When Cherry Blossoms Fall -- Katrina Goldsaito, Hardcover

Celebrate springtime and the beauty of life with this hopeful and inspiring picture book.

"We wait for so long, and when they finally come, the petals fall so quickly. Mono no aware, ne?"

"What does that mean, mono no aware?"

Little Yuna can't wait for her great-grandmother's cherry tree to bloom. She and her hībāchan spend each day outside, watching the tree's flowers unfurl. But once the tree blooms, the moment is so brief before it loses its petals again--this is what her hībāchan calls mono no aware. It isn't until her great grandmother--and the petals she loves--are gone that Yuna finally understands what the phrase really means: an awareness of something's impermanence.

Critically acclaimed illustrator Yas Imamura (Love in the Library) has created stunning artwork to accompany this profound text. Readers will love pouring over these pages again and again!

Author: Katrina Goldsaito
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 02/10/2026
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Size: 10.25h x 10.25w x 0.38d
ISBN: 9780316281126
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2025

About the Author
Katrina Goldsaito finds mono no aware in the ever changing sky above the fields of western Massachusetts and in her ever changing children. She is the author of the award winning The Sound of Silence, translated into seven languages, and named a Book of the Year by NPR and many others. ReachYou, her AR collaboration with Jonah Goldsaito, connects participants with their grief­--mundane or profound --and premiered at the Tribeca Festival. She invites you to connect with her at katrina.goldsaito.com.

Yas Imamura is the acclaimed artist of picture books such as Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda Hall, Winged Wonders by Meeg Pincus, and The Very Oldest Pear Tree by Nancy I. Sanders. She currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon. She invites you to connect with her at yasimamura.com.