Aya and Her Magic Cat -- Graphic Novel and Origami Tutorial

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love origami and love teaching it to kids. Origami is something for hands to do when they need to fidget. It is also something that can teach things like math. It can allow kids to create their own toys, games and so much more! Today we are sharing a new graphic novel with origami tutorials in it. The book is Aya and Her Magic Cat by Sam Ita. It is recommended for ages 8 to 14.

About the Book: 

What happens when origami paper models magically spring to life?

This exciting graphic novel tells the story of Aya Wada, a teenage girl who visits her relatives in Japan and unknowingly adopts a powerful feline Kami spirit named Neko, who follows her home to America. Each chapter tells an amusing story about how Neko brings Aya's folded origami paper models to life—literally!

Follow along as Aya and Neko create magic, memories and a little mayhem wherever they go:

• Neko reveals her existence on the return trip from Japan, helping Aya conjure up her first enchanted origami
• Aya folds a paper cockroach that scuttles across the floor of the school cafeteria, creating utter chaos!
• A paper dove pulled from a magician's hat during a talent show becomes an attacking bird demon!
• An origami fortune-teller model projects weird and wonderful images on Aya's bedroom ceiling
• Neko produces an animated paper puppet to illustrate how the spirit world can intersect with origami
• Aya and Neko team up to use their magical-origami talents to comfort a distraught preschooler at the playground

Each chapter includes instructions for a simple origami model that readers can fold using the illustrated tear-out folding papers that are included at the back of the book.

From Me:

This book begins with Aya on the airplane with her parents flying a red eye from their trip to Japan where they visited her grandmother who doesn't speak English. As everyone on the plane falls asleep, Aya finds herself awake and bored. That is when she discovers Neko. Aya made a wish in Neko's shrine during a thunderstorm and brought Neko to the human world. Neko teaches Aya how to fold origami and grants some magic powers of transforming the origami to magically come alive or move. Aya finds way to entertain herself and useful and sometimes dangerous things to do with the origami. The magic, Neko explains, is really the origami attracting yokai. Neko warns her some yokai are dangerous, but Aya does not pay attention until it is too late!

This book is a graphic novel but throughout each chapter is an origami tutorial including instructions on how to read the various common symbols in origami tutorials. It is perfect for beginners. The seven projects shared are easy to fold and the explanations and illustrations in the tutorials are well done. At the back of the book are 16 pages of origami paper that can be torn out of the book. The pages are perforated and the square origami designs are also perforated. The papers match the illustrations in the book and bring some of the story to the reader. There are at least two of each paper so the reader can practice. I did not use any of the included origami paper as I have quite a supply and donate my books to school, so I kept the paper for the readers there.

The story itself is interesting. Aya is learning about the Japanese culture through Neko and origami. She finds way to use the origami for revenge when her friends cut her part of their talent show act. She also uses a cockroach to scare the other students in the cafeteria. I find the book interesting and perfect for the middle grade reader. The tutorials are perfect for this age or slightly older as well. I can see many kids truly enjoying this book and it is perfect for May for Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It also teaches a bit about the yokai but not the details other books do.