I didn't know much about mochi before this book, so that as my biggest take away from this book. We learn a fair amount about the traditions surrounding the making of mochi. Add in the universality of being a younger sibling struggling to distinguish yourself, and it should go over well.

Growing up with books that fit the serotypical narrative that boys were always stronger than girls, it is amazing to see that this is changing for the next generation, especially for girls of colour. This book filled me with nothing but joy seeing Jasmine Toguchi supported by her family as she broke barriers for future women in her family.

I give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orange Sky Audio for the opportunity to review the audio version of Jamine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence.

Jasmine Toguchi is an 8 year old girl with a sister, Sophie, that is two years older than her. Because Sophie is older, it means that she ALWAYS gets to do things before Jasmine. Jasmine wants to do something first for a change! When the family gathers to begin preparations for making mochi for their New Year celebration, Jasmine is desperate to help, but family tradition and rules say that she is too young. Jasmine sets out to prove that she is ready to help with mochi making...not only that, but she wants to prove that she is strong enough to pound the mochi, which is a task that is traditionally only done by the males in the family.

Young readers, especially those with older siblings, will be able to relate to the way that Jasmine feels when she is constantly told that she isn't old enough to do something. Jasmine demonstrates how hard work and perseverance can pay off while also showing readers that being strong doesn't only mean having physical strength. Jasmine challenges the traditional gender roles within her family and helps others see that sometimes it's okay for rules and traditions to change over time.

The narrator for the audiobook did an excellent job of portraying Jasmine's emotions. It was easy to tell when Jasmine was excited, frustrated, and disappointed. The audio version of this title would be perfect for young readers because it is engaging and entertaining. I would recommend this book for 1st-3rd grade readers.

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In this book Jasmine is 8 years old and wants to be able to make mochi for the new year with her family. But the rule is you have to be 10 to roll mochi and a boy to pound mochi. She does everything she can to prove how strong she is to help her dad out.
This was such a cute story having a daughter who is the youngest and always wanting to help really made this relatable. She loved hearing about a strong kid like her and they love mochi so they were very interested and how it was made.

Cute story and I loved the family. Everyone loves mochi these days, so a great idea to give young readers more of an idea about the origins and customs around it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio book (out this month) of Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen. This chapter book, aimed at grade 3-4, is the first of four about 8 year old Japanese-American Jasmine.

I recognised many of the usual tropes from my own childhood reads: bossy older sister; annoying boy cousin; kindly elderly neighbour; being thought too young to be involved in something exciting etc! However, it also included more modern themes such as being raised in a country where you look ‘foreign’ or having to follow customs from your parents’ homeland/culture and, best of all, girls can do anything boys can do.

My daughter is half Japanese and I would definitely have got this book for her. I was always on the lookout for anything that could expose her to her father’s culture while she was surrounded by all things British. We often listened to audiobooks together during car journeys.

My only small niggle about this audiobook would be that, as Jasmine is a strong-willed 8 year old, her voice should probably sound less babyish. Other than that, it’s a shame my little girl is too old now for the Jasmine Toguchi series. I think she would have loved it!

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Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen is the first book in the young reader series by Debbi Michiko Florence. Released in 2017 by Macmillan on their Farrar Straus & Giroux imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in most formats. The audiobook version was released by OrangeSky Audio on 13th Oct 2021. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an adorably illustrated and very well written chapter book for youngsters which entertains readers with an engaging story and also explores themes of growing up as a Japanese American kid, traditions, family, gender roles, and just wanting to be "big enough" for once (she's a younger sister). She's feisty and intelligent and outspoken and I loved her character dearly. The book also includes some Japanese cultural traditions, foods, and celebrations.

The audiobook version has a run time of just under 1 hour and 15 minutes and is capably narrated by Allison Hiroto. The book contains quite a number of different characters, both male and female, of all ages and different accents and the narrator does a good job of keeping them distinct and easy to understand.

All in all it's an exuberant and entertaining read and will appeal to all ages. This would make a good selection for public or classroom library acquisition, home library, or gifting to a young reader. It would also be great for reading circle, group reads, or a classroom listening/story time.

Four stars for the book and four stars for the audiobook version.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

My daughter and I loved this book! The narration is fantastic and the story is fun. We were inspired to make mochi after this story and how t was a fun experience to tie in with the book.

My 6 year old was excited to listen to this book.
Since we hadn't read the book before, it was new to her. She likes it a lot and would like to read the book herself.

The audio was good and clear - understandable.

I’m a longtime fan of the Jasmine Toguchi series! Having worked in elementary school and public libraries, I’m thrilled that the audiobook will bring this book (first in the series) to more readers!

I have a seven year old niece (and a four year old niece who also loves flamingos) and am a former elementary teacher. I know the target audience and main character's age group very, very well.

My niece, and former second graders, would love Jasmine. The book is short, yet a "chapter book" (which is oh so cool to the 1st-3rd grade crowd). Jasmine is funny and vivacious. The story is very relatable- everyone knows what it is like to be too young for something.

The book itself never went wrong for me. But, I listened to the audiobook. That is where things derailed.

The positives- the narration is clear and easy to follow. It is paced fairly slowly, which would be perfect for a student to follow along to. (I would have sped it up if it was an adult audience, but since it is a children's book, I dealt with the pace.)

Now, where it went wrong. The narrator uses an extremely young, babyish voice for Jasmine. Think Junie B. Jones(who is five, not eight). So it bothered me and I think some kids would think it sounded too babyish.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first children’s audiobook. Depending on the child, this beginning chapter book might be for K - 3.

Jasmine Toguchi is an 8 year old Japanese-American little girl determined to pound Mochi with the boys. She’s overshadowed by her older sister and teased by a little boy who is her cousin. She’s out to prove that she can swing the Mochi hammer with the big boys. She’s one determined little girl.

You might ask, why is an adult reading this book. I saw it on NetGalley and thought, FINALLY! I can pre-read a book to recommend to my 6 year old niece.

I hope there are more of these books! The narrator has a clear, engaging, cute voice! At the end of the book there’s a chapter with an easy microwave recipe for Mochi (without all of the hammering) and the narrator CLEARLY sounds out the Japanese words.

This would be a fun series to read along with the audio so I’m also going to buy the hardcover book. The cover art is what grabbed me so I look forward to hopefully seeing more of it. My niece’s older brother reads a lot of manga so I feel she will love learning about Mochi so she can tell him about it.

The audio would be a fun thing to listen to while your child is reading along with the book and at the end you can make the sweet treat together. It is just over an hour long. If you pre-read your child’s books for appropriateness you could easily listen at 1.5 speed. I can’t wait to get the hardcover!

Thank you NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book! I loved it.