Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Following their eponymous opening adventure (2016), unflappable Japanese twins Chirri and Chirra return for another serene, sylvan outing. It begins when they ride their bikes into a patch of tall grass, shrinking to the size of insects as they do. When they emerge, they find themselves dwarfed by sprigs of white clover, from which a bumblebee collects honey in two large baggies. They follow it to its nest in a hillside, peeking in through a hexagonal window to a charming kitchen in which the bee and her companion make honey sponge cake that they share with the girls. They then follow a flower chafer to its house, where the beetle gives them "freshly squeezed mixed-leaf juice with yumberry fruit and raspberry pulp." Off they go again, bells ringing "dring-dring," after a friendly lizard, who invites them in to make candy. The idyll, depicted in soft, smudgy colors that have the look of lithographs, plays out in cozy, single-page illustrations in a slightly smaller-than-typical trim. There is no sense of danger or even discontent, just a warm, green world that opens itself up to the twins—and when they re-emerge by their house in the firefly-lit twilight to find their candy suddenly gone, there are no tears. Whether readers decide it's all imaginary or not is irrelevant; they will love every moment, regardless. Utterly charming. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

In this second Chirri & Chirra book, the two rosy-cheeked, dot-eyed girls head off on their bikes. As they ride into a meadow, they shrink until the clover arches over them like trees and bumblebees are the size of their heads. As the benign, welcoming creatures they meet invite the girls inside their homes, so the gentle, grainy illustrations invite readers into this sweet miniature world.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Following their eponymous opening adventure (2016), unflappable Japanese twins Chirri and Chirra return for another serene, sylvan outing. It begins when they ride their bikes into a patch of tall grass, shrinking to the size of insects as they do. When they emerge, they find themselves dwarfed by sprigs of white clover, from which a bumblebee collects honey in two large baggies. They follow it to its nest in a hillside, peeking in through a hexagonal window to a charming kitchen in which the bee and her companion make honey sponge cake that they share with the girls. They then follow a flower chafer to its house, where the beetle gives them "freshly squeezed mixed-leaf juice with yumberry fruit and raspberry pulp." Off they go again, bells ringing "dring-dring," after a friendly lizard, who invites them in to make candy. The idyll, depicted in soft, smudgy colors that have the look of lithographs, plays out in cozy, single-page illustrations in a slightly smaller-than-typical trim. There is no sense of danger or even discontent, just a warm, green world that opens itself up to the twins—and when they re-emerge by their house in the firefly-lit twilight to find their candy suddenly gone, there are no tears. Whether readers decide it's all imaginary or not is irrelevant; they will love every moment, regardless. Utterly charming. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The identical-looking girls from 2016-s Chirri & Chirra are back, riding their bicycles (-Dring-dring, dring-dring!-) into the tall grass of a nearby meadow, and emerging much smaller than before. This new perspective allows an up-close view of the lives of small creatures who they follow home: bees offer the girls freshly baked -honey sponge cake balls wrapped in flower petals- and, later, they cook up fluorite candies with a lizard. The language is straightforward, but Doi-s gauzy images revel in the details described. It-s a delicious vision of the rewards of curiosity, exploration, and having the freedom to chase adventures wherever they lead. Ages 2-8. (June)