my favourites. The colour palette is soft and limited, and it has a definite Japanese flavour that helps bring the setting to life.

The author's note at the end about the real phone booth is a nice touch. Though the story of Makio and Mr. Hirota is fiction, the inspiration is real and fascinating. I would definitely recommend this book.