Tokyo Night Parade

In this yo¯kai-studded reimagining of Japanese folklore, a double debut from Takahashi and Tomigahara, a child who has “come home to Tokyo” reunites with fantastical friends on her favorite evening—that of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Since the creatures of the Night Parade can’t cross the ocean to New York, Eka, a brown-skinned child of Japanese descent, is eager to encounter them again, knowing that “New York is expensive and Japan is too far away to keep visiting.” Dressed in a fox costume—a long-ago gift from her grandfather—she awaits the monsters’ arrival, listening for “music and mumbling, hooting, and screeching.” Her longtime friend, the turtle-like kappa, soon leads Eka down a red-lantern-lit path to a place “thick with swirling, swooping ghosts,” where the parade carries her away until dawn. Light-limned, bokeh-dotted illustrations that feel like film stills incorporate gouache, woodblock printing, paper scraps, and digital techniques. Introspective prose touches lightly on the idea of whether spirits—and humans—are “good” in this visually appealing nighttime romp. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. Author’s and illustrator’s agent: Kathleen Ortiz, KO Media Management (Oct.)