Ba-chan the Ninja Grandma: An Adventure with Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl

Little Kunoichi lives with her ninja family in a nifty tree house complete with a “Nin-Jutsu training room.” Summer vacation is ending soon, and Little Kunoichi and her pet, Bunny, are bored and beginning to ask for spendy amusements. Little Kunoichi, Bunny, and “Baby Bro” are sent to visit their scientist and inventor grandma, Ba-chan, on Kame Shima (“Turtle Isle”). There, they embark on a submarine adventure to Ba-chan’s underwater amusement park, which—with attractions such as a “Rat Race”—showcases currency’s limitations. Ishida illustrates in intricate watercolor art that creates the feeling of a world in miniature, and Ba-chan’s message about finding abundance through “Curiosity,/ Resourcefulness, kindness, love, /Imagination!” may well reboot summer for ennui-suffering fans of Little Kunoichi the Ninja Girl. Ages 5–9.[em] (Sept.) [/em]