Abstract

[A picture book to read while spinning it around] An ant has built a house. A pill bug lives next to it. Up in the tree above, there is a squirrel's house, and next to it, there is a house where humans live. In the nearby river, there are homes for killifish and crucian carp, and in the rice paddies, there are water striders and crayfish. In the forest behind it, and in the sea beyond, there are all sorts of creatures. The sky above, the distant cold countries, the hot countries, they are all someone's home... Starting with a tiny ant, the perspective gradually expands, from your own home to the town, from the sky to the sea, further to the Arctic and near the equator, and even to the entire Earth. Just as the Earth rotates, the book is designed to be read while spinning it around at the end. The Earth is filled with living things, with no gaps. This is not just a place for humans, but "everyone's home." Kondo Kumiko, who has vividly depicted insects and animals in her previous picture books, expands the scale even further, depicting the Earth spinning, carrying life.

Author’s Information

Kumiko Kondo
Born in Osaka Prefecture. After working in the planning department of a confectionery company, she became a picture book author. Her works include "Kamakirikko," "Nonikki -No Nikki-," "Tane Ippai Warattane" (all from Alice-kan), "Mori e Zorozoro" (written by Kiyoko Murata), "Hajimemashite" (both from Kaiseisha), the "Mushi Hotel" series (text by Kawai Tsukasa Kinekawa), "Kunugi no Ki Ippon" (both from BL Publishing), "Mayoiga" (original story by Kunio Yanagida, text by Natsuhiko Kyogoku / Shiobunsha), "Kanashimi no Bouken" (selected for the 2022 White Ravens / Poplar Publishing), "Sore yori Kowai" and "Dokomade Iku no" (co-written with Rie Muranaka / both from Kosei Publishing), among many others. In 2024, she opened "Kondo Kumiko's Little Picture Book Museum" in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture.