The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden
Written by Heather Smith
Published by Orca Book Publishers, 2019
When the tsunami destroyed Makio's village, Makio lost his father . . . and his voice. The entire village is silenced by grief, and the young child's anger at the ocean grows. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project—building a phone booth in his garden.
The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is inspired by the true story of the wind phone in Otsuchi, Japan, which was created by artist Itaru Sasaki. He built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed, saying, "My thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the town of Otsuchi, claiming 10 percent of the population. Residents of Otsuchi and pilgrims from other affected communities have been traveling to the wind phone since the tsunami.
AWARDS
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award | 2020 | Winner
Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of the Year | 2019 | Commended
School Library Journal (SLJ) Best Books | 2019 | Commended
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Pacific Northwest Book Awards | 2019 | Nominated
National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Freeman Book Awards - Children’s Literature | 2019 | Winner
Ontario Library association (OLA) Best Bets - Honourable Mention | 2019 | Commended
Children’s Book Council & National Council for Social Studies Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People | 2020 | Commended
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books List (OIB) | 2020 | Commended
BC and Yukon Book Prizes - Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize | 2020 | Short-listed
Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year | 2019 | Commended
CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens | 2020 | Commended
Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award | 2020 | Short-listed
Rocky Mountain Book Award (RMBA) | 2021 | Short-listed
Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award - Honourable Mention | 2020 | Commended
Stiftung Internationale Jugendbibliothek The White Ravens | 2020 | Commended
Forest of Reading Light Reads, Great Stories | 2021 | Commended
Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award | 2021 | Nominated
The Sakura Medal Program | 2022 | Commended
