The Blurb On The Back:

One day, a cat and dog meet on a bench.

The cat eats her lunch.

The dog reads his book.

But the sun twinkles, the breeze blows, and there’s something sweet in the air …  

You can order IN BLOSSOM by Yooju Cheon from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Yooju Cheon’s charming self-illustrated picture book for readers aged 9+ (translated from Korean by Okkyun Choi) is a pared back but utterly delightful affair that shows a cat who wants to eat lunch and a dog who wants to read his book meeting each other for the first time beneath the blossom of a cherry tree and  taking the first steps towards friendship.

This is a very sparse picture book in terms of actual text (although the language should be a good challenge for readers aged 5+) and the story itself is very basic but I thought it’s an utterly charming tale of two creatures who plan to be on their own but find themselves taking a step to get to know each other.  The illustrations are gorgeous – especially the pink blossoms of the cherry tree but Cheon also packs a great sense of character into the drawings of the cat and the dog and I really loved the scenes where the blossom lands on each of them in turn.

All in all I think this is a book that parents would particularly enjoy reading with their children – the language is sophisticated enough to help them with vocabulary but it’s a lovely, simple story that’s easy to follow and read together.

IN BLOSSOM was released in the United Kingdom on 17^th January 2019.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.