Masumoto, David Mas. Every Peach Is a Story. Lauren Tamaki, Illus. Addl. Creator Nikiko Masumoto. Abrams, 03/2025. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-9494-8029-0. GRADES Preschool–4. OUTSTANDING.
Tamaki’s bright, simple brushstroke illustrations are the perfect backdrop for the quiet, deep text, which brings the reader into young Midori’s world exploring her family’s peach orchards. Accompanied by her beloved Jiichan and other family, Midori learns that every peach, like every person, is a story which needs time to ripen. As seasons pass, Midori explores the way the peach changes to a variety of senses—”It glows…like summer!…It smells so sweet, and it smells like the rich soil, too.” The Masumotos weave Midori’s family history into the seasons, showing scenes of immigration, of the Japanese American Incarceration, and of establishing the family farm and putting down strong roots in the community. The book’s beauty rests not only in the vivid illustrations of Midori’s exploration of a peach ripening, but also in its expression of the passage of time, loss, and growth across the seasons. Recipient of an Asian/Pacific American Picture Book Honor.
Lesley Mandros Bell—Independent