Winner:
2017 CCBC Choices

A girl from a faraway place begins her first day at school. She doesn’t speak the language and she looks different. She just doesn't fit in. But one day, she makes an unexpected friend—a squirrel! Then a rabbit joins them. Soon the girl’s fuzzy woodland friends are followed by human ones and school becomes more fun! When a surprising new student joins the class, the girl and her new friends know just how to make him feel at home.

Aiko Ikegami was born in Tokyo. As a child, she loved animals, drawing, and painting. She received a degree in child education and a PhD in pharmacology. After years of working as a neuropharmacologist, she left the field and decided to follow her dream of creating picture books. This is her first American picture book.