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Kiki & Jax: La magia de la amistad / Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship
Inspired by Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method™, “Kiki & Jax” tells the endearing story of two best friends who couldn’t be more different: Kiki is a collector and Jax is a sorter. The one thing they always agree on is how much fun they have together. But when Kiki’s things start getting in the way, they have to figure out how to make room for what’s always sparked joy – their friendship.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
8 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Marie Kondō
60 books5,077 followersMarie Kondo (近藤 麻理恵) is a Japanese organizing consultant and author. Kondo's method of organizing is known as the KonMari Method, and one of the main principles is keeping only possessions which "spark joy."
Kondo's best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been published in more than 30 countries.
She was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2015.
Personal website: http://konmari.com/en/
Book website: http://tidyingup.com/
App website: http://konmari-media.com/
Kondo's best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been published in more than 30 countries.
She was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2015.
Personal website: http://konmari.com/en/
Book website: http://tidyingup.com/
App website: http://konmari-media.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
November 8, 2019
Adorable cleaning propaganda
April 20, 2020
*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Kiki, a squirrel, and Jax, an owl, were best friends but they didn’t like everything the same. Kiki loved to collect things whilst Jax loved sorting things.
Kiki had so many things collected all over her house she couldn’t find what she needed when Jax came over to ask her out to play or go swimming. Kiki always had to play at Jax house. She wished she could play with her best friend at her house but there was no room.
Jax said he could help Kiki sort her collections. It was his favourite thing to do. Together they sorted and piled and stored. Now Kiki had room for all her favourite things and most important….room for her best friend.
Marie Kondo has used her life changing magic of tidying theories to include your children in the tidying process. By making it fun, tidying can be something you can enjoy together.
Salina Yoon’s full page colour illustrations give a visual aspect to Marie Kondo’s sparsely worded story making it perfect for even the younger children in the family.
In this time when children are at home more than ever this is a gentle story about the benefits of keeping a tidy room.
Although I did like the idea of sorting and categorising items into keep, donate and throw out I think she could have included something on storage and labelling so everything has its place.
Kondo includes her mantra of “sparking joy” in this story and I’m not sure how this will convert to a child’s thinking. Everything sparks joy in a child, even if it is that stone, feather or string they found on a walk.
*I received a copy from the publisher
Kiki, a squirrel, and Jax, an owl, were best friends but they didn’t like everything the same. Kiki loved to collect things whilst Jax loved sorting things.
Kiki had so many things collected all over her house she couldn’t find what she needed when Jax came over to ask her out to play or go swimming. Kiki always had to play at Jax house. She wished she could play with her best friend at her house but there was no room.
Jax said he could help Kiki sort her collections. It was his favourite thing to do. Together they sorted and piled and stored. Now Kiki had room for all her favourite things and most important….room for her best friend.
Marie Kondo has used her life changing magic of tidying theories to include your children in the tidying process. By making it fun, tidying can be something you can enjoy together.
Salina Yoon’s full page colour illustrations give a visual aspect to Marie Kondo’s sparsely worded story making it perfect for even the younger children in the family.
In this time when children are at home more than ever this is a gentle story about the benefits of keeping a tidy room.
Although I did like the idea of sorting and categorising items into keep, donate and throw out I think she could have included something on storage and labelling so everything has its place.
Kondo includes her mantra of “sparking joy” in this story and I’m not sure how this will convert to a child’s thinking. Everything sparks joy in a child, even if it is that stone, feather or string they found on a walk.
*I received a copy from the publisher
November 9, 2019
I read this book with my son and we have started to declutter his room. It’s not an easy process. I can foresee some bribery being envolved in the future. This book did help him understand what is happening. The best part was when he stared crying he screamed: I am overwhelmed. He didn’t know that word before this book. I told him we could take a brake when ever he felt overwhelmed. Teaching him to identify and deal with that emotion is enough to earn this book 5⭐️!
December 26, 2019
I was a bit skeptical about this one, but it's actually really cute! It's like the kids' version of the KonMari method, wrapped up in a little story about friendship.
Kiki the squirrel and Jax the owl are best friends. Kiki's a bit of a hoarder, though, and eventually her tendency to hang on to everything starts to affect her friendship with Jax. He comes over to play ball... but she can't find it. He comes over to ask her if she wants to go swimming... but she can't find her suit in the mess. Jax is annoyed that things are getting in the way of their friendship, so he makes Kiki a gift to remind her of what's important. When Kiki receives the gift, she's thrilled, and goes to Jax's house to thank him. Then they play. When Kiki wishes they could play at her house, Jax offers to help, and they tidy up the squirrel's abode using the KonMari Method.
It's a great introduction to Marie Kondo's techniques for kids. It even gives enough description that adults could probably get something out of it (if they haven't already read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). There are also illustrated instructions at the back on how to fold a shirt so you can stand it upright in your drawer.
Fans of the KonMari Method will probably want to have this for their kids. But it could probably be a valuable little book for any messy kid who needs a few pointers on how to keep the clutter to a minimum.
Quotable moment:
Kiki the squirrel and Jax the owl are best friends. Kiki's a bit of a hoarder, though, and eventually her tendency to hang on to everything starts to affect her friendship with Jax. He comes over to play ball... but she can't find it. He comes over to ask her if she wants to go swimming... but she can't find her suit in the mess. Jax is annoyed that things are getting in the way of their friendship, so he makes Kiki a gift to remind her of what's important. When Kiki receives the gift, she's thrilled, and goes to Jax's house to thank him. Then they play. When Kiki wishes they could play at her house, Jax offers to help, and they tidy up the squirrel's abode using the KonMari Method.
It's a great introduction to Marie Kondo's techniques for kids. It even gives enough description that adults could probably get something out of it (if they haven't already read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). There are also illustrated instructions at the back on how to fold a shirt so you can stand it upright in your drawer.
Fans of the KonMari Method will probably want to have this for their kids. But it could probably be a valuable little book for any messy kid who needs a few pointers on how to keep the clutter to a minimum.
Quotable moment:
December 5, 2019
It's silly and a weird extension of the brand, but this little story does hit on the core of Kondo's decluttering philosophy and -- my favorite part -- how to properly fold your shirts for drawers. If you've liked her other books, this will probably spark joy too.
November 14, 2019
Marie Kondo is DETERMINED to make us clean up! If you didn't get it with the first book, large print edition, audiobook, manga, or TV series, here is another format for you to try. Consistency! The picture book is definitely the version I needed. I appreciate her for keeping us accountable. That said... cleaning/getting rid of my books will forever be the hardest part.
January 21, 2020
Lowkey loved this book. I may use it from now on to explain organizing the library.
December 2, 2019
I'm a big fan of Marie Kondo (I've read Life-Changing Magic, Spark Joy, and her manga), and I'm a big fan of picture books, so I've been eagerly waiting for this one. It didn't disappoint!
I really like how this cute story of friends is shown in a way that allows kids to see that tidying isn't just something their parents want them to do, but it can be short term fun (the act of going through your things, weeding, and sorting), and long term fun (having the space to play and knowing where all your favourite things are). I think it really shows how the KonMari method can be useful for all ages. It also is genuinely just a nice story about friendship and how looking after your space means you can dedicate more time to the friends you care about.
Salina Yoon's illustrations are super cute and really easy on the eye. I think it helps with the understanding of this one since it lets us see the methods easily.
Recommended for all ages, especially for those kids who either like tidying and organizing or really struggle with how to keep their own things tidy and organized (especially in a way that maximizes fun).
I really like how this cute story of friends is shown in a way that allows kids to see that tidying isn't just something their parents want them to do, but it can be short term fun (the act of going through your things, weeding, and sorting), and long term fun (having the space to play and knowing where all your favourite things are). I think it really shows how the KonMari method can be useful for all ages. It also is genuinely just a nice story about friendship and how looking after your space means you can dedicate more time to the friends you care about.
Salina Yoon's illustrations are super cute and really easy on the eye. I think it helps with the understanding of this one since it lets us see the methods easily.
Recommended for all ages, especially for those kids who either like tidying and organizing or really struggle with how to keep their own things tidy and organized (especially in a way that maximizes fun).
December 4, 2019
I didn't realize this was a Marie Kondo book when I picked it out at the library. It showed up on a list of books about friendship and looked cute. What a fun surprise to realize that Kondo was a co-author and we were getting a lesson on tidiness as well as friendship.
The overall idea is one friend is messy, and a bit of a hoarder (well, she is a squirrel), and the other is more skilled with his organizational abilities. They end up working together so they can actually find the toys they want to play with, a problem that unsurprisingly resonated with my preschooler. 😏 Some of it was a bit unrealistic, and maybe intentionally directed at the grown-up reader, since everything my son acquires sparks joy in him, and the resulting organized room was a bit too Pottery Barn catalog-ish IMO, but there were many relatable elements. My son's favorite part was a map of Kiki's house showing the long path she needed to take to navigate around all the clutter to get to her front door. An excellent visual. I need to draw one of those for our house. He gives this book 100🌟s which translates to 5 on Goodreads, and I'm in agreement.
The overall idea is one friend is messy, and a bit of a hoarder (well, she is a squirrel), and the other is more skilled with his organizational abilities. They end up working together so they can actually find the toys they want to play with, a problem that unsurprisingly resonated with my preschooler. 😏 Some of it was a bit unrealistic, and maybe intentionally directed at the grown-up reader, since everything my son acquires sparks joy in him, and the resulting organized room was a bit too Pottery Barn catalog-ish IMO, but there were many relatable elements. My son's favorite part was a map of Kiki's house showing the long path she needed to take to navigate around all the clutter to get to her front door. An excellent visual. I need to draw one of those for our house. He gives this book 100🌟s which translates to 5 on Goodreads, and I'm in agreement.
December 4, 2019
Somewhat cute and a little sad at points. My husband who has read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing says this does succeed in incorporating the key take-aways from that book into a picture book for children. I wanted to read this because I am totally Kiki and my husband is totally Jax so maybe it is to be expected that I thought it was only okay.
December 31, 2021
Skaitydamas pirmą puslapį, kuriame autorė teigė pastebėjusi vaiko įtraukimo į švarinimo procesą, vertę, pagalvojau, kad tai puiki knyga apie vaikų išnaudojimą ūkio darbams! Skaitant toliau teko skaudžiai nusivilti, nes knygutė pasirodė paprasčiausiai žaismingas ir be galo gražiai iliustruotas moralas arba kaip vienas GoodReads apžvalgininkas pavadinimo "dieviška švarinimosi propagana" apie nesitvarkymo kainą ir tvarkymosi privalumus su šiokiu tokiu praktiniu pamokymu. Labai patiko, kad knygutėje nemoralizuojami nesitvarkantieji ir su laiminga pabaiga!
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December 10, 2019Adorable! I am a mix of Kiki AND Jax: I like to collect things but I do like to sort them all cause clutter drives me nuts!
December 31, 2021
Sweet. And so truth.
December 15, 2023
Explains so clearly why we need to be clean and organized and how to do it.
December 6, 2019
this book sparks joy
January 2, 2020
I haven't seen very many books a about organizing stuff for kids. I liked the idea of thinking about what "sparks joy". We could use a school version on keeping desks and backpacks organized.
January 19, 2020
Wahooo! Thank you, Marie Kondo! Thanks to this cute and compelling story, Evie wanted to sort toys this morning and actually pass some along to other kiddos.
November 30, 2019
What the living hell? My mouth dropped in listening to this book. Can we let kids be kids versus making them anxious about the hoarding that kids naturally do? This woman irritates the living bejeezus out of me anyway, but this is a new low to make a buck.
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November 26, 2019book about organization
book about different friends
book about different friends
November 19, 2019
it's not a spoiler that she brought up joy for kids, and totally misses
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2019
#KonMarie for kids
November 6, 2019
this is so cute! and really good for kids (and those reading it to kids)
November 3, 2019
I thought this was super cute and a great way to introduce kids to the fun of tidying up.
December 27, 2019
This is a great book to introduce children to tidying in a fun way. It is engaging and we love how it has a diagram to show how to fold in the back. My daughter is so excited to own a marie kondo book of her own.
September 3, 2020
This was a fun story to introduce tidying up to kids. My daughter chose to fold her shirts as shown in the back all by herself.
August 5, 2023
5 estrellas - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Tomando en cuenta que es para niños a partir de 4 años)
Le robe este libro a mi primito para entretenerme mientras jugaba en mi celular, y puedo decir, aunque yo no sea el público al que va dirigido, que será de ayuda para los más pequeños.
Kiki y Jax son mejores amigos. Kiki es una niña un tanto acumuladora a la que le gusta coleccionar cosas, mientras que Jax es un niño al que le gusta clasificar las cosas. Kiki comienza a pasar menos tiempo con Jax, lo que lo entristece, sin saber que la razón de esta situación es por el desorden en la casa de Kiki que les impide jugar, pero con ayuda de su organizado amigo Jax encontrará la solución a su problema: la organización y clasificación.
La principal razón por la que me alegra saber que mi primo cuenta con este libro en sus manitas es que los párrafos cortos de una, dos y máximos tres oraciones no lo van a abrumar siendo que recién esta metiéndose al mundo de la lectura (motivo por el que mi tía lo compró), además de contar con un lenguaje sencillo que le será fácil de comprender.
El mensaje del libro es sencillo, enseñarle a los niños a qué deben tener orden, pero lo bueno de este libro es que no solo dice "se ordenado", sino que muestra (aunque sea de manera simple) como hacerlo, clasificando las cosas de acuerdo a su uso, si son carritos, si son muñecas o si los usa o no, para lo que no sirva tirarlo. Es un sistema simple que para alguien grande no es impresionante, pero para un pequeño puedo ser útil y realmente enseñarle como es que deben hacerse estás clasificaciones, así como inculcarle está idea si es que no la estaba aplicando en su día a día, es por ende que desde mi punto de vista esta historia cumple exitosamente su mensaje.
Otro punto importante a tomar en cuenta son las bellas y adorables ilustraciones que ayudan a la narrativa del libro, resultando llamativas para alguien menor, deteniéndose a admirar los bellos dibujos plasmados, no solo centrandose en los personajes, sino que muestra el escenario caótico en el que se encuentra Kiki, resultandonos divertido a mi primo y a mi observar la vista desde arriba de la casa de Kiki, señalando las cosas que se encontraban ahí.
En general es un libro que puede dejarle un mensaje importante sobre ser organizados a los niños pequeños, aunque eso sí debo decirlo, lo consideraría solo para niños muy pequeños, como de 4 a 6 años máximo.
(Tomando en cuenta que es para niños a partir de 4 años)
Le robe este libro a mi primito para entretenerme mientras jugaba en mi celular, y puedo decir, aunque yo no sea el público al que va dirigido, que será de ayuda para los más pequeños.
Kiki y Jax son mejores amigos. Kiki es una niña un tanto acumuladora a la que le gusta coleccionar cosas, mientras que Jax es un niño al que le gusta clasificar las cosas. Kiki comienza a pasar menos tiempo con Jax, lo que lo entristece, sin saber que la razón de esta situación es por el desorden en la casa de Kiki que les impide jugar, pero con ayuda de su organizado amigo Jax encontrará la solución a su problema: la organización y clasificación.
La principal razón por la que me alegra saber que mi primo cuenta con este libro en sus manitas es que los párrafos cortos de una, dos y máximos tres oraciones no lo van a abrumar siendo que recién esta metiéndose al mundo de la lectura (motivo por el que mi tía lo compró), además de contar con un lenguaje sencillo que le será fácil de comprender.
El mensaje del libro es sencillo, enseñarle a los niños a qué deben tener orden, pero lo bueno de este libro es que no solo dice "se ordenado", sino que muestra (aunque sea de manera simple) como hacerlo, clasificando las cosas de acuerdo a su uso, si son carritos, si son muñecas o si los usa o no, para lo que no sirva tirarlo. Es un sistema simple que para alguien grande no es impresionante, pero para un pequeño puedo ser útil y realmente enseñarle como es que deben hacerse estás clasificaciones, así como inculcarle está idea si es que no la estaba aplicando en su día a día, es por ende que desde mi punto de vista esta historia cumple exitosamente su mensaje.
Otro punto importante a tomar en cuenta son las bellas y adorables ilustraciones que ayudan a la narrativa del libro, resultando llamativas para alguien menor, deteniéndose a admirar los bellos dibujos plasmados, no solo centrandose en los personajes, sino que muestra el escenario caótico en el que se encuentra Kiki, resultandonos divertido a mi primo y a mi observar la vista desde arriba de la casa de Kiki, señalando las cosas que se encontraban ahí.
En general es un libro que puede dejarle un mensaje importante sobre ser organizados a los niños pequeños, aunque eso sí debo decirlo, lo consideraría solo para niños muy pequeños, como de 4 a 6 años máximo.
June 23, 2024
Kiki (a squirrel) and Jax (an owl) are friends who love to play together but then Kiki’s tendency to collect items gets in the way. Can anything be done to save their friendship? What would it take?
I really like a timeless message that relationships have bigger value than any possessions anyone can ever have, so important in today’s materialistic society, and teaching this to young ones from an early age. The story can serve as a tool to help parents to introduce the idea of tidiness, having a home for every item and letting go of those items that no longer serve their purpose, to their children. The illustrations accompanying the story are cute and I loved that there are also illustrated instructions how to fold shirts the "Marie Kondo" way at the end. I would recommend the book.
~Jana S.
Find a Copy at Scottsdale Public Library
I really like a timeless message that relationships have bigger value than any possessions anyone can ever have, so important in today’s materialistic society, and teaching this to young ones from an early age. The story can serve as a tool to help parents to introduce the idea of tidiness, having a home for every item and letting go of those items that no longer serve their purpose, to their children. The illustrations accompanying the story are cute and I loved that there are also illustrated instructions how to fold shirts the "Marie Kondo" way at the end. I would recommend the book.
~Jana S.
Find a Copy at Scottsdale Public Library
January 24, 2020
*Thanks to PRH Audio for a review copy of Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship*
Continuing my kick on childrens' books for the impending birth of my daughter, Emma Kate, in June, I decided to give Mari Kondo's a go. Mary Steenburgen (that of Stepbrothers, Elf, The Proposal, Four Christmases fame, among many more) lends her voice to this short little tale of, well, tidying up to make room for friends. She has a very distinct voice and it works perfectly in this setting, and she does a great job keeping the characters separate for the listener and providing excellent pace. You sort of knew going in what the book was going to be about with Kondo's organizing fame, but it has a really strong message about friendship that all children can learn from. I'll keep this one in mind for future reference.
Continuing my kick on childrens' books for the impending birth of my daughter, Emma Kate, in June, I decided to give Mari Kondo's a go. Mary Steenburgen (that of Stepbrothers, Elf, The Proposal, Four Christmases fame, among many more) lends her voice to this short little tale of, well, tidying up to make room for friends. She has a very distinct voice and it works perfectly in this setting, and she does a great job keeping the characters separate for the listener and providing excellent pace. You sort of knew going in what the book was going to be about with Kondo's organizing fame, but it has a really strong message about friendship that all children can learn from. I'll keep this one in mind for future reference.
November 11, 2021
Kiki is a friendly squirrel. She loves to collect things, but she's rather disorganized. When the overflow of things in her house start getting in the way of Kiki and her best friend Jax being able to do things together, Kiki starts desiring change. Jax helps her sort through and organize her belongings, using the basics of the Kondo Method.
I think Kiki was way past a collector, definitely into hoarder territory. It's a bit crazy. Jax is a brave friend to be willing to dive into the massive project of organizing Kiki's home. The book does help kids understand why it is important to put things back where they belong after you finish playing with them (so the space is free and you can find things again easily).
I think Kiki was way past a collector, definitely into hoarder territory. It's a bit crazy. Jax is a brave friend to be willing to dive into the massive project of organizing Kiki's home. The book does help kids understand why it is important to put things back where they belong after you finish playing with them (so the space is free and you can find things again easily).
January 2, 2020
It seems like our homes are filled to the rafters with too much stuff. Many people have organizing and cleaning their homes as an important goal for the new year. This book is a great way to get children involved in the effort to eliminate the items that are getting in the way of peace and happiness in our lives. The two friends in the story are very different: one is very neat and organized and the other has so much stuff, it gets in the way of their fun times. The neat and tidy friend helps the other. The book includes great tips for young readers who would like to bring a little more order to their homes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews