THE MOCHI MAKERS

A Japanese American grandmother and child cook, pound, pat, and munch yummy mochi!

Endpapers hint at the treat that the child and Obaachan decide to make together, using a long-standing, matrilineal recipe. With Obaachan’s “strong, wrinkled hands” and the child’s “small, quick ones”—and their whole hearts—they prepare the rice (spilling only a few grains!). While it cooks, Obaachan tells the story of how she came to America, and the two play cards and sip green tea. Soon it’s time to put the rice in a mixer, “which pounds it into a sticky mound,” and pat rice balls into flat cakes. They fill some mochi with sweet red bean paste, coat others in soybean powder, fold strawberries into others, and then prepare boxes to share with friends and family. The child says that mochi is how this family shares love, traditions, and gratitude. Each step of this tasty story glows with joy and kindness, punctuated by rich sensory language. Digital collage illustrations, dominated by the same pastel pinks as the mochi, use mixed media (including cloth that Fujimoto-Johnson’s own grandmother embroidered) to immerse readers in a warm, cozy home environment. Obaachan and the child remember Ojiichan (Grandpa), who appears to be deceased, and his love of mochi. An author’s note describes the autobiographical aspects of the story and offers background on this Japanese treat and a recipe to make it at home.

A storytelling treat to be savored among family.