Marie Kondo's New Children's Book Gets Kids Feeling Joyful About Tidying Their Toys
Feel like your child's stuff is taking over your entire room, home, and life? Organizing superstar Marie Kondo wrote a brand-new book to get your kiddo's clutter under control.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up author and mom of two created an adorable picture book perfect for storytime to spark some room-cleaning joy. Kiki and Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship is the story of Kiki, a clutter-loving squirrel, and her friend Jax, a neat owl.
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When children learn how to tidy, they realize what’s important to them.
Kondo says she was frustrated after becoming a mom because she couldn't keep her house in the same neat order as before she had kids. And when she became a mom of two, she says she didn't even have the energy for her own favorite tidying tips. “After I had my daughters, I wanted to write a children’s book about friendship that would also share the joy of tidying with young readers," explains Kondo. Enter Kiki and Jax.
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The story begins with Kiki, who loves collecting items from stuffed animal friends for her bed to pine cones stashed under it. But then Kiki's collection grows so big and so messy that she can't find any of the toys she wants to play with and Jax comes to the rescue. He helps her tidy using the KonMari method—ask whether your belongings spark joy and if they don't, thank them and get rid of them.
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"When children learn how to tidy, they realize what’s important to them. Through tidying, the characters of Kiki and Jax learn to really cherish their friendship,” says Kondo. The characters divide Kiki's things into colorful piles to throw away, recycle, donate, or keep.
Kondo says, “My hope is that the story of friendship in ‘Kiki & Jax’ will not only inspire kids to tidy but also help families to discover its transformational magic.”
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The star of Netflix's "Cleaning Up With Marie Kondo" knows sometimes a family's household can get chaotic even using the KonMari techniques. But she says having a designated place for every single possession in a home cuts down on the time spent tidying. However, sometimes messes happen and that's OK, says the author.
"Motherhood taught me to be more forgiving of myself," Kondo recently wrote on her KonMari blog. "The joy that comes from parenting exceeds any satisfaction that could have come from a perfectly neat home."
