In this post, we feature author and artist Kengo Kurimoto. You can hear him speak about his debut graphic novel, Wildful, and try his “invitation to imagine” activity. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Wildful
- Written and illustrated by Kengo Kurimoto
- Published by Groundwood Books, an imprint of House of Anansi Press
- Release date: February 6, 2024
Poppy’s mother hasn’t been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. Maybe that’s why Poppy has started spending more time outside, walking around the neighborhood. After Poppy follows her dog through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that’s been there all along, as well as a new friend, Rob. He teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness if you know where to look. Poppy discovers flowers opening before her eyes, animals slipping into their hidden homes, and the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves, and feathers. Will Poppy be able to share this beauty with her mother. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness and in ourselves.
Explore Wildful
Listen to Kengo Kurimoto talking with TeachingBooks about creating Wildful. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to author and illustrator Kengo Kurimoto pronounce his name.
- Sample an e-book of Wildful on Overdrive.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Wildful.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Kengo Kurimoto.
Imagination Activity with Kengo Kurimoto
Wildful is about listening. It’s about opening up all your senses to the world around you. I guess if I want anyone to take something away from it, it’s just to go out there to a natural place and experience it, not just being there, walking in it, but really paying attention and seeing just quite how beautiful it is. How does that make you feel when you’re there, taking it in with all your senses? For me, it’s just such a source of immense pleasure and peace. And I hope that everyone can experience it, no matter how small the woods.
Finish This Sentence . . . with Kengo Kurimoto
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Kengo Kurimoto’s response.
“Where I work is…”
When I first started Wildful, I rented a studio in a tumbledown farm. It was more of a shed really; it leaked, and you could see outside through some of the gaps in the walls, but I loved it and all the eccentric people who lived and worked there. I would walk there with my dog every day, five miles through the woods, then sit and draw at my desk, before walking five miles back, sometimes in the starlit darkness of winter. It was a magical time, walking the same path every day, watching it change with the weather and seasons. Sometimes, I felt like a monk on a pilgrimage. I now have a studio in my garden, a hop and a step from home, but I look back to those long walks so fondly.
“You may not know that I can…”
You may not know that I can use a longsword. After Covid quarantine, I needed to get fit and sociable again. I have always been interested in medieval history, and I found a local club that specializes in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). I love it, swinging swords in a full contact sport. But it’s more than that. It’s a lived understanding of our history, including the strange customs and very different values our ancestors held. They were tough times, and I can only admire the skill and immense courage it must have taken to survive and thrive.
Thank you!
To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Kengo Kurimoto for signing books for all of us.
More Connections to Kengo Kurimoto and Wildful
- Discover books like Wildful on TeachingBooks.
- Groundwood’s page about Wildful, written and illustrated by Kengo Kurimoto.
- Buy Wildful, written and illustrated by Kengo Kurimoto.
Author photo by Chloe Hardwick. All other text and images are courtesy of Kengo Kurimoto and House of Anansi Press and may not be used without expressed written consent.
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