Nunu and the Sea
by Isabella Kung; illus. by the author
Primary    Knopf    48 pp.
10/25    9780593812723    $18.99

Enraged by homework she doesn’t understand, Nunu runs into her room, slams the door, screams, and tears up the yellow origami house on her desk. In a story line reminiscent of Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and Bang’s When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry…, Nunu leaves her home and sets sail in a newspaper boat on stormy seas. Delicate lines and rich watercolors blend in mixed-media illustrations that mirror the progression of Nunu’s emotions. Initial black-and-white spreads evolve into the indigo of the dark skies and thundering waves of the storm. When the sky clears, Nunu feels alone, but then she remembers her backpack stuffed with paper, which she uses to fold into origami creatures that keep her company, and the palette brightens with rose, purple, and gold notes. Spare, poetic text (“The sea recedes. The sea reveals. The sea reflects”) is soothing, as the time Nunu spends in her imagination calms and restores her. In a new frame of mind, she notices the yellow scraps of paper that followed her through her journey. She gathers them and rebuilds the origami house she had destroyed, then returns home in a spread that glows with light and love. This sensitive, engaging book acknowledges overwhelming feelings and offers a compassionate nudge toward healthy coping mechanisms.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.