Author Laura Krauss Melmed and illustrator Jim LaMarche, who previously collaborated on that marvelous original fairy-tale, The Rainbabies, return to the form in this lovely volume. When a lonely woman creates an origami girl, she finds that her creation has come to life, and that Little Oh, as she is called, has soon become a real child to her. But although the woman attempts to keep her fragile daughter safe, Little Oh becomes lost during a trip to the market, and must make her way in a wide and dangerous world. Surviving a trip downriver in a teacup, and a ride on a white crane, Little Oh eventually comes to rest in the garden of a father and son who very much need a wife and mother, not to mention a daughter and sister...

The story in Little Oh put me in mind of any number of folk and fairy-tales featuring miniature people, particularly Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina, and the English story of Tom Thumb. The cultural setting here is Japanese, and the author and illustrator thank one Junko Yokota for her consultation, at the back of the book. I found Melmed's story itself quite entertaining, and think that children who enjoy stories of adventure and magic will be likewise engrossed. The accompanying artwork from LaMarche is just gorgeous, as always, capturing the beauty of the world around Little Oh, and the changing emotional state of the humans she encounters. Recommended to fairy-tale lovers, and to fellow Jim LaMarche fans. ( )

A fairy tale about an origami girl who comes to life is a tender and exciting adventure.

The story follows an origami made doll through experiences with love, danger and independence. It definitely has a fantasy feel to it. I found myself sort of bored while reading it, but it would still be a good book to have in the classroom.

Little Oh is the story of an origami doll that comes to life because of the wishes and dreams of her maker. In the book, Little Oh is happy and content with her mother until a journey to the market causes a separation between them. The story then moves on to Little Oh’s journey home, her transformation into a real girl, and her mother’s marriage. This book is significant to Japanese culture for two reasons. First the book portrays origami, which is a Japanese form of art that involves paper folding. This book is also significant because it depicts Little Oh’s mother as being a tea set maker. Her job shows the importance of tea in Japanese culture because it is shown in the book as a specialized job.

This book could be used as a selected reading in a display. The display could be set up in conjuncture with an art project that involved origami and/or other traditional Japanese art. It could also be used as a story-time book before the selected art project began. ( )