A young boy in a blue sweater and red scarf holds his pocket money tightly, eager to purchase something for the first time. He wanders through a busy market, tempted by the sights and smells, by the books, the clocks and the toys on display.
The boy continues his walk, unable to make a decision, all while carefully holding onto his coins. But when disaster strikes and all but one coin is lost, the boy learns a valuable lesson about what money can’t buy.
A simple story told well, Satoshi Kitamura builds The Smile Shop’s narrative slowly allowing young eyes to linger on his detailed illustrations. For most of the book there’s just a single sentence per page and it’s only when the boy reaches the smile shop that Kitamura elaborates a conversation.
“Excuse me,” I say to the man behind the counter. “I have very little money but could I buy a smile, please? A little one, perhaps?”
Kitamura illustrates busy scenes in pen, ink, watercolour and gouache. The opening market scene is bustling with activity, crowded as people hurry from one stall to the next or heads turned in deep conversation. The boy is the exception here: the brightness of his sweater, scarf and boots stands out against more muted colours. His eyes are observant, his perspective fresh as he takes it all in amongst musicians and shopkeepers, nuns and mums pushing prams, workers sweeping streets and shoppers sporting both hats and hijabs. (It would be remiss not to mention that Kitamura’s market and his characters are diverse and multicultural. Here diversity isn’t the point; it’s the accepted normal.)
When he loses his coins, the background characters become grey and the boy, his head hanging low, is now a lonely spotlight in blue. But he quickly regains his curiosity as he opens the door to the smile shop. The illustrations move away from the crowded city to what almost feels like an old-fashioned boutique—the shopkeeper wears a yellow suit and red bow tie and takes a photograph with a Polaroid camera.
Back out on the street, the boy can’t help but see the dancing, smiles and cheer that surround him, the same smiles that he—and we—routinely miss.
Unsurprisingly, the ending elicits a smile. The Smile Shop is playful, heart-warming and an effective lesson or a reminder on the simplest of actions.
Melanie Ho is the author of Journey to the West: He Hui, a Chinese Soprano in the World of Italian Opera.