This is the story of a boy who enjoys telling scary stories. It is really beautifully illustrated. It may be a bit scary for some young children.

I can’t get over the illustrations of this book: the textures, shadows, and colors set the mood and perfectly pair with this imaginative yet slightly dark children’s story. Kai and the Kappas is a creative spin on The Boy Who Cried Wolf, integrating Japanese folklore and a different set of moral teachings. It’s a gentle story about the power of the stories we hear, as well as the power of stories we tell. I appreciated the wit of our hero, though the ending felt a bit confusing and I wasn’t entirely sure what children should take away from this story. But in all, I enjoyed this fascinating tale of whimsy, horror, and caution.

This story is a tad bit long. It’s about Kai and their ability to tell stories. Sometimes the stories are fun but many times they scare the children in the neighborhood. This makes other parents mad and they want Kai to stop scaring their children. l Kai meets a cat and remembers what part of the fairytale their downfall is. The artwork is better than the story in my opinion. It’s almost like a alternative version of Peter and the wolf. It was OK but it could be better.

Kai and the Kappas by Stefanie Gamarra is a wonderful book reminding me of the story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". Kai's love for story telling and mythical creatures comes alive thought the artwork in this book. Would be great for kids who have simular love for monsters and story telling. Overall, wonderful read.

Kai loves stories about mythical creatures, and relates them to kids in his village. The adults tell him to knock it off, but he keeps at, with gradually everyone losing interest.

Then, he pretends to be in danger from a supernatural creature, everyone comes running, only to find out that he was playing with them. When, some time later, he pretends to call for a kappas, one actually appears, and no one comes to his aid when he calls for help…..

This mix of "The Boy who cried Wolf" and Japanese folklore worked for me. It's a teensy bit scary for little ones, but also shows the usefulness and power of stories.

I liked the artwork, which is rendered in muted greens, browns and greys. It's not eye-popping, but rather, soothing, which is a contrast to the scary stories Kai likes.

Thank you to Netgalley and to author Stefanie Gamarra and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Kai and the Kappas is a story about a little boy who loves fairy tales, and when he finds himself in the middle of one, Kai can't believe it!

I really loved this story- Kai feels like a real kid who has a very active imagination. Throughout the story, we feel for Kai- his excitement, his fear, his disbelief. It allows for a really good discussion about the book where the reader, both young and old, can talk about other fairytales and imaginative stories.

I do think the story ended too quickly. I was expecting more, but there wasn't anymore left to the story.

The illustrations are beautiful, especially how different are represented.

A fun boy who cried wolf-esque story. The art was very cool! I would rec this to kids who want some spooky stuff but not really scary at all.

Kai, a young boy is fond of telling stories - spooky stories and stories of dangerous-looking mythical creatures. He assembles a group of kids around him and tells them stories of Kappa, a moster creature that lives in the water and has a bowl shaped head, turtle like green skin, webbed hands and feet like a frog. Stay away from river for the Kappa snatches tiny kids and takes them away, he warns them. The elders are either bored of his stories or too busy with work to believe in Kai's tales. They stop their kids from listening to Kai or believing him.

But one day, playing alone near the creek, Kai spots a Kappa, really !! Dumbstruck and even scared by its sudden appearance, he uses lessons he gathered from his stories, acts wittily and saves himself from danger / Kappa's grasp.

Did Kai really spot a Kappa? Did he really do the brave job of saving himself or is it all another story in itself? Maybe there a little grain of truth in the what the boy said or was it just a figment of imagination sprouting from his head that teems with such stories. Read this simple and enjoyable tale with beautiful illustrations that explores the liminal space between imagination and reality.

A beautiful illustrated story! I wish Kai shared a couple more stories from the book his grandmother gave him! Stefanie Gamarra tells a wonderful story along the lines of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and Marta Pilosio's fantastic illustrations bring Kai's story to life! There are so many details to notice in the art, especially the frog, which was my favourite. I really enjoyed this picture book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I got to the end, I thought, is that it? I kept trying to turn the page because the story felt incomplete. It didn’t seem as if Kai learned anything from the sequence of events, which certainly isn’t a requirement of a good story, but it did feel like the book was heading there. It also hinted at something that adults needed to learn too which I liked but that also felt under-developed.

The art is beautiful and this is a fun story; I just wish it had been a bit more rounded out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm in love with the artwork and I've always loved the story of the boy who cried wolf. This is an Asian version and Kai encounters a Kappa, but nobody believes him.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A fantastic story to the tune of The Boy Who Cried Wolf but not ill-intended and teaches about the power of story telling among children. The art is absolutely stunning and a story with a twist kids will love that inspires creativity and connection in sharing.

Self-published and available March 20, 2025, Kai and the Kappas is a picture book about a monster-loving boy in a retelling of the folktale of The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Perry Index # 210) It's very cute and will appeal to monster kids. The art is nice and looks almost like paper cutouts. I did think some of the text passages where a bit long, which depending on the age of the reader might lose them a bit, but that was just a few pages. This is a good retelling of a familiar fable and I like that it uses a non-Western creature, in this case a Japanese Yōkai. I'll definitely suggest it to our picture book selector.

This book offers a fresh retelling of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' tale, teaching children the important virtue of honesty, when we lie, others may not believe us when we're telling the truth. While the story features a Kappa, I wish the book had included more cultural context about this creature's origins to share with young readers. The illustrations are beautiful and complement the well-crafted narrative. However, Kai's resolution feels somewhat rushed; a more gradual build-up to the conclusion would have created better narrative tension and a more satisfying ending. Despite this minor shortcoming, the book successfully delivers its moral lesson through engaging storytelling and visual appeal.

Thank you NetGalley & Stefanie Gamarra for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What an absolute delight this book is. We loved the beautiful illustrations and the cautionary tale. Although obviously written for a younger audience, it is still a delight for the young at heart.

It was okay. I was not expecting a retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I love kappas and was hoping it would have been more about them.

I looove the artwork here and all the background details you may miss, especially if you’re a grown up. I also really enjoyed the frog and turtle really being our main characters and acting out each scene and emotion. The overall tale was cute, funny, and a valuable, updated lesson for both children and adults

Like the boy who cried wolf, Kai loved to call out Kappa. As an adult, I loved to yell out Zombies when my kids didn’t want to come into the house late at night. As adults, they remember those times I yelled out one too many Zombies and they won’t believe Zombies are after them in the future because I’ve said it one too many times. So has Kai when calling out Kappa. But he also taught everyone a lesson in bowing their heads just in case the Kappa exists. Because you never know when a little green frog like turtle with hair comes up from the water. The artwork was beautiful, reminiscent of classic children’s books like Strega Nona with rich colors and blocky figures. This will be a go to read for the imagery alone.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kai and the Kappas is a smart and fresh retelling of the classic Aesop's fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" but with Kappas and that's what made me read it. It is such a great picture book with cute and beautiful illustrations that am sure many readers will enjoy.

Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a warm thank you to Stefanie Gamarra, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.

As I read this story, I felt there was a lesson in it that was on par with The Boy Who Cried Wolf. I was also reminded a little of the Gruffalo and Peter Pan for subtle reasons.

Little Kai fancies himself as a bit of a storyteller and enjoys telling tales to the village children. Some cry whilst others listen with intent as Kai uses his pitch and tone to create suspense and fear. One day, he realizes that his story might not be a story after all. But will he know how to act when the time comes, and will he live to tell the tale?

I thought the story was good. When there is text, it is written in large sections so that the next two to three pages can be given over solely to illustrations.

The color palette was a little on the bland side with pastel blue, greens, greys, and browns. I’m not sure I would seek this book out repeatedly if it was my choice to pick the story book. Overall, I think tis book will either be loved or loathed by children depending on their tolerance for scary tales (by kids’ standards).