In Blossom

Cherry trees in pale, luxuriant bloom form the backdrop of this spring tale and give the creamy pages quiet elegance throughout. “It was a sun twinkling day,” Chun (My Mind) begins. Cat has brought a lunch to the park and sets her basket on a bench underneath a particularly beautiful tree. She unpacks her lunch carefully and lays it out on a cloth. Then Dog appears, wearing glasses and holding a book, having set out on a “breeze-blowing day” to wander and read. He arrives at Cat’s bench, clearly having planned to read there, and timid about intruding. Cat invites him to sit down. The quiet event that brings them closer is the book’s only moment of drama, and it’s no more than the fall of a petal. In Chun’s meditative tale, unobtrusively translated by Choi, new friendship isn’t a tumultuous or uproarious thing—it’s just as easily found in silent companionship. And sometimes small, unexpected events are all that’s needed to begin a friendship. Ages 3–up. (Jan.)