Description: One cloudy day, Chirri & Chirra decide to go out on their bicycles. Dring-dring, dring dring! It's already starting to rain.
Brief description: Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kaya Doi graduated with a degree in design from Tokyo Zokei University. She got her start in picture books by attending the Atosaki Juku Workshop, held at a Tokyo bookshop specializing in children's books. Since then she has created many picture books featuring her delicate color-pencil drawings. She lives in Chiba Prefecture and maintains a strong interest in environmental and animal welfare issues. Since the earthquake of 2011 she has been active in recovery and shelter efforts for abandoned pets.
Review Quotes: "It'll take more than rain to dampen the moods of indefatigable bicyclists Chirri and Chirra. Of course, their ride in the rain is far from a slog. Shortly after the drops begin to fall, they happen upon a shop that is 'only open on rainy days.' After some tea, each buys a raincoat, and they set back out on a trip that only turns more magical: The rain starts 'falling from below, ' stopping at the bottoms of their wheels and lifting them up to treetop level. Doi's trademark illustrations, made with colored pencils to evoke the look of mid-20th-century lithographs, depict the protagonists with pale skin, rosy cheeks, and black pageboys. They cycle ever to the right across the spreads, which take advantage of the book's unusual trim size to open to a 6.5-inch-tall by 18-inch-wide panorama that's somehow both cozy and expansive. Another delightful outing in this winsome Japanese series."-- "Kirkus Reviews"