Ishida cleverly and drolly promotes the virtues of hard work, imagination, and play....Stunning artwork, full of warmth and pizazz, presents a lovable heroine who will win hearts with her perseverance and humor.
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Ishida’s lovely watercolor illustrations stand out and add charm and depth to this playful tale. ...VERDICT A fun title with great appeal.
—School Library Journal
Kunoichi knows she's gotta train like crazy to be a warrior. Gorgeous watercolors, great message.
—Good Housekeeping
This is serious cuteness! Little Kunoichi is a special book for ninjas big and small who want a sneak peek into the magic that transpires when two friends unite in a secret hideaway in a super secret village on a super, super secret island.
—Children's Writer's Guild
A strong and lovable heroine will win you over with her warmth, perserverance and ninja skills!
—Diapers and Daydreams
Overall this was a delightful tale, but the illustrations are really what make this book special. If you have a little ninja in your home, you will want to pick this one up. Let your kids lead the way, find different characters throughout the book, and create a story of their own. You never know where a little ninja’s imagination will take them.
—Walking On Travels
This book will become a fast favorite among your petites for many reasons. ... Little Kunoichi and Chibi Samurai are exceptionally relatable – they struggle, are innovative, creative, fast friends and best of all they are hard workers and their shugyo style mentality leads them to success.
—The Petite Stag
On a "super secret island" in a "super super secret village," a ninja girl in training, Little Kunoichi, is struggling at school. . . Capping a warm, funny, and encouraging story line about the value of hard work and dedication, Ishida includes an array of information in the endnotes, expanding on references in the text and art to sumo wrestling, ninja training, and other aspects of Japanese language and culture.
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] fabu children’s book.”
—Red Tricycle
"Breaks the stereotypes… shows that girls can be ready for action!"
—Pages for Changes