Japan
(Romanization according to the
international Hepburn norms)
1
Baba, Noboru (text/illus.)
Gama-kun karo-kun (The toad and the frog)
Tokyo : Kogumasha, 2000. – [40pp]
ISBN 4-7721-0157-8
Swimming - Friendship - Assistance - Get one's way
The frog-boy pities his friend, a toad, because even though he has the same long legs as
the frog, he cannot swim. The frog comes up with an idea how to teach his friend. The toad
trusts him and starts practicing eagerly. Noboru Baba tells this heartwarming story of
friendship and determination in his characteristic humorous and vivid style, complementing
the narrative with plain, cartoon-like pictures. (3+)
2
Hashiguchi, Joji [i.e. George] (text/photos)
Kodomotachi no jikan (Children's time)
2nd ed.
Tokyo : Shogakukan, 2000. – 222pp
ISBN 4-09-681271-4
Japan - School children - Individual
In his work with children, photographer George Hashiguchi observed that children around
the age of 11 or 12 started developing and showing their personality very strongly. To
explore this stage in development, he photographed 105 sixth grade students from all over
Japan in their respective surroundings. He talked to them, asking always the same
questions. Looking at the portraits and reading the interviews, one gradually enters into
dialogue with these young personalities. This sense of a personal relationship makes this
informative documentation an unusual and exciting read. (11+) <>
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3
Iwasaki, Kyoko (text)
Futamata, Eigoro (illus.)
Junishi no hajimari (The story about twelve animals)
7th ed. (1st ed. 1997)
Tokyo : Kyoiku Gageki, 1999. – 28pp
(Nihon no minwa ehon)
ISBN 4-7746-0409-7
China - Zodiacs - Folklore
The time of the old Chinese calendar is deeply rooted in Chinese cosmology. Time is
divided into cycles. One cycle comprises 60 years, each one consisting of ten tribes, or
rather five elements and twelve branches. The twelve zodiacs are matched with the twelve
branches, each in turn governing one year. Tradition holds that the selection of the
animals was determined by a competition. At the end of the year, a god told all the
animals to gather on the first day of the new year. The first twelve to arrive were to
reign, each in turn, over the upcoming years. Upon this announcement, all animals rushed
towards the god's palace. Vivid and humorous illustrations witness the race progressing in
sequential pictures just like on a picture scroll. (4+) <>
4
Kanamori, Saiji (text/illus.)
Kuroi manto no ojisan (A man with a black coat)
Tokyo : Fukuinkan Shoten, 2000. – [31pp]
(Nihon kessaku ehon shirizu)
ISBN 4-8340-1676-5
Street musician - Boy - Encounter - Adventure - Balloon
A boy lives in an old town with beautiful half-timbered houses typical of southern Germany
and Alsace. One day, a stranger in a black coat comes to the market place and starts
making music. He takes a balloon out of his suitcase and invites the boy to fly off with
him. Their wonderful aerial escapade is interrupted by birds picking at the balloon, they
manage a close landing on a church steeple and make their descent like tightrope walkers.
Finally, the man leaves the town. Despite the dramatic highlights, the boy's encounter
with the street musician releases the reader with a predominantly calm and dreamy
impression. This peculiar atmosphere is created by the successful blend of traditional
Japanese and European pictorial styles. (3+) (Bologna Ragazzi Award [Fiction Children];
2000)
5
Kanzawa, Toshiko (text)
Katayama, Ken (illus.)
Mori e itta sutobu (A heater went to the forest)
2nd ed.
Tokyo : Biriken Shuppan, 2000. – [32pp]
ISBN 4-939029-03-4
Heater - Forest animals - Friendship - Use
The heater is getting bored in summertime, so leaves the room and goes out on the street
looking for a job. But his excited, loud voice disturbs the children during their nap, and
the housewives prefer refrigerators to heaters. Pushed by a gruff garbage truck, he rolls
down the street until he stops in the forest where he finally stays forever as a companion
to the forest animals. Ordinary everyday life and the fantastic intertwine in this
adventure story of the black, chubby boiler in amusing ways. The strong, dynamic images
are very attractive and full of warmth. (3+)
6
Kawahara, Junko (text)
Ishimaru, Chisato (illus.)
Chocho, tonda (A butterfly fluttered)
Tokyo : Kodansha, 1999. – 103pp
(Wakuwaku raiburai)
ISBN 4-06-195693-0
Life - Existence - Meaning of life - Puberty - Care for the elder - Women's emancipation - Family
12-year-old Yuki is not happy with herself. She avoids her grandfather at home because of
his physical disabilities. But when she finds a comic-book (reminiscent of Kafka's
»Metamorphosis«), she asks him what could happen to the enchanted caterpillar-boy who
was thrown into the river by his own parents. The caterpillar shall turn into a butterfly,
but it will never be able to fly. The reader suspects the affinity between the boy's fate
and that of the grandfather. This challenging and engaging narrative describes different
aspects of life, such as pubertal insecurity, ageing and the fundamental question of human
existence, with surprising acuity. (11+)
(40th Japanese Association of Writers for Children's Prize for New Authors; 2000)
7
Kikuta, Mariko (text/illus.)
Itsudemo aeru (I can see you any time)
23nd ed. (1st ed. 1998)
Tokyo : Gakken, 2000. – [48pp]
ISBN 4-05-201055-8
Dog - Girl - Death - Grief
Just like the children, the little dog Shiro cannot fathom the sudden death of his little
mistress Mika-chan. »Dead« to him simply means »not to be there anymore«. He cannot
comprehend that the loss is to be final. He keeps looking and longing for her. Remembering
precious moments they spent together, he discovers that she continues to live in his
heart. The author succeeds in conveying the quiet happiness and the joy, the emptiness on
the deepest sorrow with simple words and surprisingly naive limned drawings – a great
achievement for a little booklet. The emotions of the little dog will help readers to
confront the feelings of death, grief and consolation. (5+)
(Bologna Ragazzi Award [Fiction Children, Special Prize]; 1999)
8
Kimishima, Hisako (text)
Ono, Kaoru (illus.)
Kyojin Gumiya to taiyo to tsuki : chugoku no mukashibanashi (The giant Gumiya and the Sun and the Moon)
Tokyo : Iwanami Shoten, 2000. – [41pp]
ISBN 4-00-110855-0
China - Myth - World - Creation - Giant - Sun - Moon
According to the tradition of the Bland-people of southwestern China, the earth was
created from chaos by the divine giant Gumiya. The ten sun and moon brothers and sisters
scorned upon this act and threatened to destroy everything with their blazing light. Upon
this, the giant killed them all with the exception of one sun and one moon who had hid in
a cave. With the help of the animals Sun and Moon could be won over to protect life on
earth. Re-narrated in a vivid style suitable for children, this myth of creation is
illustrated with ink, chalk, earthy acrylic and Japanese mineral paints reminiscent of
archaic cave drawings. The reader living in our technological age, removed from Nature,
will be compelled to recall the beauties of nature. (6+)
9
Kunimatsu, Toshihide (text)
Suzuki, Mamoru (illus.)
Toki yo ozora e (Ibises, fly to the sky!)
Tokyo : Kin no Hoshi-sha, 2000. – [36pp]
ISBN 4-323-01818-5
Japanese ibis - Breeding - Bird protection - Environmental awareness
Toki, the Japanese ibis (Nipponia nippon), is almost extinct in Japan. These birds, put
under international rare wild life protection in the 1960s, also play an important role in
Japan's cultural history. Their feathers glisten in the sunlight in soft shades of pink.
The traditional Japanese colour spectrum even knows the colour »toki-iro« (colour of the
ibis). In former times, they could often be seen in the rice fields or by the lakes. The
author published a non-fiction book for children »Saigo no toki« (The last ibis) in
1998, thorougly documenting a project aiming to protect these rare birds. This picture
book is a version for smaller children. It relates with great care and detail how much
effort and respect were put into capturing the last ibis in Japan, so that he and his
siblings could live at the center for ibis together with their kin from China. (4+)
10
Mado, Michio (text)
Saito, Yasuhisa (illus.)
Ippai yasai-san (All kinds of vegetable)
Tokyo : Shikosha, 1999. – [28pp]
ISBN 4-7834-0211-6
Children's poetry - Existence - Love of life - Vegetables
The cucumber is happy to be a cucumber. Her dress is adorned with little, prickly glass
beads. The onion, too, appreciates her existence as an onion: she is fat and round,
because she is all dressed up. The ten poems by the winner of the Andersen-award celebrate
their god-given existence and explore nature's bounty with attractive, child-like
language. Unusual about this book is the pictorial interpretation by Yasuhisa Saito: the
vegetables are depicted with the same fine lines and great precision characterististic of
illustrated encyclopedias. Surprisingly enough, the illustrations harmonise well with the
text. Insects crawling across the pages effectfully add interest. (3+)
11
Miyazawa, Kenji (text)
Kuroi, Ken (illus.)
Suisenzuki no yokka (The fourth day of the month of daffodils)
Tokyo : Miki Shoko, 1999 – [40pp]
ISBN 4-89588-112-1
Child - Spirit - Snow
On the »fourth day of the month of daffodils«, the bad old snow woman lets her
apprentices, snowboys and -wolves, roam about in the mountains of northern Japan. A child
hurries across the hills to return home. As the sky darkens, the voice of the snow woman
rings through the upcoming snow storm ... The poet Kenji Miyazawa weaves this threatening
natural event of early spring into a fairy tale narrative. Ken Kuroi's illustrations
remain close to the text without restraining the reader's imagination. The different snow
formations come alive and are transfigured into spirits of snow hovering in the icy air.
Faint hues of white and grey-blue imbue this picture book with a strange, transparent
beauty. (9+)
12
Murakami, Yasunari (text/illus.)
Pinku no iru yama (The mountains where Pink lives)
Tokyo : Tokuma Shoten, 2000. – [32pp]
ISBN 4-19-861217-x
Trout - Mountains - River - Nature
The award-winning trilogy of the trout-boy Pink has enjoyed lasting success in Japan ever
since the 80s and has now been published in a new edition, completed by this fourth
volume. We learn about Pink's life: his birth, survival during the harsh winter, his
voyage up-stream to the breeding grounds, and finally the life of the new generation. The
artist, himself a passionate, nature-loving angler, relates the course of life in and
around the mountain river obeying the laws of nature. Nature is full of dangers but
supplies food for everyone. All four volumes convey the vitality of life with refreshing
subtlety, thoughtful composition and the effective use of intricate typography. (5+)
13
Nagasaki, Natsumi (text)
Sugita, Hiromi (illus.)
Tuinkuru (Twinkle)
Tokyo : Komine Shoten, 1999. – 140pp
(Shin Komine sosaku jido bungaku)
ISBN 4-338-10716-2
Everyday life - Loneliness - Hope
The protagonists of the six short stories are a group of young adults who suffer from
loneliness and the banality of everyday life. The 24-hour shop, the laundry, the game hall
and the café are their only familiar places because they don't care about family life and
domestic comfort. That's where they meet up with old pals or make new friends. School is
no particular treat either. Life in general simply turns them off. They seem hopeless
cases in their indifference and listlessness. But they might intuit that there are ways
and opportunities to overcome their teen-angst. The author describes her young adult
anti-heroes with great empathy. (13+) ¤ (40th Japanese Association of Writers for Children's Prize; 2000)
14
Niimi, Nankichi (text)
Kamiya, Shin (illus.)
Dendenmushi no kanashimi (The snail's sorrow )
Tokyo : Dainippon Tosho, 1999. – 29pp
ISBN 4-477-01023-0
Nature - Animals - Life - Knowledge
The new born snail, deer and butterfly are awed by the first sparkling drop of morning
dew, by the sky, the spring in the village and by the fire-flies' and butterflies'
festival. The author, one of the most renowned modern classics of Japanese children's
literature (1913-1943), describes nature in a refreshingly poetic way from the perspective
of unexperienced young creatures in gentle language. The fourth, symbolic story tells of a
snail who becomes weary of life when she discovers that her house is filled with grief and
sorrow. In desperation, she asks other snails. Finally, she overcomes her sadness
realising that everyone has to bear his burden in life. (6+)
15
Otani, Miwako (text)
Nakamura, Etsuko (illus.)
Hikari no toki ni (Toward the season of light)
Tokyo : Kumon Shuppan, 2000. – 203pp
(Kumon no jido bungaku)
ISBN 4-7743-0378-x
Grandfather - Grandchild - Death - Anxiety - Transitoriness - Meaning of life
Ever since the sudden death of her beloved nephew, twelve-year-old Misaki is confronted
with the transitory nature of life and the fear of death. She questions herself about the
meaning of life. When her 76-year-old grandfather, key figure of this young adult novel,
who was taken into the family as a burden, finds a new partner, life changes for the
family members. The two elder people's philosophy of life, at first condemned by the
parents, influences Misaki and gives her the hope and power she needs to go on living. The
author combines the fundamental question of life and death with the issue of elder people
in contemporary society. (12+)
16
Tejima, Keizaburo (text/illus.)
Kumagera no haru (The spring of the wood-peckers)
Tokyo : Riburio Shuppan, 1999. – [29pp]
(Gokkan ni ikiru ikimonotachi)
ISBN 4-89784-774-5
Wood-pecker - Winter - Spring - Procreation - Family
Living in the north of Japan, on Hokkaido, the artist continuously observes the wild life
in the mountains and repeatedly creates impressive picture books. Because of the
convincing and concentrated visual language of his wood cuts, he has been nominated for
several international awards. This book tells of the life of a wood-pecker, his survival
during the cold winter and of his renewed family life in spring. The wood-peckers stand
out from the background of the grandiose and snowy mountains in forceful shapes and
vibrant colours, hardly calling for words. Accordingly, the text remains short and
concise, thereby amplifying the beauty and intensity of the pictures. (3+)
Special Mention
17
Yamashita, Haruo (text)
Sugiura, Hanmo (illus.)
Umi o kattobase (Bash the sea!)
Tokyo : Kaiseisha, 2000. – [36pp]
ISBN 4-03-330790-7
Boy - Baseball - Training - Will force - Wishful dream - Sea
Wataru got up very early to run down to the deserted beach, his baseball bat in hand to
practice a few blows. The wind also blows hard, stirring the scattered flotsam. Wataru is
afraid, but he is even more determined to play in the big match. Even without a ball, he
relentlessly swings his bat against the wild waves. Exhausted, he sees a small, wondrous
child trying to help him and then disappearing back into the sea. Hanmo Sugiura
effectively illustrates the well told and gripping story about the enthusiastic sports-boy
using the stylistic devices of television and magazines. While the pictures always remain
concrete, they are surprisingly unconventional and poetic. Bold acrylics convincingly
convey the determination and the fanatic dreams of the persevering protagonist.
(6+)
18
Yokoyama, Mitsuo (text)
Fukuda, Iwao (illus.)
Hikatchoru zeyo! Bokura : shimantogawa monogatari (We live our life – The story on Shimanto River)
Tokyo : Bunken Shuppan, 1999. – 183pp
(Bunken jubeniru)
ISBN 4-580-81251-4
Japan - School children - Childhood memories - Home - History 1964-1965
Japan experiences economic growth in the 60s. Set against this historical backdrop, the
author tells the story about children's day-to-day existence in a provincial town on
Shikoku. The partly autobiographical, first-person narrative is centered on an
eleven-year-old boy. He sets out on adventures with his friends, exploring the beautiful
nature along the Shimanto-River. Their experiences in the home town and surroundings,
including encounters with social outcasts, enrich the children and are of great importance
to their further lives. The author evokes his vivid childhood, which he and his friends
spent each in their own way, with great realism and detail. (11+)
<>
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