Japan
(Romanization according to the
international Hepburn norms)
1
Chiba, Mikio (text)
Wu, Jianhua (i.e. U, Jenhoa) (illus.)
Shitanaga-basan
(The old woman with the long tongue)
Tokyo : Shogakukan, 2001. - [36] p
(Chihiro Bijutsukan korekushon ehon ; 5)
ISBN 4-09-727237-3
Mountain - Deforestation - Environmental destruction - Afforestation -
Demon - Folktale
In this book, a little-known folktale from Northern Japan was rewritten along
the lines of current environmental consciousness. Deep in the mountains, the
old woman with the long tongue and the horned giant spend their time
frightening away village people who have lost their way. When less and less
people go into the mountains, the two demons wonder what has happened and walk
down to the village. Along their way they notice the environmental damage
caused by deforestation. Everybody suffers from the consequences, even the
dragon of the lake, who intends to take revenge on the people. The demons
manage to calm him down and take him to a safe place. To the people they
suggest a proper afforestation of the area. Wu Jianhua interprets this
modernised folktale with his artistically imaginative and dynamic pictures in
Chinese style. (5+) ¤
2
Hatachi, Yoshiko (text)
Sano, Yoko (illus.)
Mata sugu ni aeru kara (As we will soon be able to see again ... )
Tokyo : Dainippon Tosho, 2000. - 105 p
ISBN 4-477-01061-3
Everyday life - Self-reflection - Children's poetry
Many
things can be discovered in one's everday life; a fact that inspired poetess
Yoshiko Hatachi to ask for the meaning behind it, look deep inside, and
remember precious or lost moments. Nature is strongly familiar to her:
Pheasant's Eyes bring her dead mother's words back to her, blossoms on the
plum tree remind her of her grandmother. She associates grass struggling
against the wind with viability and dry hay with calmness. Yet, there are also some inanimate
objects that evoke emotions or past memories: the sign near the road, for
example, that always stays in the same place, itself unsure of which way to
go. The tender, simple, and honest words of poetry will move young readers.
Black-and-white illustrations accompanying the text are losely scattered
across the pages. (12+)
Special
Mention
3
Ito, Yu (text)
Ota, Daihachi (illus.)
En no matsubara (The pine grove of rage)
Tokyo : Fukuinkan Shoten, 2001. - 405 p
ISBN 4-8340-1758-3
Boy - Prince - Unborn - Ghost - Soul - Rage - Curse – Release
This novel is set in the golden age of Japan's courtly culture between the
ninth and twelfth century, when people still strongly believed in the
existence of ghosts and demons. The young crown prince suffers because of a
vengeful ghost that tortures him at night. One day, at the imperial palace, he
meets fourteen-year-old servant Otowa and the two boys become friends. To
release the prince from the ghost's curse, Otowa enters the pine grove near
the palace, where the angry souls of the dead dwell. Years ago, because of the
rules of succession, the unborn child of the emperor, originally conceived as
a princess, was manipulated by a monk's magic powers and the male prince was
born instead. Now, both souls finally become reconciled and are released from
the curse. The aesthetic, traditional cover-illustration, conveying the eerie
atmosphere of the story, and the other pictures, illustrating the aristocratic
way of life at that time, form an authentic frame for this fantastic
historical novel. (13+)
4
Matsutani, Miyoko (text)
Toyota, Kazuhiko (illus.)
Ringo korokoro (Roll, roll, roll … apples are rolling around)
Tokyo : Doshinsha, 2001. - [24] p
(Akachan no oishii hon)
ISBN 4-494-00172-4
Girl – Apple
A small girl hears an apple tree cry because it is full of apples that
nobody wants to eat. When the girl climbs up the tree and shakes the branches,
all the apples fall to the ground and roll away - but where to? Suddenly, she
feels very lonely. Where are all the apples gone? In this picture book, drawn
in a plain, naďve, and clear style, small children can get involved in the
girl's adventure; in the end, the protagonist feels delighted that she has a
wonderful delicious red apple for herself. Miyoko Matsutani tells this story
in a brief yet melodious style which touches children's minds and clearly
shows the girl's compassion for the sad tree. Adults reading this tale to
children will enjoy the language and interpret the story in their own way.
(2+)
5
Murakami, Yasunari (text/illus.)
Aoi yadokari (The blue hermit crab)
Tokyo : Tokuma Shoten, 2001. - [40] p
ISBN 4-19-861374-5
Sea - Diving - Fear - Courage - Marine fauna
A boy with diving goggles and a snorkel hesitates to jump into the water.
Yet, when he finds a sea shell and holds it close to his ear, he hears the
voice of the sea inviting him in. Immediately, his fear of the water gives way
to curiosity. Led by an octopus, he dives to the bottom of the sea, where
fabulous creatures dwell. After the octopus has accompanied the boy back to
the surface, it says goodbye and jokingly sends out a cloud of black ink. On
this summer evening, the sky is aglow with a golden-orange light. Composing
his pictures in a varying selection of colours, the nature-loving artist makes
shades of blue the dominant background colour. It adequately transports the
emotions of this humorous yet poetic picture book, painted in a spacious
manner on large-format pages. (5+)
6
Oikawa, Kazuo (text)
Nakamura, Etsuko (illus.)
Namida no kohaku no nazo (The mystery of the tear-shaped amber)
Tokyo : Iwasaki Shoten, 2000. - 181 p
(Bungaku no izumi ; 8)
ISBN 4-265-04148-5
Grandmother - Granddaughter - Search - Parents - Origins - Social bonds
Fifty-five years after the end of the war, Grandmother, who lost her
parents when she was eleven, and her granddaughter Misaki travel to a coastal
region in the north of Japan searching for her family's roots. The only
keepsake reminding her of her mother is a piece of amber that has belonged to
her family for generations. It is said to originate from this region and might
help to shed light on a part of her parent's life completely unknown to her.
The two women are eagerly supported in their arduous search by the village
people. Misaki begins to feel more and more sympathy for her grandmother and
comes to understand the old woman's longing for her parents. Powerful human
relations and worship of the ancestors are evident throughout the impressive
story. (12+)
7
Sato, Satoru (text)
Tanaka, Kiyo (illus.)
Donguri, atsumare! (Acorns, gather together!)
Tokyo : Akane Shobo, 2001. - 76 p
(Wakuwaku yÇnen dÇwa ; 1)
ISBN 4-251-04011-2
Girl - Acorns - Football - Imagination – Creativity
It is sometimes quite difficult to find books of high literary quality for
beginning readers that correspond to the reading ability and competence of the
target group. This appealingly illustrated book about a girl who wants to make
her own picture book and, therefore, has to invent a story first, meets these
demands. The author manages to communicate the fact that imagination is the
source of creativity; he describes how the girl within her daily routine uses
some acorns she collected in the park to spin a story. Each of her steps can
be traced by the readers and is told by renowned children's book author Satoru
Sato, in a short and exciting story with fantasy elements. (6+) ¤
8
Takayama, Yuya (text)
Okamoto, Jun (illus.)
Ojisan to boku no mitsubachi (The bee of my grandfather and me)
Tokyo : Poplar-sha, 2001. - 47 p
ISBN 4-591-06799-8
Grandfather - Grandson - Bee - Sympathy - Death - Grief
Ten-year-old Takuo is a little afraid of his grandfather and rather tries
to avoid him. The first hours he really spends with him, which are also the
last, are when he visits him in hospital. Secretly smuggling in grandfather's
favourite food, honey, is a nice little adventure for Takuo, because then a
bee always flies in by the window and grandad lets it share the honey without
getting stung. The more new sides Takuo discovers to his grandad, the more
sympathy he feels for him. In a short pithy text, written from the young
protagonist's point of view, the author describes how the boy's feelings
slowly change from a child's aversion into deep love, and how, in the end, the
boy grieves for the sad loss. (9+) ¤
9
Takeshita, Fumiko (text)
Kondo, Rie (illus.)
Tsukiyo ni irasshai (Invitation to the moonlit night)
Tokyo : Kinno Hoshisha, 2000. - 126 p
(Kizzu dowakan)
ISBN 4-323-05231-6
Moon - Girl – Imagination
This »casket of treasures« contains four separate sympathetic moon-tales
for girls. Their protagonists are Miyu and her mother, who love the moon and
know that it enables them to turn their everyday life into happy moments.
Once, they are allowed to wear a small silvery brooch that should actually be
up in the sky as the moon crescent. One night, when the moon is full, a cat is
saved and Miyu becomes friends with a boy from her class whom she did not like
before. Another time, the girl dreams about going on a balloon journey to take
a closer look at the moon. And in the last story, she meets a woman who dyes
the moonlight several different colours. Tender atmospheric pictures accompany
the amusing fantastic tales. (9+)
10
Tatematsu, Wahei (text)
Yokomatsu, Momoko (illus.)
Tanbo
no inochi (Life in the paddy fields)
Tokyo : Kumon Shuppan, 2001. - 32 p
ISBN 4-7743-0462-x
Farmer - Rice-growing - Nature - Vitality - Professional conscience
A winter landscape covered in snow forms the overture to this book,
leading to the life-story of an old couple. Because of the migration to the
cities, they are the last rice farmers in this area. In the following scene,
the old couple come onstage as ballet dancers dancing together in the
spotlight: this metaphoric picture expresses the old people's love for their
profession and can also be interpreted as a plea for the importance of nature.
The natural power of the rice plant lends them vitality and makes them cope
with many a problem in their everyday life. The well-known author describes
the couple's busy life and their detailed knowledge about rice-growing in a
literary style. All the events are staged in a theatre-like manner by the
artist's colourful and partly mosaic abstract pictures. This is an innovative
picture book. (9+) <> ¤
11
Tomiyasu, Yoko (text)
Hirose, Gen (illus.)
Sora e tsuzuku shinwa (The Sky Myth)
Tokyo : Kaiseisha, 2000. - 285 p
ISBN 4-03-727080-3
God of Nature - Identity crisis - Assistance - Girl - Local geography and
history
When pupil Satoko accidentally touches an old document about local history
in the school library, a slightly withered old man with a snow-white cloudy
beard suddenly appears before her. He woke up because the holy tree worshipped
for centuries, inside which he had silently dwelled for almost a hundred
years, was cut down. As local god of this village he lost his identity because
the village had completely changed. To help him, Satoko now eagerly studies
her community's history and, eventually, she restores the saint's nature and
position. This tragicomical tale is strongly rooted in popular belief. The
time of Japan's modernisation when basic primary and secondary schools were
founded all over the country provides the background for this story. (11+) <>
12
Tonda Kikitori Ehon Seisaku Jikko
Iinkai (text)
Okajima, Reiko (illus.)
Yubikiri genman : Ume-bachan no hanashi (Promised! : the story of old Ms. Ume)
Osaka : Kaiho Shuppansha, 2000. - [42] p
ISBN 4-7592-2224-3
Japan/1920-1935 - Minority - Old woman - Childhood memories - Social
background - Discrimination
The cheerful illustrations of this book, picturing the childhood memories of
an old woman from an underprivileged social class, are drawn in bright colours
in the style of popular commercial art. Instead of relating the old woman's
misery, they are intended as a proof for the vitality of the so-called
Burakumin, a group of people who have been excluded from the Japanese society
for centuries because of their social background. The flexibility of the
picture book as a medium is evident in this work published by a team of
committed people who are striving to shed light on old people's experiences
and keep them alive. This topic, hardly ever tackled before, the unusual form
of expression in pictures and words alike, and the additional information
provided in the appendix will spark off further
discussion. (9+) ¤
13
Toyoshima, Yoshio (text)
Nagahama, Masako (illus.)
Emirian no tabi (Emirian's journey)
Tokyo : Ginkasha, 2000. - 132 p
(Toyoshima Yoshio dowa sakuhinshu; 2)
ISBN 4-434-00028-4
Adventure - Secret - Cleverness - Courage - Open-mindedness
The liberal novelist Yoshio Toyoshima (1890-1955) also left several
timeless stories for children and teenagers, which are now being reissued
after a long time. This volume contains »Emirian no tabi« (1932) and »Shiro
Kuro monogatari« (»The story of the black and the white cats«, 1938).
Emirian, an orphan, wanders around the East and the West as an entertainer. He
meets robbers, a bat and a hermit, an old woman and the god of death, and many
others. With his cleverness and open-mindedness, the boy faces dangers and
solves many conflicts. The second tale, a detective story about cats, tackles
the secret of an antique dealer. An atmosphere of freedom and cheerfulness is
evident in both stories. The text is accompanied by detailed black-and-white
illustrations. (12+)
14
Yabe, Mitsunori (text/illus.)
Kaba-san (Hippos)
Tokyo : Kogumasha, 2001. - [36] p
ISBN 4-7721-0161-6
Father - Daughter - Hippopotamus - Security - Image of the father –
Imagination
The small girl is so delighted about the big hippo and its baby in the
zoo, that on their way home all people look to her like hippos. As soon as she
arrives at home, she wants to copy the two great animals she just watched. A
bedsheet is spread out as the pool, and then she forces her father, who would
rather have a rest, to »swim« around with her, climbing on his back, on his
belly, etc. For small children, the boundaries between reality and fantasy
often blur. They are perfectly happy as long as they can live out their own
fantasies and enjoy themselves. The author's simple naďve drawings convey the
playing girl's huge pleasure and enthusiasm, as well as the feeling of
security provided by her father. (2+)
15
Yoshihashi, Michio (text)
Satake, Miho (illus.)
Ryu to maihime (The dragon and the dancer)
Tokyo : Kodansha, 2000. - 325 p
Japan/630-792 - Embassy <China> - Boy - Going to Sea - Future
expectation – Fate
In the year 777, the Japanese imperial government once again sends
ambassadors to China. Fourteen-year-old Komaro, who accompanies the court
physician as his servant, intends to stay there and study medicine. In
Changan, the capital of the Tang-empire, he meets Kojo, the daughter of a
former Japanese ambassador. Yet, fate intervenes, and talented and ambitious
Komaro's plans for his future fail. Back in Japan, he loses his position at
court and, thus, starts a new life with KojÇ caring for people's health. The
dangerous crossing, the hustle and bustle in the Chinese capital, the
conspiracies at court, etc., are based on sound research and described in a
lively style full of details. The surprising outcome of this historical novel
is particularly impresssive. (13+) <>