Purchase to Support Our Program

“Takahashi’s expressive storytelling and HifuMiyo’s digitally textured silkscreen print patterns bloom with delight in this picture book, which follows a mixed Black-Japanese family celebrating the annual Japanese tradition of Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. When [two cousins] seek solace from one another, they learn and listen to the depth of their family’s stories. The motifs of flowering trees and falling petals symbolize life’s fleeting moments with loved ones, reminding readers to cherish the beauty of being present.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review

“On an early spring morning, when cherry blossoms are in peak bloom, a young girl and her parents head to the park for hanami, the Japanese tradition of admiring the fleeting, flowering sakura season. Sai waits eagerly all year for this spectacular viewing event that is combined with a big reunion of her Japanese American and African American extended family. When she meets her cousin Avi, the kindred spirits use their creative talents to record “all the journeys their history contains.” Elegantly told, this picture book is a joyful appreciation of the beauty of being present in the moment.”

—Booklist

Waiting for Hanami

Written by J.P. Takahashi
Illustrated by HifuMiyo
Published by HarperCollins

Spring has finally come.

Sai has been waiting all year for the trees’ green buds to turn pink. For the cherry blossoms to finally burst open. For her big family reunion at the sakura festival.

Relatives from far and wide are gathering at last, but there are some family members she recognizes only from video screens and phone calls. Among the crowd, Sai seems to shrink down. . . .

Until she meets her cousin Avi. It’s an instant click. And together, they dream up a special way to dive deep into their family history—and honor the blooming of new connections.

Waiting for Hanami is a celebration of merging cultural traditions that perfectly reflects the cousin’s Japanese American and African American extended family. An ideal next read for multicultural families everywhere!

Primary ISBN: 9780063224971
Publication Date: February 2025
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 04 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Washington D.C.)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Unknown Arrival

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.