Mural Island by Katie Yamasaki features a non-binary child of color who loves to draw and paint. They paint and draw so much, they are destructive, ruining property not meant to be drawn and painted on. For a healthy solution, the teacher introduces the child to a street art-friendly neighborhood to a healthy outlet for their artistic habits. This book makes an excellent addition for parents collecting beautifully illustrated books, LGBTQ+ children's literature, and POC children's literature. With minimal text and expansive, full-page spread illustrations, I recommend this book for ages 4-7! I love the quality of the illustrations in this book, with purple shadows and vibrant colors!

Lots of fun, and so much color! Kids and adults will have fun looking through the vibrant pages and seeing Kengi create art.

Appreciate the Now

This is a universal year round book. It is written with the pronouns they/their. Kengi has the inspiration to create art everywhere they go, leaving their mark. Mural Island represents that their is community and like minded people, you just have to find the right space.

The illustration of the drawings really illuminates all of the places Kengi puts their art to life. Vibrant illustrations within the illustration pull your eyes into the art Kengi has created.

I received a free copy of this book from Katie Yamasaki and W. W. Norton & Company. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Mural Island is adorable and filled with a beautiful message and stellar art work!
I will definitely be receding this to customers at my store when it comes out and picking up a copy for the little ones in my life!

I thought that this book was a really lovely read!

Mural Island is a beautifully illustrated book about a child who loves to draw and share their art, they are looking for a way to display their art and they are pointed in the direction of Mural Island and they delightfully display their work... only to find that the next day it has been painted over by another artist, so they get to paint again and again, over and over.

We have a set of graffiti tunnels in London that has a similar concept and the art work there is stunning and the talent displayed it incredible and the book reminded me in a way of that.

I loved the illustrations, they really bring the book to life. It was very well written and a really enjoyable story about being yourself and being creative - there should be no bounds - it is a really inspirational book.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

Mural Island is a beautifully illustrated book about a child who loves to draw and share the art. The main character Kengi takes us on a drawing adventure that eventually leads the reader to Mural Island (with the help of an educator). And isn't every young child's dream to create without restrictions and limitations?! Beautifully written and illustrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great read with a wonderful message about being creative and self expression through art. My daughter loved the bright photos of Mural Island

Mural Island is a lovely picture book about sharing your art. The illustrations are bright and full of color while the book imparts a great message.
Thanks to Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a colorful book about a misfit kid being given an outlet to share their creativity without fear of punishment. I enjoyed the diversity in this children's book.

Not all children are built the same, and this book represents them. Kengi loves to draw and can't help creating art anywhere they can. This doesn't sit well with her family or school, as one may expect. At school, they learn of a place where art is open and free and sets off to discover Mural Island. Kengi finally has a place for her creative outlet and quickly learns that their art isn't permanent and to appreciate it for as long as it's there.
It's a beautiful story with an unapologetic child who is searching for a safe place to create. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the message is lovely. 10/10

Mural Island is about a girl named Kengi who loves to make art, but sometimes not in the best places. She worries that adults will tell her to stop but, instead, an adult tells her about a place she can go where there is art everywhere: Mural Island. The art in this book is absolutely beautiful! I loved that the adult in the story want to help her put her art energy in a good direction without discouraging her. This would be a great book for young artists.

Thanks to Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Really great book for creative kids! However, I do have one critique to make about this book. I managed to find the hint of a message in this book, but since this is a children's book I would have liked it to be a bit clearer and more up front. Although, like I said, there was definitely a message, despite it being faint. This message is that some things are temporary and that's ok. In this case, Kengi's art is temporary, but that turns out to be ok because then they are able to make new art. This is a perfect message for all young readers, whether they are artsy or not, because it applies to so many things in everyday life.
As for the illustrations, it was such a smart idea for the illustrator to make each and every image amazingly bright and colorful, as it matched the tone and core idea of the story perfectly. The illustrator's unique art style really shines through in each and every picture which I really appreciated, because it creates a motif for readers to recognize and latch onto.
Lastly, it is rare for me to see a kids' book with a non-binary main character. This book actually did that! This is wildly important for the field of children's books because, now more than ever, inclusivity is everything. Kengi's story is perfect for anyone, but non-binary readers will especially be able to relate to Kengi and see themselves in the books they read, which is the best thing.
Bravo!

The illustrations in this book were fantastic. It had such movement that it accompanied you all the way through the book. A cute story to show what an artist feels and how their brain works.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful lesson to learn - love it while it's here because nothing lasts forever. I simply adore every aspect of this book. The story is so sweet. The illustrations are GORGEOUS. The characters are diverse and beautiful.

A wonderfully vibrant, sweet story about a kid named Kengi who loves — and I mean LOVES — to create art. Wherever they go, whoever they're with, however they can: they create. Their principal sees this artistic potential and tells them to check out a place called Mural Island. Sure enough, Kengi gets to drawing and along the way, learns that impermanence doesn't mean unimportance.

Such a great message accompanied by beautiful illustrations!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.