A boy gazes contentedly at a taco on a plate: "Joey loved things that folded."
Joey collects road maps, plays the accordion, and even sleeps in a foldaway bed--his obsession with folding is real. So when Sarah Takimato's mother comes to school with a piece of paper and "folded it, and flipped it, and pulled it" to make an origami crane, Joey wants in. She tells him "the only way to become a true origami master is with much practice and great patience." Joey immediately starts practicing on construction paper, notebook paper, his homework, and his sister's sheet music. When he gets to the money in his mother's purse, his practice does a number on her patience: "This folding has to stop." He heads over to his friend Mr. Lopez's place, Muy Mexicana, for solace and fajitas. As he waits, he gloomily folds his napkin into a pyramid. Bingo! He has a new job, folding restaurant napkins into fans, crowns, and at long last, a crane.
More-igami is Dori Kleber's picture-book debut, and she tells her story with both gentleness and wit, and plenty of playful repetition for storytime. G. Brian Karas (Muncha, Muncha, Muncha!; Tap Tap Boom Boom) reflects her clean style with winsome, expressive gouche and pencil paintings. In a brilliant design coup, some of the pages have faint fold marks. Children who catch origami fever can fold their own ladybug using the step-by-step instructions in the back, and more and "more-igami" is sure to follow. Masterful. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness