Module 13: Yotsuba&! Volume 1

Yotsuba&! Volume 1

A.    Yotsuba&! is a lighthearted comedy series from creator Kiyohiko Azuma.  It features the adventures of Yotsuba as well as her father, neighbors, the Ayases, and her friends.  Each chapter is its own story and features the five-year old protagonist encountering everything from moving to global warming to cicadas.  Her curiosity is equal to any child and her friends indulge her in many ways.  The series focuses entirely on slice-of-life style stories and everything has a very innocent tone.  Though Yotsuba may not always come out on top, she always explores to her hearts content and remains happy, no matter what may come her way.

B.     Azuma, K. (2005). Yotsuba&! Vol. 1. Houston, Texas: A.D. Vision Inc.

C.     This is a manga series that is truly for everyone.  The plotlines are generally simple yet enjoyable and the characters are all entertaining without any of the jokes feeling particularly forced.  Unlike many manga stories, Yotsuba actually acts like a five-year-old girl and while she is certainly sweet, she gets into her fair share of trouble too.  The supporting cast is entertaining on their own and the illustrations are clean and presentable, unlike many of the action-oriented manga that are commonly read.  While it may not appeal to all demographics, the combination of real-life stories and genuine humor make this a winning combination for children and adults alike.  It may not appeal as widely to the teen crowd, but there is still plenty for everyone here.

D.    “Azuma's work is sweet but not saccharine, embodying the cuteness of girls' comics, the humor of boys' comics and the general innocence of children's books. Azuma writes and draws in a sophisticated manner, implementing sharp geometrical lines to depict the surroundings and softer curves for his characters, all set on a largely white background that makes the visuals pop.”

Yotsuba&! Vol. 1. (2005). Kirkus Reviews, 73(17), 18.

E.     A puppet play may be the best activity for this book.  Most of the characters are colorful and it would be easy enough to find the images online.  The cast are put through a variety of stories so it would be good to have the kids come up with some of their own.  They could make a popsicle stick puppet of whichever character they like and come up with a short script that kept in line with the general them of lighthearted adventures.  Once that is done, the kids could take their puppets home for further use in whatever play they could come up with.