These books were originally published in Japan, where they did very well and won several awards before making their way to the States. Whereas Crockett Johnson's story art in Harold is charmingly done through a child's hand and imagination, Yuki Ainoya's are charmingly done as if through only a child's imagination, and they go big. Of course, art is where the two diverge the most greatly. However, while Harold creates his world from the ground up, so to speak, Sato kind of 'falls' into his world to find hidden cosmos within it.

Both series are surreal and center on little boys with very big imaginations, with each book structured as a series of short stories. How can I explain the charm of Sato the Rabbit? I have pondered this a bit and decided that he's like a fanciful, maximalist version of Harold and the Purple Crayon. I would have liked a reminder of this introduction. The first book introduces the boy Haneru Sato, who becomes a rabbit one day. But for those who enjoy pure whimsy, it is a fun journey. This series is not for everyone there is no overarching story. I love the elemental objects that kick off each journey, and the surprise where each one takes the reader. Lovely watercolor-like jewel tone colors in soft shapes make each imaginative adventure a happy event, free of danger. Each short chapter with simple descriptive text is a foray into Sato’s unique imagination. He pokes the lowering orange sun with his spoon, and fries it up, flips it, then eats the lovely pancake it has become. But reality gives way to gentle trips of the imagination, into worlds conjured by shapes and colors, such as in my favorite chapter, “A Sea of Tea.” Sato gazes into the setting sun while stirring his tea, and the shimmers of the liquid turn in a sea of tea, on which he is paddling, on a mint leaf, with his spoon as the oar. Here, his adventures start with a cup of tea, a giant raspberry, a scoop of snow, and other familiar things in a child’s life. Like the other books, Sato finds portals into other worlds through everyday items and foods. The third and final book about Sato the Rabbit takes readers on more fantastical adventures.

Sato the Rabbit by Yuki Ainoya