Kai and the Kappas is the kind of book that I was sure my son would love. I read it by myself first so I could see whether it would be appropriate for his age (four years old), and when I finished, I had already decided that I would read the book to him that same night, as part of our bedtime reading routine, before going to sleep.

I know my son very well, because not only did he love it, but he did what he loves to do even more than perhaps listening to stories: he drew. Need I say what? He drew a Kappa.

Kappa is a legendary Japanese creature, which I imagine parents told their children about to prevent them from playing in streams without any adult supervision. After all, the description claims a creature with armored skin like a turtle (some are even described as having a shell on their backs), frog-like fingers and a head shaped like a huge bowl, where the water that gives its powers and strength to create the currents of the water is contained.

I know, it sounds scary when you describe it like this, but this version is well suited for children ages 4 and up. The illustrations are very calm, with funny and cute scenes in the smallest details, and it also features a modern retelling of an Aesop tale about lying (The Boy Who Cried Wolf story).

My son loves learning about these mythological or legendary creatures, and it's always great to find books suitable for his age that fulfill this role. Besides the legendary part of the book, about the Kappas, another aspect of the narrative that I correctly imagined would please my son is the identification with the protagonist Kai, who, like my son, loves scary stories (age-appropriate, of course). I think it's very important to know from a small age already that there are stories that we can relate to more easily, especially because of the protagonists. It's a way to gradually build an understanding of representation, identity, but mainly to find your own voice.

For children who also really enjoy learning about mythological creatures, Kai and the Kappas is a great book. It will be released on March 20, 2025, when it will also be available on Kindle Unlimited for subscribers.

I really loved the art style of the illustrations in this book, which were done by Marta Pilosio. The story teaches the virtue of not lying (else when that thing happens to you, no one will believe you), but that’s a small part of the whole story. Based on Japanese folklore that Kai read about in his grandmother’s book, the kappas are creatures that live in rivers and streams—when Kai tells his friends about it they are all quite scared and the parents of the children reassure them that it is fictitious. But what happens when Kai meets a kappa by himself and no one comes to help him? Will he be clever enough to outsmart the kappa?

Overall a very fun read!

This story draws inspiration from classic fairytales and elements of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," but the author and illustrator have uniquely made it their own. Rather than focusing heavily on honesty lesson, the narrative seems to lean into themes of imagination and belief in the fantastical, offering a fresh perspective.
As noted in the description, this book is best suited for children at the upper end of the picture book age range because of its spooky—but not scary—elements.
The illustrations are truly stunning and add charm to the story.

It has such a similar storyline with the boy who cried wolf but the illustrations are cute and I love the fact that it has diversity among characters (both children and the villagers). However, even if book overall lokks like aiming preschoolers, I do not think it is suitable for them. First reason is that it has so many words to keep a preschoolers interested in in a page and second is that I think it is a bit too much creepy for them. I support that the idea we should introduce some scarier topics to the young ones pretty early on but I am not sure if it is a good idea to do it with illustrated books. But for the ones in elementery school, I think this book could work better.

Stunning illustrations.

Cute tale, similar to the boy who cried wolf at the beginning but then the story just kind of abruptly ended with no real resolution. It feels like there should be at least a few more pages.

It was okay. It has a similar message to The Boy Who Cried Wolf but with its own unique details.

I love the illustrations. The pages were stunning to look at. However, I did feel like the story ended abruptly.