Mural Island

December 2, 2024
Opening with a line of understatement, Yamasaki (Place Hand Here) begins, “Kengi drew.” Kengi is first pictured at a small table with crayon in hand; the paper on the surface before them is covered with drawings, as are the table and the floor. They draw “fast,/ busy,// everywhere their hands could/ reach and feet could travel.” Vignettes show their scrawls on a city stoop, grocery items, an unfurled roll of toilet paper, and more. After the school principal complains, another adult, Ms. Beatriz, tells Kengi about a nearby place—Mural Island—where the walls are just for painting. The protagonist finally has unlimited space to create, and does, delighted until discovering their work covered over by others. But another young artist introduces Kengi to a new way of thinking about the space: “None of it lasts too long so we just love it while it’s here.” Yamasaki paints in rainbow shades that seem like light sources themselves; the multihued characters and the city’s walls burst with color and energy in this stylized celebration of art making and community building that offers a portrait of a resolute child who’s clear about their path. Ages 4–8.

January 1, 2025
A young artist's joy expresses itself in drawings--everywhere. Kengi, who usesthey/them pronouns, is in trouble. They draw everywhere--on the food in the refrigerator, on toilet paper, on the bathroom mirror, and even on people. They draw rainbows and cars, fish, and fruit. Others are constantly cleaning up what they see as Kengi's mess. Kengi's fed-up principal demands that the child "stop drawing like this...or else." Fortunately for Kengi, art teacher Ms. Beatriz points them toward Mural Island, a haven for artists. There, Kengi paints with abandon, making "their most breathtaking masterpiece ever," a joyous scene of happy, engaged children surrounded by balloons, flying creatures, and rainbows aplenty. Alas, Kengi returns to Mural Island the next day, only to find their art has disappeared again--others have painted over their work. A friend wisely says, "None of it lasts too long so we just love it while it's here." The promise of artistic collaboration that day inspires Kengi to paint another bonanza of uplifting scenes. Yamasaki, herself a well-established muralist, relies on cheery colors and undulating patterns to depict the artistic passion pouring out of Kengi--a rainbow palette that covers not only furniture and walls, but also characters' skin and hair and whole city blocks seen from a bird's-eye view. Most characters present Black. Exultant.(Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2025
Grades K-3 Drawing and painting are like breathing for Kengi, but constantly decorating tables, walls, and other surfaces is getting them in trouble at home and at school. A kind adult at school suggests a place that Kengi can go, giving directions that sound like a treasure hunt. When Kengi follows the route, they find Mural Island, an expansive wall area in the city where artists are creating on a large scale. Yamasaki grounds her figures by connecting them to floors or other objects while leaving large amounts of white space to highlight Kengi's art. Many of the illustrations are murals or collages themselves, bringing together many layers of colors and patterns to form expressive units. Kengi is thrilled to find this artistic home, but when they return, the walls have already been repainted. As Kengi begins to understand that creation is ongoing rather than finite, they continue their journey painting, growing, and expanding, depicting a child's development through artistic expression in an imaginative yet concrete manner.

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