The Book that Kibo Wrote

by Mariana Ruiz Johnson, Mariana Ruiz Johnson

One night under the acacia trees, Kibo writes a story about home. His neighbor Naki reads his words, binds them into a book, and brings it to the city. There Camilo devours Kibo’s story, remembering his childhood in the savannah. The next day he shares the book and his memories with his friend Simon. Soon Simon starts writing new songs about distant lands. Where will Kibo’s book go next, and what will it spark for its next reader? 

Featuring a charming cast of animal characters, The Book that Kibo Wrote showcases the power of stories to connect readers across the globe.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Writing, Books About Books, Travel, Africa

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Mariana Ruiz Johnson is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and author. She likes to explore the narrative power of illustration and the relationship between images and words. Using vibrant palettes and different patterns and textures, she combines traditional techniques and digital media. Mariana lives in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little picture book about the influence of stories, The Book that Kibo Wrote is the story about a story that makes its way around the world. It all begins with Kibo, a rhino who determines to write a story about the beauty of the savanna. Naki the crane reads the story and sews the loose pages between two sturdy covers, turning the story into a book. Naki takes the story and flies it far away, dropping it off into the city. Camilo the lion finds it and reading it gives him a sweet nostalgic feeling of the place he had been born. Camilo gives the book to a friend who gives the book to a friend who gives the book to a friend and pretty soon Kibo’s story of the African savanna has made its way all the way to the Arctic.

I kept waiting for there to be some sort of tie back to Kibo or for the story to end up in his hands again, with him having the knowledge of how his story had impacted others around the world. But we never get that. Reflecting on this, I can see how we could take this as a lesson in never knowing how our stories will affect others—that we must simply live our stories to the best we can. In a children’s book, however, I would have liked to have seen the story come full circle, for there to have been a more overt motivation for Naki to simply drop the book off in the city.

However, the open-endedness of The Book that Kibo Wrote may be compelling for kids who want to join in on the story and create their own ideas about why various characters did various things with the book. In some ways, it invites the reader into the story to participate with it. The illustrations are fun and vivid, exploring a number of different landscapes. It’s a beautiful book to talk about and look at, even if my personal preference would have been a bit more structure to the plot.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kibo (a black rhino) writes about his home on the savanna every evening. His friend Naki (a crane) sews the pages into a book and drops it into a corner of a city across the sea where Camilo (a lion) finds it. After reading the story that reminds him of his first home, the savanna, Camilo gives the book to his friend Simon (a rabbit), who is inspired by reading it to play his guitar and sing about distant and unknown lands. Simon passes the book on to Valentina (a hen) to read on a plane trip to the North Pole. She leaves the book with her cousin Nanuk (a polar bear), whose heart is warmed by reading the book that Kibo wrote while the whales sing beneath the ice at his feet. Mariana Ruiz Johnson’s colorful illustrations, inspired by folk art, complement her engaging story about how a good book will find readers wherever they live. Mariana Ruiz Johnson lives in Argentina. (PreK Up)

[Jane Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kibo, a rhinoceros in Africa, wrote a story about his life on the savanna. His friend, Naki, the crane, created a book from Kibo's pages, and from there, the book takes off around the world, being passed from animal to animal. The message for readers is that each reader brings him/herself to a story, so that the story is a bit different for each reader. The message for writers is that after a story leaves your hands, it belongs to the world, and the world will make of it what they will. Readers will have fun reading the illustrations, full of animal characters doing rather human things, such as driving buses and hanging laundry. They reminded me of a more modern, stylized Richard Scarry. Books can give comfort and escape, while sparking the imagination. This book provides plenty of sparks!

[Jacob Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tale about a book a rhino wrote, expounding on his poetic experience of the savanna. The book gets passed around to different creatures around the world, and takes the form of a muse -inspiring everyone that reads it in their own way. Whether it is picking up a guitar, the simple enjoyment of reading on a plane, or providing a polar bear some warmth through it's words, the magic of reading is subtly captured in this text.

The illustrations are set in 2D, with red and blue stealing the show until yellow comes to warm up the scene. The text itself is based on Kibo's book, but never actually quotes it; which leaves the reader with a yearning to read Kibo's book. This is surely intentional and effective, for the this book becomes the muse in and of itself in that regard.

[Mirallegro, Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Book that Kibo Wrote" follows the story of Kibo, a rhino in the savanna. Every evening, Kibo sits down to write about the savanna in great detail and realizes he has written a book. Naki the crane sews the book up and travels to drop it off in the city. The book is passed from animal to animal and travels across the world. Each animal is touched by Kibo's words, whether it reminds them of their old home or transported them to the exact play Kibo wrote about. I enjoyed this book because it emphasizes the importance of writing and how impactful it can be to those who read it. I would use this book in the classroom to show students how powerful their writing can be and how it can have an effect on others.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book Kibo wrote—a whimsical blend of poetry and prose—that inspires its readers around the world by filling their imaginations with beautiful, heartwarming stories, which they are eager to share with family and friends. If only the word “people” had not intruded on this fanciful world created by these animals’ reveries, so imaginatively illustrated with bold colors and dreamlike scenes, Kibo’s book would remain in the imaginal realm of fantastic possibilities to inspire human dreamers. That said, this is a near-perfect bedtime story to stoke the imagination of wee ones and help us all wake up in a good mood with our own magical stories to share.

[Ms. Madalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about the impact of books and how far a book's impact can reach.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of the travels a book might make

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the joy of reading and the pleasure it bring people. Some like the familiarity and some like the strangeness. The illustrations are quirky.

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really beautifully painted and adorable story, but I doubt that all small kids understand the feelings evoked here,

[Dania F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and very sweet story about a kind of Proustien remembering and feeling about one's home. A bit too eaoteric for many children I think.