Japan (Romanization according to the international Hepburn norms)

1
Bulatov, Michail A. (retelling)
Dekune, Iku (adapt./illus.)
Masha to shiroi tori : Roshia no minwa (Masha and the white birds : a Russian folk tale) 
Tokyo : Kaiseisha, 2005. – 26 p.
ISBN 4-03-963860-3
Baba Yaga / Witch – Bird – Brother – Abduction – Search – Sister 
While farm girl Masha is playing in the neighbour's yard, her little brother is kidnapped by the witch Baba Yaga's white birds. The girl sets off in search for him but is held up by a stove, an apple tree, and the cheese banks of a milk-river. They all need her help and, in return for her kindness, show her the right way. Iku Dekune interprets this Russian fairy tale with a palette of dark colours mixing oil- and tempera paints on wood panels covered with gesso. The bright red headscarf makes the brave girl stand out from the dark forest, the trees of which look as if they were penetrated by delicate veins. The illustrator's stylised pictures of the huge forest scenery lend a unique, fantastic atmosphere to the tale. (5+) 

1

Awa, Naoko (text) 

Yamamoto, Takashi (illus.) 

Yukimado (The snow window) 

Tokyo : Kaiseisha, 2006. – 47 p.

ISBN 4-03-016410-2

Death – Grief – Memory – Longing 

In the mountains, an old man sells hot meals from his kiosk on wheels. Even a badger is among his customers, and the animal soon becomes his sociable assistant. One night, a girl with an uncanny resemblance to his late daughter approaches the cart. Still grieving for his long-dead child, the man is so happy about this meeting that he braves the dangerous night and demons and trudges through darkness and snow across the pass to the girl’s village to see her again. With her help, his meals sell particularly well, but afterwards the girl has disappeared for good. In Naoko Awa’s literary fairy tales, death is one of the most common topics. The scenes depicted by Takashi Yamamoto in a folkloristic style vividly express the lonely father’s pain and longing in the dark blue mountains and the cold white snow. (8+) 


2

Hino, Kazunari (retell.) 

Saito, Takao (illus.) 

Zuiton-san : Nihon no mukashibanashi (Zuiton, a young novice) 

Tokyo : Fukuinkan Shoten, 2005. – 31 p.

(Kodomo no tomo kessakushu)

ISBN 4-8340-2151-3

Novice – Fox – Metamorphosis – Trick – Folk tale

»Zui-ton, Zui-ton!« Someone seems to call the novice who is praying in front of the Buddha statue. He starts searching for the strange voice but can’t find anyone. When he finally discovers a clever fox creating a noise that sounds just like the novice’s name, the ani­-mal escapes inside the temple and transforms itself into a second Buddha figure. To unmask the wrong Buddha, the novice plays a trick on the intruder. Takao Saito interprets this entertaining folk tale in carefully composed, oversized pictures full of subtle effects. The illustrations, painted with attention to small details, offer an authentic presentation of the ancient temple structure. At the same time, they make readers feel the atmosphere of early spring in the countryside and the deep quietness inside the temple. (3+) 


3

Imamori, Mitsuhiko (text/photogr.)

Ojichan wa mizu no nioi ga shita (The old man who could smell the water) 

Tokyo : Kaiseisha, 2006. – 62 p.

ISBN 4-03-016400-5

Japan – Lake – Fisher – Nature – Coexistence – Water – Ecosystem – Cultural history 

In this volume, the award-winning photographer Mitsuhiko Imamori introduces the way of life of an old fisherman and his wife living in a small community at Lake Biwa, not far from Kyoto. For many months, the author accompanied the couple and recorded the sound relationship between nature and the village people. His pictures include an aerial shot of Japan’s largest lake and views of the village surrounded by small rivers and wells, the fisherman’s house, the path to his fishing grounds, and of the man himself at work. Imamori combines his beautiful and impressive photographs with texts that respectfully illustrate the great love and care with which the fisherman looks after his boat, his tools, and the lake, and celebrates his thanksgiving prayer at home. (6+) <> 


4

Ito, Hiroshi (text/illus.) 

Neko no namae (Naming a cat) 

Tokyo : Tokuma Shoten, 2006. – [34] p.

(BFC)

ISBN 4-19-862173-x

Name – Identity 

In this book, Hiroshi Ito again proves how cunningly he can express emotions and abstract terms with his simplifying, slightly naïve style. A stray tomcat is always addressed as »stray«, »cat«, or »thief« by humans and therefore longs to have a proper name. Strolling around the park, he meets a girl who – like every human being – does have her own name: it’s Satchan. When he asks her to help him and find a suitable name for him, the girl at first ignores the dirty skinny cat. Yet, once she realises how terrible it must be not to have a name, Satchan agrees to fulfil his wish. The cat however is not easily satisfied with her suggestions, which leads to a humorous dialogue between the two, covering complex topics such as the question of identity. (5+) 


5

Katayama, Reiko (text) 

Sasameya, Yuki (illus.) 

Buriki no onpu (Tin note) 

Tokyo : Aton, 2006. – [32] p.

(Aton no bungei ehon)

ISBN 4-86193-063-4

Life – Senses – Emotion – Music 

Poet Reiko Katayama’s cosmos is full of feelings and emotions, memories and dreams. Everything around her, her whole everyday life, seems to her like music composed of moments past and present. In the first poem, for example, she describes a heart walking down a tin staircase of musical notes. Yuki Sasameya joins in this sensual world and, in his pictures, offers his own visual interpretation of the music. The melancholic double-page illustrations in dark colours dominate the large picture book with the 14 prose poems placed on the pages almost inconspicuously. This book, created by two very individual artists, provides readers with double the pleasure. (15+) 


6

Kawana, Shizuka (text) 

Yamaguchi, Mao (illus.) 

Kamisama no iru mura : Shiramazu omatsu monogatari 
(The village in which gods are present : the story of the great Shiramazu-festival) 

Hamamatsu : Hikumano Shuppan, 2006. – 183 p.

ISBN 4-89317-355-3

Japan – Village – Gods – Festival – Preparation – Tradition – Shinto 

Two boys are cheerfully fishing near the harbour of their small fishing village. They don’t know yet that they will take over the most important roles at the great village festival. Before being allowed to play messengers of the gods Sun and Moon, they will have to fulfil ritual tasks for 50 days and show enormous self-discipline. The Shiramazu Festival, celebrated on the Boso peninsula in Eastern Japan, has been in existence for one thousand years. To organise the celebration, all village people need to work together. It has always been an essential element of the festival that children take centre stage. Using the two fictitious protagonists, the author introduces this unusual topic to young readers and sheds light on the secret of the festival’s continuing existence until today. (11+) <> 


7

Kutsuki, Sho (text) 

Yamauchi, Fujie (illus.) 

Kawatare : Sanzaigaike no kappaneko (The break of dawn: the Kappa-cat from the Sanzai-Lakes) 

Tokyo : Fukuinkan Shoten, 2005. – 269 p.

(Fukuinkan sosaku dowa shirizu)

ISBN 4-8340-2148-3

Child – Loneliness – Helplessness – Pondering –Lack of confidence – Kappa <water sprite>

Humankind’s interference with nature threatens the existence of the »kappa«, Japanese water sprites. Thus little Hassun, whose family is already missing, gets sent to the humans to gather experience and knowledge about them – not an easy task. Transformed into a cat, the young kappa finds shelter with Asa, who is suffering from self-doubt since her mother’s death. The girl and her mother used to observe the world thoughtfully and thus discovered many precious moments and objects in their everyday life. Now Asa is left to ponder »appearance and reality« on her own and becomes more and more insecure. Still, thanks to her reflectiveness, she is able to recognise Hassun’s true form. This novel intensely describes in a literary style the lonely and helpless protagonists, whose fate eventually changes for the best. (12+) <>


8

Mizuno, Masao (illus.) 

Happa (Leaves) 

Tokyo : Shogakukan, 2005. – [26] p.

(Shizen to asobou)

ISBN 4-09-727821-5

Nature – Leaf – Imagination 

An owl family is sitting on branches in the forest; beetles, dragonflies, and other insects are gathering in the trees while numerous fish are being caught at the river. Masao Mizuno creates these outdoor scenes with all the animals fashioned from leaves and carefully placed in their natural surroundings. The author’s great creativity also makes some comical forest spirits and gnomes as well as various vehicles come to life on the pages. Two goblin-like dolls, modelled by the artist from twigs, accompany the readers on their journey from page to page. This imaginative photo-picture-book, which even includes step-by-step instructions about how to craft and play with objects from your immediate surroundings, keeps many a surprise in store for its readers. (3+) 


9

Nasuda, Jun 

Ichioku hyakuman konen saki ni sumu usagi  (The hare who lives 101 million light-years away) 

Tokyo : Rironsha, 2006. – 339 p.

(Rironsha no YA! shirizu)

ISBN 4-652-07787-4

Life – Love – Family – Friendship – Happiness – Adolescence 

When Shota’s father loses his job, the family moves to another town to build up a new existence. In the new neighbourhood, the boy meets various people whose lives are deeply affected by love. A professor, for instance, whose granddaughter came to Japan from Germany to look for her father, still suffers from a long-standing, bitter family conflict involving his son’s love-story. This multi-faceted teenage novel describes the daily routine of the adolescent boy who finally falls in love with a classmate. The author skilfully weaves a German legend, film music, and an imaginary hare into the fictional reality and thus creates a truly original book. (14+) 


10

Oka, Shuzo (text) 

Sasameya, Yuki (illus.) 

Uso ga ippai (All kinds of lies) 

Tokyo : Kumon Shuppan, 2006. – 111 p.

ISBN 4-7743-1147-2

Lie – Everyday life 

At home, at school, or in one’s spare time, there are endless situations when people lie for the sake of their own advantage or out of compassion for friends. Ryu figures out that he tells an average of three fibs per day. If he continued like this, he would have lied 1095 times by the end of one year. What a huge amount of untruths! Suddenly made aware of this fact, the eleven-year-old boy starts to analyse lie-prone situations and examine the reasons behind these lies. It’s amazing how complex lies can be. In this amusing quasi-philosophical book, young and older readers will learn how people try to come to terms with falsehoods and untruths in their everyday lives. The book also strives to make people think more thoroughly about the lies within their lives. (10+) 


Special Mention

11

Sato, Satoru (text) 

Murakami, Yutaka (illus.) 

Tengu doji : Nihon fushigibanashi (The Tengu-Boy : a strange story from ancient Japan) 

Tokyo : Akane Shobo, 2006. – 311 p.

ISBN 4-251-09837-4

Tengu <mountain demon> – Boy – Adventure – Imaginary world 

»Tengu« are mountain demons often dressed like ascetic mountain monks. They have magic fans that enable them to fly and are waited on by raven-like creatures called »Karasu-tengu«. One night, a tengu with his servant Kuromaru turns up on the doorstep of old ranger Yohei, who is well-known for his excellent flute playing. At the request of his master, Kuro-maru is to learn how to play the flute. Therefore, he assumes a human shape and spends the next few years with Yohei, who grows very fond of him. Yet, from the moment that Yohei burns the wings of his student’s raven-coat to force him to remain human and stay with him, the relationship between the human beings and the tengu becomes turbulent. Set against the backdrop of the war-torn 16th century, the mysterious tale turns into a breathtaking adventure culminating in the discovery of Kuromaru’s family background: He was the son of a samurai kidnapped by the tengu as a child. This masterpiece of a novel takes its readers into the magic world of ancient Japan. (12+) <>


12

Takeda, Tsuyoshi (text/photogr.) 

Nankyoku no korekushon (Collection South Pole) 

Tokyo : Froebel-kan, 2006. – 48 p.

(Fushigi korekushon; 5)

ISBN 4-577-03249-X

Antarctica – Expedition 

Photographer Tsuyoshi Takeda accompanied the 45th Japanese expedition to Antarctica and stayed there for more than a year. He does not only show the terrific landscape, natural phenomena, and animals down there. He also describes research and current environmental problems facing the cold continent and portrays the working day of the crew at the research station and in inner Antarctica, where the temperature often drops below minus 60°C. The marvellous photographs arranged by topic and the child-friendly layout create a lively and diversified visual rhythm. Complemented by scientific comments, geophysical information, and accounts of Takeda’s personal experience, the pictures give readers the impression that they themselves have joined the expedition. (7+) 


13

Taniuchi, Kota (text/illus.) 

Toi toi oka (A hill somewhere far away) 

Tokyo : Shikosha, 2005. – [26] p.

(Bukku kurabu kokusaiban ehon)

ISBN 4-7834-0290-6

Shepherd’s dog – Shepherd – Flock of sheep –Daydream – Longing 

After a long march, the shepherd and his flock reach a hill. While the sheep start grazing, the man and his dog relax. The endless sky stretches across the vast grassy plain. Suddenly, the sheep fly into the sunset and become indistinguishable from the little clouds in the sky. Not even when night falls, do they return. However, the following morning, with the first warm rays of sunshine, the sheep are back again. Where have they been? Was it only a dream? The picturesque, quiet illustrations, which perfectly express the vastness of the sky and the meadows in the respective shades of colour for each time of the day, will awake the readers’ longing for faraway places. Kota Taniuchi is a true poet of colours. (3+) 


14

Tokyo Kodomo Toshokan hen (ed.) 

Okoso Reiko (illus.) 

Ame nochi hare (After the rain, the sun comes out) 

Tokyo : Tokyo Kodomo Toshokan, 2005. – 174 p.

(Aizoban ohanashi no rosoku; 7)

ISBN 4-88569-056-0

Fairy tale – Storytelling 

Volume Seven of the »Candlelight Stories«, a series of bibliophile anthologies, presents – among other things – a Japanese version of »Cinderella« called »Nukafuku Komefuku« (The farmer’s daughters Rice-Bran-Luck and Rice-Luck). Beautiful Rice-Bran-Luck achieves happiness not only thanks to her sock but also because she wins a poetry contest against her sister; this is an interesting contrast to the European variants of this tale. The fairy tales included in this book have been adapted by Kyoko Matsuoka, the head of the Tokyo Children’s Library, and her colleagues. The team draw on their extensive experience in storytelling to make the tales more attractive to the audience. The whole series is a wonderful reading experience for children and other fairy tale lovers. (9+) ¤


15

Tsubota, Joji (text) 

Tsubota, Rikio [et al.] (ed.) 

Ishikura, Kinji (illus.) 

Maho (Magic) 

Tokyo : Komine Shoten, 2005. – 168 p.

ISBN 4-338-20401-x

Child – Everyday life – Short story – Folk tale

This volume is part of the four-volume edition of selected works written by the classic children’s book author Joji Tsubota (1890-1982). The story that this volume was named after tells of the argument between two brothers who are fascinated by magic. Tsubota’s tales, which mirror both the author’s own life and his times in general, vividly describe the everyday routine and the mindset of children without neglecting the hard life of adults. The other three volumes, comprised of both original works and retellings of Japanese folk tales, are illustrated by Mitsuo Shinozaki, Yuki Sasameya, and Yoshiro Matsunaga. The black-and-white pictures master-fully enable readers to relate to the ancient past as well as to the daily life at Tsubota’s time. (11+) <>


16

Yamamura, Koji

Animeshon no sekai e yokoso : Karaban (Welcome to the world of animation) 

Tokyo : Iwanami Shoten, 2006. – IX, 158, 14 p.

(Iwanami junia shinsho; 538)

ISBN 4-00-500538-1

Animation – Film aesthetics 

Koji Yamamura is one of the representatives of artistic animated films in Japan. He writes the scripts, directs and animates his films himself, and takes part in many international film festivals. In this compact little paperback book with numerous colourful pictures, Yamamura explains the history of animated film, taking popular historical people as examples. In addition, he shows the production process of his own works that are characterised by a strong sense of individuality and a rich variety of techniques employed. When he was only 14, he discovered the fascination of animation and has consistently pursued his teenage dream ever since. That is why his plea for creativity and individuality is so convincing for young readers. (13+) 


17

Yoshihashi,  Michio (text) 

Sato, Makiko (illus.) 

Namakura (The weakling) 

Tokyo : Kodansha, 2006. – 225 S.

(YA! Entertainment)

ISBN 4-06-269354-2

Kyoto/1850-1900 – Boy – Poverty –Coping with life – Conscience

The seven short stories of this book are set in Kyoto during the second half of the 19th century. They focus on boys who are suffering from poverty or are at the mercy of political circumstances. While one of them is forced to work as rickshaw-driver, others slave away at the quarry, in factories, or at similar places. All of them have reached a critical point in their lives: They need to decide what their future shall be like because it is often tempting to resort to theft and deceit in order to escape poverty. The very concisely written stories immediately make readers identify with the protagonists. Despite the harsh reality described, readers will sense the great amount of trust and hope that the author has in his young heroes. (13+) 

(43rd Noma Award for Juvenile Literature; 2005) 

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