Silly Green Mask

By Judith Kajiwara, Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino (Oakland, Calif.: Lowkey Publishing, 2022, 38 pp., $24.99, hard cover)

“Silly Green Mask” is a sweet story with a surprising ending and an important lesson for very young readers.

Tamiko is a joyful young girl who lives with her mom and her younger sister Mariko. She attends Nihonmachi Little Friends preschool in San Francisco’s Japantown. At Little Friends, Tamiko loves to sing Japanese songs. She also enjoys making art at school. She creates a silly green mask with the help of one of her sensei.

The silly green mask becomes Tamiko’s favorite toy. When she puts on her mask, she transforms into Little Green Monster, “growling, twirling, and dancing.” She wears it during a visit with her grandparents. During play dates, she and her friends take turns becoming Little Green Monster and they have a grand time.

While her mother is cooking dinner one evening, Tamiko decides to play Little Green Monster with her little sister. At first, Mariko laughs and laughs, but as Tamiko gets sillier and sillier, she unintentionally ends up scaring Mariko and makes Mariko cry. Tamiko runs to her sister, hugging her and comforting her. Then Tamiko makes a big decision.

Judith Kajiwara wrote this story 40 years ago based on an event that occurred with her two young daughters. She had visions of turning it into a children’s book, but life got in the way. Now her dream has finally come true. Kajiwara’s words are a tender tribute to her daughters and perfect for preschool and kindergarten children.

Felicia Hoshino’s hand-sketched, digitally-finished illustrations lovingly depict Tamiko’s world of home, school, family, and friends. Each page captures Tamiko’s cheerful personality whether she’s singing at Little Friends or taking turns playing Little Green Monster with her friends. Hoshino also adds a bit of whimsy to her drawings in the form of a little black cat that pops up in each scene. Young readers will have fun looking for the cat on each of the pages.

At the end of the book, there are engaging activities for children. They can create their own silly green mask. There is a template for a face and ears that readers can draw on and cut out. Also included are four of Tamiko’s favorite Japanese songs with music and lyrics. There’s even a glossary of Japanese words used in the story complete with a pronunciation guide.

You and your child will enjoy “Silly Green Mask” for its story, illustrations, and activities.