Kodansha Co., Ltd. Reprint decided just one week after release! “Acorns,” winner of the 45th Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award

[Kodansha Ltd.] Reprint decided just one week after release! “Acorns,” winner of the 45th Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award ​
Kodansha Co., Ltd. Press release: September 11, 2025 To Members of the Press Reprint decided just one week after release! “Acorns,” winner of the 45th Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award An impact you’ll never forget once you see it! A picture book that will put a smile on children’s faces!
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Picture book “Acorns” (by Naoya Hata, Kodansha) What are the acorns on the cover saying, from left to right? Winner of the highly anticipated “Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award”! Established in 1979, the Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award has produced many popular authors, including Hiroshi Kagakui, Sayaka Shigeta, Motoko Ishikawa, and Michiko Tamada. Known as a gateway to success for picture book authors, the 45th Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award, held in 2024, is titled “Acorns.” Reprinted just one week after release! The acorns’ cheerful expressions are depicted along with fun calls like “Phew,” “Yoisho,” and “Zuko!” When I read the story to the children at kindergarten, they joined in, imitating the acorns’ poses, and it was clear that they were “putting themselves in the acorns’ shoes” as they read the picture book. We received orders from bookstores all over the country, and we had to reprint the book just one week after its release!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsC6YxboUp0 The “National Visiting Storytellers” read “Acorns” at a kindergarten. Before falling from the tree and landing, the acorn goes on a great adventure! A picture book in which children can “put themselves in the shoes of acorns” and embark on a great adventure! Children love acorns. They instantly empathize with those little acorns. As the five little acorns fall from the tree and land, they run, fall, swim, and jump around just like they’re at a sports day…
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/1719/7649/1719-7649-620f44fbbf4c6aaacf16e0d40073f16a-3900×1950.jpg As you read, you’ll imagine yourself as an acorn, rolling, wobbly, and splashing around as you run through the pages, feeling like you’re on a great adventure! Also pay close attention to the impactful pencil drawing that humorously depicts the movement of the acorns! The artist, Naoya Hata… Hata Naoya, who began working as an illustrator in 2015, has been uploading one animal illustration per day to social media since 2017 as his life’s work. His posts have captivated many, and he has become a follower. Hata Naoya had been trying his hand at picture books for several years, but struggled to get one published. “Acorns” was the only picture book he was able to complete on his own. Of the five acorns, the one with the red headband is the most laid-back. Hata compares herself to the red acorn, saying, “I can’t believe I, a clumsy and inconspicuous acorn, won first prize,” and quietly expresses her determination, “Like the acorn with the red headband, I want to keep running and never give up.” Please support Naoya Hata as he begins his journey as a picture book author! Author: Naoya Hata Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1981. Graduated from the Department of Architecture at Osaka University of Arts. In 2024, he won the 45th Kodansha Picture Book Newcomer Award for “Acorns.” Her picture book is “Meanwhile, Around This Time” and her published works include the coloring postcard book “Working Animals Edition.” Naoya Hata’s Production Diary: The Creation of “Dongurizu”
https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/ehon/news/award/diary/45/1IcXY For more information about this release