I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Kai and the Kappas is a short picture book for children aged 6-9 years about a little boy who likes to tell stories.
Kai likes to tell scary stories (or fairytales as the villagers in the book call them) about creatures called Kappas who live in the river. The local children are scared of these stories, and the grown ups dismiss them. One day, Kai walks near the river when one of his made-up creatures pops up from the water. But after crying wolf so many times before, nobody comes to his rescue. He recalls his telling of the creatures and manages to escape by showing it respect. When he returns to the village, nobody believes his story.
This book is a mix of Japanese folklore and the well-known story of the boy who cried wolf. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book but would advise grown-ups to read the story themselves before reading it to sensitive children who may find it a little scary.

Kai and the Kappas is a new take on the boy who cried wolf. Taking inspiration from Japanese folklore regarding Kappas, they have young Kai share folklore and stories that are told to him by his Grandmother. Kai loves to share scary stories, and when everyone in town gets tired of his stories, he goes to the river alone and meets a Kappa. When he gets back and shares his experience, no one believes him.

This is a cute story about the importance of being honest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

A plain rewrite of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, this features Kai who is inventively terrorising the town's other children with stories of the kappa, and their reptilian skin, long thin fingers, habit of snatching people – and basin-full-of-water for a head. The story follows the same path, the legend features the standard way of defeating a kappa (alright, I'd long forgotten what actual folklore told us about them, and what they were called, but it came back to me right away) and it's all perfectly OK, but doesn't really shrug off the fact it is such a well-known story, just tweaked to lose the wolf. OK, there's a tiny extra beat to the story because the kappas are folklore, and wolves are definitely real, therefore adults dismissing kappas might be blinkered and lacking in imagination, according to this, but that's all that's different.

Kai is a storyteller just like he learned from his grandmother. He loves to tell the stories to children in the village. But, Kai begins to get lost in his stories, forgetting what is real and what is imagination. The people of the village become frustrated with him and don’t believe him. Things quickly change for Kai. Soon he is face - to- face with the Legendary Kappa creature. Can Kai use the lessons from his books to escape?
A fun story encouraging creativity and thinking outside the box. The illustrations are truly unique, they blend hand-drawn art with digital art. This unique style helps to create an amazing story! Enjoy this adventure with your family.

This was an adorable, if a little dark, book and I enjoyed it. The art was stunning and did great work in helping the text to tell the story. While I knew going in that the messaging was a Japanese folklore version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, I definitely would've recognized the similarities even without that knowledge and that's a good sign as it'll mean children will too. Telling stories is one thing, but lying is another and it's an age-old lesson that's good for children - and adults! - to learn, of course. I really enjoyed the way the story ended. I also have to say that I loved the spooky vibes and how the art accompanied them so well. Honestly, I spent a ton of time just staring at the artwork. It was gorgeous. Definitely a book I'd recommend.

The artwork is gorgeous! My daughter really enjoyed the story. We will definitely reread it. To me it’s on par with The Boy who Cried Wolf. You get the lesson that lying isn’t good which is important.

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!