Chirri and Chirra by Kaya Doi (2003), translated by Yuki Kaneko (2016)
I actually don’t even remember what led me to this book–part of one of my late-night library order binges. I had a hunch though that this was going to be a winner. And, oh, what a lovely treasure it is!
This is a series of picture books (I can’t wait to read the others!) about two little girls having mini adventures. In this first book, the girls are simply riding their bikes through the forest. The plot is about as simple as it gets. They stop at a forest cafe and bakery. They stop to eat and swim and nap. Their day ends at a forest hotel where lovely music is playing and all the forest animals are gathered to sing along. … Oh, my heart. It is the perfect day, and much like Bear by Himself, I just want to live in this book. Simple, sweet, innocent, darling. LOVE.