Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kaya Doi graduated with a degree in
design from Tokyo Zokei University. She got her start in picture
books by attending the Atosaki Juku Workshop, held at a Tokyo
bookshop specializing in children's books. Since then she has
created many picture books featuring her delicate color-pencil
drawings. She lives in Chiba Prefecture and maintains a strong
interest in environmental and animal welfare issues. Since the
earthquake of 2011 she has been active in recovery and shelter
efforts for abandoned pets.
David Boyd teaches translation at Kobe City University of
Foreign Studies. He won the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize
for the Translation of Japanese Literature in 2018 for Slow
Boat by Hideo Furukawa, in 2022 for The Hole by
Hiroko Oyamada, and in 2024 for Takaoka's Travels by
Tatsuhiko Shibusawa.
A Wall Street Journal 20 Best Children’s Books of the Past 20 Years
SelectionA New York Magazine 2024 Holiday Gift Guide Selection
One of the Wall Street Journal’s “20 Best Children’s Books of the
Past 20 Years: Most Beguiling Picture-Book Series!” "These
enchanting books are like a dream of childhood—full of kindness,
adventure and eccentric delights."
*The Wall Street Journal*
Featured in New York Magazine's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide: Best Books
to Gift to Little Kids! "It’s simple, and the colored-pencil
illustrations are very charming — the best imaginative treats."
*New York Magazine’s The Strategist*
I love a book that is just so clearly written to access the world
inside a child’s mind... It’s an adventure to nowhere and
everywhere and is so visually enchanting.
*New York Magazine’s The Strategist*
“Kaya Doi has created another wondrous alternative world for her
signature characters... Each glowing illustration seems more
delectable than the last. It's a glorious outing to a place warmed
by courtesy, kindness and the pleasure of being alive.”
*The Wall Street Journal*
“Doi’s artwork mesmerizes. The colors are rich and vibrant—the blue
provides a particularly effective contrast to the corals, for
example—but there’s also a softness to the pencil drawings that
captures the dreaminess of secret worlds and childhood discoveries.
There is delight in even the tiniest of details: fish hold open the
curtains at the theatre, a seahorse is dressed with a top hat and
scarf, a dessert jelly is topped with pearls. The books are also
sized for a child’s hands. Long but not tall, they feel
proportionate for small hands and ready for close examination… If
the aim is to help children see the beauty and the mystery in the
natural world, Doi has more than succeeded.”
*Asian Review of Books*
In Chirri & Chirra, Under the Sea, a mysterious cave leads two
girls on bicycles into a fantastical world. Peddling along with a
‘dring dring,’ the bobbed, rosy-cheeked duo find coral mazes,
seashell sofas, and an octopus waiter. An enjoyable installment in
Kaya Doi’s series.
*World Magazine*
Chirri & Chirra is an utterly charming series of children’s picture
books...low on the angst scale and high on the charm meter. Doi is
known for her softly styled drawings on rich creamy paper. She
creates the illustrations in these books with colored pencils,
pastels, and crayons, crafting them to give an old-world feel, a
time of innocence and simplicity. The exquisite art radiates joy
and has a dreamy quality to it that reflects how children imagine
their ideal world to be. These delightful books are a welcome
escape for young children from their anxieties.
*International Examiner*
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