WHEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS FALL

WHEN CHERRY BLOSSOMS FALL by Katrina Goldsaito. Illustrated by Yas Imamura.

With the thought of cherry blossoms blooming soon in our area and pictures of the beautiful flowers in Washington D..C. coming across Facebook, I picked up this heart-warming new release while book shopping in South Carolina.

When Cherry Blossoms Fall is the story of the close relationship between a Japanese girl, Yuna, and her grandmother. The grandmother has a beautiful cherry tree in her yard that they both love, and they wait in anticipation of the lovely blooms that will soon adorn it from top to bottom. While they wait, the grandmother teaches Yuna about something called mono-no-aware, the increasing appreciation of something that grows in beauty, because it doesn't last long. When her grandmother passes away during springtime, and Yuna experiences the blossoms by herself, she begins to truly understand mono-no-aware, not only with regards to the cherry tree, but also with the life of her grandmother.

This lovely picture book is one that celebrates family relationships and the Japanese culture. It also handles the passing of loved ones in a very warm and moving way. Highly Recommend.