Review Detail

CHERRY BLOSSOM AND PAPER PLANES is a lovely picture book read about friendship that spans distance. Dina and Adin are best friends and love spending their days together in the orchards that Dina's father owns and Adin's mother helps harvest. They love to plant cherry pits around town, in any cracks or dirt they find. One day, Adin's mother decides to move to the city for a different job, and the two are sad to be separated. Dina gives him a bag of cherry pits, and both of them miss the other a lot. They plant the cherry pits in the direction of each other. Then, in spring, they find that a line of cherry trees connects their path to each other.

What I loved: This is a beautiful story that is told in such a lyrical way. It really rolls off the tongue and captures emotions so well. The illustrations are equally beautiful with a focus on scenery and the lush setting of the book. There are so many fantastic details on each page and the colors capture the emotions of the children, really bringing the text to life. The main theme of friendship that endures is truly poignant and so relevant for friends of all ages who may be separated by distance or time. This is really just a gorgeous book to flip through, and the writing really compliments the images so well.

The text is printed in a large font that is easy to read, and it really flows so well. This ends up being a lovely story of friends whose relationship endures separation and the beauty of it all.

Final verdict: CHERRY BLOSSOM AND PAPER PLANES is a gorgeously illustrated and lyrically written story about friendship that will appeal to a wide range of picture book readers. Perfect for when a child is losing a friend to moving, but also just a lush and lovely read to explore regardless.