Volume 1: Yotsubato!

Yotsubato! volume 1 was a great beginning of a simple manga, I mean this truly is simplicity at its best. There is no complex story line that makes the reader think constantly about what will happen next, for Yotsubato it is all about going with the flow. Wherever Yotsuba goes and whatever she sees is what that chapter focuses on and although it sounds boring, its not. The whole series is based on the experiences and relationships that Yotsuba gain through each of the chapters. Things like imitating a movie character, and going to the zoo become mini adventures filled with amusement and wonder. Of course, Yotsuba being a five year old makes everything funnier, because she has the mindset of a child going on. 

There are seven chapters in the first volume of Yotsubato! 

1. "Yotsuba & Moving" (よつばとひっこし "Yotsuba to Hikkoshi"^?)
2. "Yotsuba & Manners" (よつばとあいさつ "Yotsuba to Aisatsu"^?, "Yotsuba & Greetings")
3. "Yotsuba & Global Warming" (よつばと地球温暖化 "Yotsuba to Chikyū-Ondanka"^?)
4. "Yotsuba & TV" (よつばとテレビ "Yotsuba to Terebi"^?)
5. "Yotsuba & Shopping" (よつばとかいもの "Yotsuba to Kaimono"^?)
6. "Yotsuba & Cicadas" (よつばとせみとり "Yotsuba to Semitori"^?, "Yotsuba & Cicada-Catching")
7. "Yotsuba & Rain" (よつばとおおあめ "Yotsuba to Ō-Ame"^?, "Yotsuba & Rainstorms")

The story starts out with Yotsuba and her father, Mr. Koiwai, moving into a new neighborhood. The two of them arrive at their new house and meet up with Mr. Koiwai's buddy Jumbo. As Yotsuba helps her father move in, she suddenly starts exploring her new surroundings. As the day goes on she meets her new neighbors the Ayase sisters. The rest of the volume has her experiencing broken locks, running out of the house in her PJs and puts her neighbor Ayase Fuuka in embarrassing situations. As the day progresses she learns about air conditioners and the problem of global warming. This is especially funny because the story introduces the problem of global warming (usually a topic meant for older generations) to a five year old. The next day she and her father meet the mother of the Ayase family and get a free television from the family. Also Jumbo (Mr. Koiwai's buddy) meets Ayase Asagi. As the week goes on Yotsuba and her father go to the department store to buy some necessities that they needed around the house. Its funny to see Yotsuba go around the store hiding in a cupboard, asking "what is this?", and falling asleep on the display bed. At the end of the day they visit the local shrine and see the beautiful view of their new city. The following day Yotsuba grabs Ayase Ena and goes cicada hunting with Jumbo. Yotsuba proves that being young does hinder certain activities when she is too short to reach the cicadas on the top of certain trees. Jumbo helps her by picking her up and she catches her first cicada, a big kuma cicada. After catching a few of the flying bugs, they go back to the Ayase household and went to show Ena's mother. As they got into the house Yotsuba released all of the cicadas into the house. Asagi comes in and yells who did this, Jumbo points to Yotsuba and yells "IT WAS HER". Yotsuba ignoring the rest of everything going out, goes and picks up the kuma cicada that she caught and showed Ena's mother. After Ena's mother grinned and quickly said "yes, yes" , Yotsuba raised the kuma cicada in the air and yelled, "YAY".

The last chapter of the first volume is very significent in my opinion. Fuuka learns a little bit about Yotsuba's past and wonders more about it, but Mr. Koiwai says that everything is "OK", "That girl's able to enjoy anything and everything, Yotsuba is invincible."