Himawari House
Himawari House is the debut graphic novel written and illustrated by artist Harmony Becker. It tells the story of a group of teenage exchange students who are spending a gap year in Japan. Himawari House focuses on Nao, the daughter of a Japanese immigrant, who goes there to learn more about its culture and language. Published on November 9, 2021, by First Second Books, it was the recipient of a Kirkus Prize in the "Young Readers' Literature" category, receiving praise for its art and creative use of speech balloons, which was used to represent the language barriers between characters. Reception Himawari House received starred reviews from several outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal and The Horn Book. Becker's usage of altered speech balloons to show the characters' difficulty in understanding each other sometimes was specially praised by reviewers. Jennifer M. Brabander, who reviewed for The Horn Book, called this use of the balloons "smart," and concluded her review by noting how Himawari House "explores, among other topics, how language can either separate or bring people together." Emilia Packard, for the School Library Journal, said the novel would be great for "teens interested in language and cultural exploration."