J A PA N E S E B O A R D O N B O O K S F O R Y O U N G P E O P L E

Japanese
Children's Books
2022

Cover illustration

Japanese Children's Books 2022

ARAI Ryoji

Born in Yamagata prefecture in 1956, graduated from the Nihon
University College of Art. Ryoji Arai has received many honors,
including the 1st JBBY Award for Taiyo orugan (A Sound of TaiyoOrgan; Arton/Kaiseisha) in 2008; the 59th Sankei Children’s Book
Award for Asa ni natta node mado o akemasu yo (It’s Morning
So I Will Open the Window) in 2012; and the 22nd Japan PictureBook Award for Kyo wa sora ni marui tsuki (A Full Moon in the
Sky Tonight; Kaiseisha) in 2016. He was the winner of the 3rd
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005, the first winner from
Asia, and was shortlisted for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen
Award for Illustration.

Contents● Book Selection Team.................................................................................................2● About JBBY and this Catalog................................................................................. 3● Recent Japanese Children's Books Recommended by JBBY.....................4● The Hans Christian Andersen Award

Five winners and 14 nominees from Japan ........................................... 22● Japanese Books Selected for the IBBY Honour List ................................. 24● Recent Translations into Japanese Recommended by JBBY.................. 26

JBBY Book Selection and Review TeamOKUYAMA Megumi

SAKAGUCHI MikakoChildren’s literature critic. A former high school teacher
in Tokyo, she owns the children’s specialty bookshop
Huckleberry Books and serves as an adjunct lecturer
at Shirayuri and Nishogakusha Universities. She has
authored ‘Story’ Wavering: Children’s Books in an Unclear
Age (Kurosio Publishers) and Lessons in Layeredness(Ryoyu Shuppan) as well as co-authored A Guide to WorldChildren’s Literature Based on Time (Hara Shobo). She
edits the journal Japanese Children’s Literature (JapaneseChildren’s Literature Association). JBBY member.

Member of the Japanese Society of Science Books forChildren. With the motto “science books and experiencesplay catch,” she teaches some 270 sessions annually fromplay-with-science times, to elementary/middle school anduniversity classes, to workshops targeted to library andchildren’s center staff. She has authored the books Science
Mysteries (Froebel-kan) and The Price of Life and Welfare(Otsuki Shoten), translated Michael Faraday and Electricity
by Brian Bowers (Tamagawa University Press), and contributed to the volume Let’s Start Science Reading (Iwanami
Shoten) among others. JBBY member.

SAKUMA YumikoTranslator, editor, reviewer of children’s books, representative of the Japan-Africa Children’s Books Project (JACBOP),
and former professor at Aoyama Gakuin Women’s College.
Her writings in Japanese include The Cooking Stoves ofEnzaro Village (Fukuinkan Shoten). Her more than 250
translations of books from English to Japanese range fromCharlotte’s Web by E.B. White and the picture books of
Maurice Sendak to Refugee by Alan Gratz. Her translationof Last Summer with Maizon by Jacqueline Woodson madethe IBBY Honour List. JBBY president.

SHIOZAKI Junko

Researcher, part-time lecturer at Keio University, and amember of the steering committee of the Associationof Children’s Libraries (Jitoken). She obtained her PhD in
Library and Information Science after working as a librarian in school and public libraries. She now researches
children’s books and reading while also teaching theory ofchildren’s library service at multiple universities, educating
future librarians. Her publications include The History of
Library Services to Children—Development of Public LibraryServices to Children in Postwar Japan (Sogensha). JBBY
board member.

DOI Yasuko

Director and senior researcher at the International Institute for Children’s Literature (IICLO). Besides researchingreading activities and the history of Japanese children’s
literature, she plans projects such as training courses forteachers and librarians, as well as lectures and symposiums for children’s book authors from Japan and overseas.
Coeditor of I Could Read by Myself!: Book Guide of 200
Books for Young Children (Hyoronsha) among others. Juryfor the 2018 and 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Awards.
JBBY managing director.

NOGAMI Akira

At Shogakukan, served as editor of First Grader monthly
magazine, head of children’s books, company director, andfinally president and CEO of Shogakukan Creative. Taught
children’s literature and culture at Shirayuri University andTokyo Seitoku University. His writings in Japanese include
To the Modern Children’s Literature of Japan (Parorusha),Children’s Literature Crossing Borders (Nagasaki Shuppan),and Contemporary History of Children’s Culture (Otsuki
Shoten). Coeditor of When I Was a Child, There Was a War(Rironsha) among others. Managing director of Japan PEN
Club. JBBY vice president.

FUKUMOTO YumikoFormer librarian at Chofu City Library, lecturer at Rikkyo
University, and adjunct researcher at the International
Library of Children’s Literature. She now focuses ontranslating and researching children’s books. Her manytranslations into Japanese include Library Lion by Michelle
Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Iwasaki Shoten)
and Mary and the Mouse, The Mouse and Mary by Beverly
Donofrio (Holp Shuppan). She has co-authored The
Library: A User’s Manual (Kodansha) and authored thepicture book Adventures in the Library, illustrated by
Chisato Tashiro (Tamagawa University Press). She lectures
widely to promote reading and libraries. Former JBBY
board member.

For each selected title in this catalog, we provide the following:
Title in English

Title in Japanese (Title in Romanized Japanese) | Author/Illustrator |Publisher | Publication Year | Number of Pages | Trim Size | ISBN | Target
Age | Keywords

Basic Book Description (Last Name of Reviewer)Japanese Children's Books
About JBBY and This Catalog
The Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY) was founded in 1974
as the Japanese Section of the International Board on Books for Young People(IBBY).
JBBY is dedicated to enhancing international understanding, and to providing information on children’s books to people around the world. We promote
IBBY’s mission in a broad range of ways. Our international network allows us totake advantage of the prolific information generated by IBBY and to encourage
mutual understanding. Our mission is to create a peaceful future for children
worldwide through books.

Cover illustration Ⓒ Ryoji AraiJBBY hosts international book exhibitions in Japan that provide information
about global titles to Japanese readers. In addition, we provide information on
Japanese children’s books to people around the world. We nominate titles forinternational recognition, as a means to deepen global understanding towards
Japan.
In this catalog, we provide information about recent Japanese books recommended by a JBBY book selection and review team in several categories: picture books, chapter books and novels, and nonfiction. In addition,
we introduce Japanese winners of and nominees for the Hans ChristianAndersen Award; books selected for the IBBY Honour List from Japan; andrecent translations into Japanese recommended by JBBY.
We list the recent Japanese books by category and in order of target age, including cover images and synopses along with bibliographic information. We
hope you will enjoy reading about these books. For further information, pleasecontact us: info@jbby.org
SAKUMA Yumiko, JBBY President

Recent
Picture
Books

1

2

Little Pumpkin Can't Sleep,
Can't Sleep

Hat On

ぼうしかぶって（Boshi kabutte）| Text/Ill. MIURA Taro |Doshinsha | 2020 | 28pp | 18x18cm | ISBN978-4-49400715-8 | Ages: 0+ | Vegetables, Hat, Family, Outing

ねられん ねられん かぼちゃの こ（Neraren neraren
kabocha no ko）| Text/Ill. YAGYU Genichiro | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2020 | 24pp | 22x21cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8567-

9 | 0+ | Pumpkin, Sleep, Moon

A picture book that encourages sleep through a
dialogue between the moon and a small pumpkin.
One evening, Moon says, “Time to sleep, Little Pumpkin!” And Little Pumpkin replies, “Can’tsleep, can’t sleep!” Little Pumpkin has lots of reasons: there’s a frog on top of her, or a hornworm
is stuck to her. When Moon points out that there
is also a drone beetle stuck to her, Little Pumpkinsays, “I can’t sleep without Asa-chan!” At last,
Little Pumpkin falls asleep. The back-and-forth
between Moon and Little Pumpkin is humorousand evokes the feelings of a child who has manyreasons not to go to sleep. The text is rhythmical,
and orange and yellow circles stand out strikingly
against the blue of night. (Doi)3

4

The Tree Flogs' Adventure

あまがえるのぼうけん（Amagaeru no boken） |Text: TATENO Hiroshi | Ill. KAWASHIMA Haruko |Sekaibunkasha | 2021 | 32pp | 27x24cm | ISBN9784-418-20815-9 | Ages: 3+ | Tree frogs, Toads, Insects,
AdventureThree little tree frogs, Ratta, Chimo, and Arno, go
exploring the forest for the first time. To begin
with they are excited and enjoying themselves,
but there are all kinds of insects and creatures in
the forest, and the principle of the survival of thefittest prevails there. They narrowly escape beingcaught and eaten by a bush cricket, a toad, and an
owl. Eventually they realize that running away andhiding is not cowardly but a weapon for survival,
and they feast themselves on small insects andthen fall asleep in the hollow of a tree. This is a
fun adventure story with illustrations, based on agood understanding of the way frogs live and thethings they do. (Sakuma)

4

On page 1, a purple eggplant father in glasses anda necktie runs along, carrying his satchel. “Eggplant father, ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!” says the text. Turnthe page, and the father has donned his hat—the
eggplant’s calyx. “Hat on, and I’m off!” says the
text. Next, a pineapple big brother, a persimmon
big sister, and some peapod siblings similarly puton their “hats” and head out. Finally, a tomato
mother and roly-poly cherry tomato baby put on
their “hats” and leave for an outing. This picture
book’s repetition is delightful, as are the transformations of brightly colored vegetables and fruits
by the addition of their “hats.” (Doi)5

All Kind of Flogs

いろいろかえる（Iroiro kaeru） | Text/Ill. KIKUCHI Chiki| Kaiseisha | 2021 | 24pp | 31x24cm | ISBN978-4-03232670-3 | Ages: 3+ | Frogs, Colors, Parents and children

A green frog that likes eating is catching insects
in the grass when a yellow frog that likes jumping
comes bounding over. One by one they are joinedby a pink frog that likes dancing, a blue frog thatlikes swimming, and an orange frog that likes
singing, and they all play happily together. The
illustrations filling the entire double-page spreads
are full of energy. The clear and simple text makes
use of repetition and is rhythmical. It is fun to follow the changes as a new color is introduced into
the picture every time you turn the page. Eventually a black mother and a silver father appear and
it is time for bed, with a sweet picture of everyone
sleeping together. (Fukumoto)

Vodník's Water House:
A Czech Folktale

ヴォドニークの水の館（Vodoniku no mizu no yakata）|
Text: MAKI Atsuko | Ill. FURIYA Nana | BL Shuppan | 2021
| 32pp | 29x22cm | ISBN978-4-7764-0929-8 | Ages: 3+ |Czech Republic, Folktale, Monster

Vodník is a water monster who makes mischiefand even drowns people. One night, a pennilessgirl throws herself into the river, and Vodník spirits
her into his house on the river bottom. While
helping in the house, the girls learns that many
people’s souls have been been trapped in jars
there—including the soul of her younger brother,
who had gone missing. The girl releases all thesouls from the jars and determines to leave andreturn to her own house. An illustrator based in
the Czech Republic powerfully portrays Vodník
and the beautiful underwater world, in this retelling of a long-shared legend. (Shiozaki)

Recent Picture Books
6

7

Mountaineering on a Cow

8

Our Cat

Riding the Large Candle Cart

うしとざん（Ushi tozan） | Text/Ill. TAKABATAKE Nao |Shogakukan | 2020 | 32pp | 27x22cm | ISBN978-4-09725085-2 | Ages: 3+ | Cows, Climbing, Humor, Adventure

うちのねこ（Uchi no neko）| Text/Ill. TAKAHASHI Kazue| Alice-kan | 2021 | 32pp | 25x21cm | ISBN978-4-75200982-5 | Ages: 3+ | Stray cats, Pets, Family

おおきなキャンドル馬車にのせ（O-kina kyandoru basha
ni nose）| Text/Ill. TAMURA Shigeru | Kaiseisha | 2021 |40pp | 27x19cm | ISBN978-4-03-232650-5 | Ages: 3+ |“Today I’m going to climb a cow!” a tiny little
man says, and then proceeds to climb up a hugecow, grabbing hold of the hair on the cow’s legs.
Finally reaching the cow’s back, he finds someone
else has got there first in a helicopter. “Not fair!”he says. Walking along the broad expanse of the
cow’s back, he sees another herd of cows. He hiresa bicycle and rides on further, stopping at a restaurant to have some food. Then he climbs downby the tail, encountering a mountain of cow dungat the bottom. The story is meaningless with nolesson to it, and no words that stick in your mind,
but it is very funny and I couldn’t help laughing. In
this day and age, it’s important to laugh and set
your mind free, isn’t it? (Sakuma)

This spring, a stray cat turned up at our house.
It hid under the sofa and didn’t come out for awhole month. Even after it came out, whenever I
tried to get close its fur stood on end and it hissed
angrily at me. This made me sad, as I thought perhaps it didn’t really like me at all. Still, I kept patiently telling it not to worry. And finally, in winterit came into bed with me! The illustrations depict
the cat’s soft fur using ink painting techniques on
Japanese washi paper, and realistically depict thecat gradually beginning to trust the first-person
protagonist and closing the distance between
them, teaching us the importance of taking time
to befriend animals that have had a traumatic
experience. (Shiozaki)

Nico, a little person, and Dada-kun, a small robot,
skillfully use ropes and pulleys to make a single
beeswax candle. They load the candle onto ahorse-drawn cart and drive leisurely along theseaside road, the horse’s hooves clip-clopping as
they go, passing by ships carrying fruit and cocoa
beans, and a train carrying little-people patisserie chefs. Arriving at their destination, they see aginormous cake. Nico’s candle is lit on the top of
the cake and the moon blows it out, marking thestart of Children’s Day celebrations! It’s a fun story
with lots of things happening along the leisurely
journey, and scenes of many little people making
and sharing the cake. (Okuyama)

910

The Talkative Jellyfish

おしゃべりくらげ（Osyaberi kurage）| Text: AMAN
Kimiko | Ill. MIZUUCHI Satomi | JULA Shuppankyoku |2020 | 36pp | 19x22cm | ISBN978-4-577-61031-2 | Ages:
3+ | Jellyfish, Fishing, Mother

Yoshihei is out fishing one day when he catchesa young jellyfish. He tries to return it to the sea,
but it shouts “No!” and begs him not to, because
it’ll be teased by all the other fish. And so the little
jellyfish goes to live happily with Yoshihei, until
one full-moon night its mother turns up to take ithome. She tells her child how worried she’s been
and that you shouldn’t decide your own actions
just because of what others think of you. Yoshihei
gives up fishing and sometimes goes to the sea tocall on the little jellyfish. We see the little jellyfish’s
daily life along with his relationship with his mother, and the various fish are humorously depictedin the embroidered illustrations. (Doi)Little people, Robots, Cake, Children

11

Kyukyu the Cleaning Robot

おそうじロボットのキュキュ（Osoji robotto no Kyukyu）| Text/Ill. KOMORI Makoto | Kaiseisha | 2021 | 36pp |23x20cm | ISBN978-4-03-350080-5 | Ages: 3+ | Near
future, Work, Vending machines, Friends

This story is about a much-loved cleaning robot
who works in a vending machine corner in a city
suburb occupied by robots. He is an outdated
model and is named Kyukyu after the squeaking
sound he makes as he walks. From early morning
he washes the row of vending machines, counts
the number of drinks sold and places orders for
more, crushes empty cans and takes them tothe recycling truck. Unfortunately, though, he issensitive to water and has to be sent for repair
when he breaks down after a sudden rainstorm.
The various robots and vending machines are
all unique, and we can enjoy the details in theircarefully depicted facial expressions and gestures.
The use of papier mâché to create chic, subdued
scenes is also charming. (Nogami)

Kotatsu

こたつ（Kotatsu）| Text/Ill. ASO Tomoko | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2020 | 32pp | 26x26cm | ISBN978-4-8340-85822 | Ages: 3+ | Kotatsu, Family, New Year’s Eve, New YearOn the morning of December 31, Kota slips into
the kotatsu, a heated table with a quilt, andannounces that he plans to stay up until midnight
to greet the New Year. The story depicts thisspecial day in the family’s life, with the kotatsu at
the center. The artist takes an aerial view, gazing
down from the ceiling as he follows the family’s
year-end housecleaning, the preparation of
traditional New Year’s dishes, and such customs
as eating buckwheat noodles on New Year’s Eve.
Although we can only see the top of each person’shead, the vivid paintings conjure up images ofeveryone’s expressions and the warm bonds thatunite this family circle. The humorous illustrations
contain many subtle details that are fun to
discover. (Shiozaki)

5

12

13

The Kitten Brothers' Bathtime
Counting Song

Cherry Lalala

こねこの きょうだい かぞえうた おふろ（Koneko no
kyodai kazoe uta: ofuro）| Text: ISHIZU Chihiro | Ill.
ISHIGURO Ayako | BL Shuppan | 2021 | 24pp | 18x18cm |ISBN978-4-7764-1005-8 | Ages: 3+ | Kitten, Bath, Counting song

This picture book takes an entertaining peek atthree scruffy kittens enjoying bathtime. As they
get ready, the kittens sing a merry counting songwith plenty of alliteration to describe each step of
the process, from undressing to hopping into thetub. When their father calls them, they stop frolicking about and rush eagerly to join him in thebath, each clutching a favorite toy (a rubber duck,a boat, and a ball). They wash themselves squeaky
clean, then soak in the hot tub. The rhythmical
text and expressive artwork make this simple story
an enjoyable read. The series also includes a bookabout snack time and another about bedtime. (Sakuma)

15

しんかんせん！（Shinkansen!）| Text: HOMURA Hiroshi |Ill. HASEGAWA Akira | Kumon Shuppan | 2020 | 40pp |27x22cm | ISBN978-4-7743-3175-1 | Ages: 3+ | Shinkansen (bullet train), Solo trip

A little boy takes his first solo trip on a bullet train.
His mother sees him off at the station. Aboard thetrain, the boy starts feeling anxious when he realizes there are only strangers around him. He eatshis packed lunch, sees Mount Fuji, goes to thewashroom, and falls asleep, dreaming that he is
the train driver. Before he knows it, he has reached
the station where his grandparents wait for him.
The ingenious illustrations use geometric shapes,
such as circles, squares, and triangles, to express
the characters and scenery, while parallel lines
convey the speed of the train. Although at first theother passengers are nebulous black shapes, they
gradually take on color, revealing the change inthe boy’s feelings and perspective. (Sakuma)

Monkey Guardian

さくららら（Sakurarara）| Text: MASUI Junko | Photos:
KODERA Takuya | Alice-kan | 36pp | 29x23cm | ISBN9784-7520-0954-2 | Ages: 3+ | Cherry blossoms, Spring,
Nature

さるじぞう（Sarujizo）| Retold: OGURO Miho | Ill. SAITO
Takao | Asunaro Shobo | 2021 | 28pp | 26x26cm |ISBN978-4-7515-3050-4 | Ages: 3+ | Monkey, Old man,
Jizo (guardian), Folktale

It’s April in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s
four main islands, and the mountains are still
covered in snow. “I’m here,” whispers a cherrytree, but it is only when the snow melts in May
that it reveals its shape. It grows so low to theground that its many branches seem to rise fromthe earth. Birds flock to its branches and flowers
bloom nearby, until at last the tree bursts into
blossom. Beautiful photos are accompanied by
the gentle narration of the Chishima-zakura cherrytree, named after the Chishima or Kuril Islands
north of Hokkaido. Trees of this species are thelast cherry trees in the country to bloom. “I decide
when to blossom,” the tree declares, demonstrating both harmony with the natural environment
and positive self-determination. (Okuyama)

An old woodcutter goes into the forest to gather
firewood. Pausing to eat some rice cakes, henods off with white rice flour stuck to his face. A
group of monkeys carry him off to a temple on
the opposite bank, believing him to be a statue ofa guardian deity. They leave offerings of money,
and when the old man awakes, he is overjoyedby his good fortune. After hearing this story,
the woodcutter’s jealous neighbor pretends tobe a sacred statue too, but his attempt goes
horribly wrong. The comical illustrations capture
the humor of the monkeys carrying the old
man across the river. Similar tales are foundthroughout Japan. This one is based on a folktale
from Yamagata prefecture. (Fukumoto)

16

Bullet Train!

6

14

17

The Sun Is Laughing

たいようが わらってる（Taiyo ga waratteru）| Text:
KABIRA Jiei | Ill. mirocomachiko | Gakken | 2021 | 32pp |31x24cm | ISBN978-4-05-205429-7 | Ages: 3+ | Nature,
Sun, Southern island, Typhoon

On a southern island reminiscent of Okinawa,
flowers, trees, and insects smile in the brilliant
sunshine. Even the sun is laughing. Suddenly atyphoon races towards the island, whipping up
the sea. Fish of all kinds rain down from the sky, tothe astonishment of two boys. The fish are a giftfrom the typhoon, and the boys enjoy a hearty
breakfast under the beaming sun. Its dazzling
rays light up the boys’ faces with smiles that keep
shining even after nightfall. Painted with vivid,energetic brushstrokes, the illustrations burstwith the untamed power and vitality of nature.
This is a recent work by mirocomachiko, winner of
the Golden Apple at the Biennial of Illustrations
Bratislava. (Nogami)

Which One Has More?
A Counting Picture Book

どちらがおおい？ かぞえるえほん（Dochira ga ooi?
Kazoeru ehon）| MURAYAMA Junko | Shogakukan |2020 | 12pp | 25x21cm | ISBN978-4-09-725079-1 | Ages:
3+ | Braille, Numbers, Tactile book, Universal design

The text is accompanied by Braille, and the colorful illustrations are raised and textured. Some aresoft and some are rough, some are smooth andsome are bumpy. Each page is a counting quizwith questions like: Are there more long pencils
or short pencils? More round cookies or squarecookies? How many watermelon slices have ten
seeds? The universal design means that this bookcan be enjoyed by anyone, with or without a sight
impairment and regardless of their age. The sameauthor has published four books in this series,
including Sawaru meiro (Touchable Mazes). (Okuyama)

Recent Picture Books
18

19

Chomp, Chomp, Half!

20

Still Going, Still Going

Full Tummy Alley

ぱくぱく はんぶん（Paku paku hanbun!）| Text:
WATANABE Tetsuta | Ill. MINAMI Shinbo | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2021 | 36pp | 20x27cm | ISBN978-4-8340-85921 | Ages: 3+ | Cake, Snack, Overeating

まだまだ まだまだ（Madamada madamada）| Text/
Ill. GOMI Taro | Kaiseisha | 2021 | 32pp | 25x23cm |ISBN978-4-03-350090-4 | Ages: 3+ | Competition, Town,
Race, Dog

まんぷくよこちょう（Manpuku yokocho）| Text/Ill.
NAKAZAWA Kumiko | Bunkeido | 2020 | 32pp | 27x22cm| ISBN978-4-7999-0383-4 | Ages: 3+ | Shopping arcade,Shopping, Raccoon dog

Grandmother bakes a big cake. Since Grandfather
loves to eat, she makes sure he knows to leavehalf of it left over. Then, she goes out. Grandfather
eats half as he was told: “Chomp, chomp, half!”
Then, a dog named John comes along and eats up
half of what’s left: “Chomp, chomp, half!” Soon acat, a hen, a squirrel, a praying mantis, and a honeybee all do the same, and when Grandmothercomes home, she’s surprised to find the cake verytiny! The repetitive rhythm and various developments are fun; this book makes readers want toturn the pages. Drawn in rough lines, the duped
expressions of Grandfather, Grandmother, theanimals and the insects are humorous and distinctive. (Shiozaki)“Ready, set, go!” Five children take off running.
One boy keeps running even after completing
the race, going around town, between buildings,
and even into a forest! Along the way, a dog joinshim. Eventually, the boy ends up where he started.
The four children who began running with him
are cheering, holding flags numbered 1 through4 based on the order they crossed the finish line.
When the boy crosses the line, the dog beats him
by a hair to win 5th place, while the boy wins 6th.
The scenery where the boy runs and the activitiesof the different people he sees are a delight. This
book conveys the author’s playful attitude toward
competition and the individuality of a boy whodoesn’t worry about winning, just runs! (Nogami)

Today is a big sale day in the Fully Tummy
Alley shopping street, and a girl goes with her
grandfather to shop. She sees places to buy
dumplings, senbei, yakitori, fruit, oden, side
dishes, ramen, curry, meat, fish, pickles, medicine,
clothing, flowers, antiques, eyeglasses . . . and shesees that a raccoon dog deity is being honored.
When she places a skewer of dumplings as anoffering, some little raccoon dogs come and pick
it up. Peeking into their hole, the girl can see thatthe raccoon dogs are having a market day too.
In this book, many small shops along a narrow
arcade have been illustrated in fine detail. The
bustle of people on market day comes through.
(Sakuma)21

22

See, Be Seen

みたら みられた（Mitara mirareta）| Text/Ill. TAKEGAMI
Tae | Alice-kan | 2021 | 36pp | 28x22cm | ISBN9784-7520-0955-9 | Ages: 3+ | Animal, Woodblock print,
Onomatopoeia

A two-page spread shows an animal in nature:“See.” The next two-page spread shows a closeup of the animal looking this way. “Be seen.” A cat,a praying mantis, some cows, a squirrel . . . eachpair of spreads offers the sequence of “see and “beseen,” with some occasional changes introduced.
The spread after the cow’s “be seen” spread has
onomatopoeia for the cow coming over here to
lick! The giant flying squirrel pops into the air withsome more onomatopoeia. The joy of the picturebook medium and the page turns are fully felt.
Dynamic, multicolored woodblock prints create
the strong impression that animals are unique andalive. (Okuyama)

23

Aobyo-tan (Sissy)

The Seaside Studio

The boys in my class nicknamed me Aobyotan (Sissy). I asked my father what it meant, andhe told me it meant I was too weak and so hemade me train hard riding a bike and skipping
rope. A new girl, Nachi Ishiguro, got nicknamed
Nachiguro (a dark type of stone used to makeinkstones and black Go pieces), which I know she
hates. Since I’m good at art, everyone wanted me
to draw the posters for the school sports day, andI didn’t mind when the girls started calling me
Byo-tan (Painter). I also became good friends with
Nachi, and call her by her proper name insteadof her nickname. The illustrations show the firstperson protagonist thinking more deeply about
nicknames, herself, and friendships. (Doi)A picture book in which a child hears from her
grandmother about the time she went to stay withher mother’s friend, a young woman painter, who
invited her to visit after something bad happened
and she couldn’t go to school. The studio where
the painter lived overlooked the sea and was spacious and bright, and at night it was so quiet that
she could hear the chirring of insects. She enjoyed
the unique and original meals, reading at night,
taking walks along the beach in the morning, andbeing able to draw as much as she liked, imitating the painter. The simple paintings with gentle
colors convey the special time she felt her existence was validated by an adult treating her as anequal. (Okuyama)

あおびょうたん（Ao byotan） | Text/Ill. AOKI Hiroe |Rironsha | 2020 | 32pp | 26x21cm | ISBN978-4-65220392-7 | Ages: 7+ | Friends, Nicknames, Pictures

海のアトリエ（Umi no atorie）| Text/Ill. HORIKAWA
Rimako | Kaiseisha | 2021 | 32pp | 22x28cm | ISBN978-403-435160-4 | Ages: 7+ | Art, Sea, Grown-ups

7

24

25

A Forgetful Family Goes Shopping

うろおぼえ一家のおかいもの（Urooboe ikka no
okaimono）| Text/Ill. DEGUCHI Kazumi | Rironsha | 2021
| 32pp | 23x19cm | ISBN978-4-652-20418-4 | Ages: 7+ |Twelve Zodiac Soup

十二支のお雑煮（Junishi no ozoni）| Text/Ill. KAWABATA
Makoto | BL Shuppan | 2020 | 32pp | 27x20cm |ISBN978-4-7764-0977-9 | Ages: 7+ | Zodiac, New Year,
Zoni

Sekirei Maru

A duck father and mother live with their threechildren in a house in the mountains, but the trouble is that they are all incredibly forgetful. One
day, the mother asks them to go shopping, so thefather takes the children into town, but as usual
they cannot remember what they are supposed
to buy. Thinking it is something square they buy
a block of tofu, then they think it is something
heavy and buy a stone, and end up making one
ludicrous purchase after another. In the last picture there is a hint what they should have bought.
The illustrations show the family’s absent-mindedfacial expressions drawn in loose lines, and it isreally funny how their bad memories lead to more
and more odd purchases. (Fukumoto)

Dressed in special New Year’s kimono, male andfemale animal pairs, each representing one of
the twelve zodiac signs, wish the reader a “Happy
New Year!” The rat pair sets out traditional New
Year’s dishes while the ox pair heads off to pray at
the shrine and the tiger pair gets drunk on sake.
The monkey pair toasts rice cakes and prepares
the zoni, a special New Year’s soup, while othercreatures enjoy such festive pastimes as spinning
tops, flying kites, playing sugoroku (a traditional
Japanese board game), and making their firstcalligraphy of the year, a custom called kakizome.
When the zoni is ready, everyone gathers to eat.
The bold, humorous woodblock prints present
various Japanese New Year’s customs and different types of zoni. (Fukumoto)In December 1945, the ferry Sekirei Maru capsizedwhile crossing from Awaji Island to Akashi with
349 passengers on board, three-times the boat’s
capacity. Only 45 passengers survived. Basedon historical facts, the story follows a fictional
character, the boy Hiroshi, whose father died in
the Second World War. Hiroshi boards the ferry
to deliver something to his aunt. When the boat
capsizes and Hiroshi sinks to the bottom of thesea, he hears his dead father telling him to live.
Hiroshi is saved by a fisherman whose own son,
Hiroshi’s friend, drowns. Hiroshi begins helping
the fisherman with his work. The dynamic stenciled illustrations capture the depth of the sea, thehorror of war, and the preciousness of life. (Doi)Ducks, Families, Shopping

27

28

Towa-chan andToto-kun the Moroco Fish

とわちゃんとシナイモツゴのトトくん（Towa-can toshinaimotsugo no Toto-kun）| Text/Ill. TASHIMA Seizo| Hidamarisha | 2021 | 36pp | 22x23cm | ISBN978-4909749-08-6 | Ages: 7+ | Pond, Aquatic life, Endangered
species, Environment

Pseudorasbora pumila, also known as the moroco,is a freshwater fish from the carp family that is
endemic to Japan. Formerly found throughout
eastern Japan, it is now an endangered species. In
this book, a moroco lives hidden in a village pond
between mountains that is soon to be filled. A girlnamed Towa-chan and her mother name the fishToto-kun and transfer him to a quiet pond teeming with life. The creatures that the small fish encounters come alive in bold, dynamic illustrationsof their growth in the autumn, winter, and spring,surrounded by nature. Through fantastical story
development, the author’s paean to life rings out.
This is the latest work by a two-time Andersen
Award nominee. (Nogami)

826

せきれい丸（Sekirei-maru）| TAJIMA Yukihiko &KIDOUCHI Yoshimi | Kumon Shuppan | 2020 | 40pp |25x26cm | ISBN978-4-7743-3193-5 | Ages: 7+ | Shipwreck, War, Friends, Fishermen

29Bus-saurus

バスザウルス（Basuzaurusu）| Text/Ill. IGARASHI Daisuke| Aki Shobo | 2020 | 36pp | 31x22cm | ISBN978-4-75051599-1 | Ages: 7+ | Forest, Bus, Monster, NightOne night, an old bus abandoned and forgottenin the forest seems to imbibe the forest’s spirit,and it grows green legs and a tail from its rusty
body. It heads into town as the monster Bus-saurus! When it rests at a bus stop, an elderly woman
climbs aboard. As Bus-saurus moves about, somemoths, bats, rhinoceros beetles, flying squirrels,a deer, and even a bear come along. Eventually,
the woman stops riding, the inside of the bus rots
away, and the Bus-saurus leaves the lonely nighttime townscape behind. In this delicately renderedmasterpiece, a popular manga artist and recipient of the Japan Cartoonists Association Award
sounds a wake-up call about modern civilization.
(Nogami)Remi's Drawer

レミーさんのひきだし（Remi-san no hikidashi） | Text:
SAITO Rin & Ukimaru | Ill. KURAHASHI Rei | Shogakukan| 2020 | 32pp | 28x19cm | ISBN978-4-09-725084-5 |Ages: 7+ | Drawer, Box, Marriage proposal

This story takes place in a bureau drawer owned
by Remi, an old woman living on her own. One
day, a small brown box is newly placed in thedrawer and welcomed merrily by a glass jar, acookie tin, some ribbon and some wrapping paper. Remi sometimes takes items from the drawer
in order to use them: the jar to hold jam, the ribbon to decorate a kitten’s neck. But the small box
never gets used. It even gets taken away by Remi’sfriend Leo! But it turns out that Leo wants topropose to Remi, using the box for the ring. This
small drama portrayed from the box’s perspective
has a retro feel, with detailed art. (Fukumoto)Recent Chapter Boks and Novels

RecentChapterBooks
and Novels

31

The Wild Boar Hospital on Mount
Kumotori

くもとり山のイノシシびょういん（Kumotoriyama no inoshishi
byoin）| Text: KAKO Satoshi | Ill. KAKO Satoshi & NAKAJIMA
Kamei | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2021 | 64pp | 20x14cm | ISBN9784-8340-8589-1 | Ages: 7+ | Wild boar, Hospitals, Doctors

A wild boar doctor and rabbit nurse examine sick animals every day ina small hospital at the foot of a mountain. A young tanuki, who has a
stomachache even though he hasn’t eaten anything bad, finds out it wascaused by him tapping along on his stomach at the school play. A praying
mantis discovers the reason he can’t stop sneezing and sniffing is that he isallergic to buckwheats after telling them he jumped into some plants withsmall white flowers when he was chased by a goat. A greedy bear comes tothe hospital with sore claws from turning over a rock while trying to get athornet larvae in a nest, and has 26 hornet stings removed from his backside.
These seven short stories feature the mountain animals that visit the hospital
one after another—a tanuki, a goat, a praying mantis, a bear, a deer, acrested kingfisher, a rhinoceros beetle, and a crocodile, each with their own
unique characteristics. The doctor is big and scary with disheveled hair, but
he gently listens to his patients, who are in pain, and accurately diagnoses
their problems. The interactions between the doctor and his patients arehumorous and fun, and the illustrations, both the author’s own and those
newly added by her grandson, are heartwarming. Even young children will
enjoy having it read to them. (Fukumoto)

30

The Rabbit and The Hedgehog:
Another Good Day

うさぎとハリネズミ きょうもいいひ（Usagi toharinezumi: kyo mo ii hi）| Text: HARA Masakazu | Ill.
ISHIKAWA Eriko | Hidamarisha | 2021 | 64pp | 22x19cm| ISBN978-4-909749-07-9 | Ages: 7+ | Rabbits, Hedgehogs, FriendshipThis easy-to-read book contains four stories depicting the daily lives of a
rabbit and a hedgehog who live in the forest. In “Prickly and Fluffy,” the two
friends set up a flea market for the hedgehog to sell some of his spines thathave fallen out and the rabbit to sell his fluffy hair, but they don’t get any
customers. Then the hedgehog sticks nuts on the spines to make them into
marking pins, and the rabbit stuffs his hair into empty walnut shells to makepincushions, and all the forest animals flock to buy them. In “What I Want
To Tell You,” the pair connect two walnut shells with a long thread to make atelephone, and ask each other, “Can you hear me? Can you hear me?” Thenthe rabbit tells the hedgehog to say something, and he whispers, “Thank you
for being my friend.” In “For Tomorrow,” the hedgehog is moping because
nothing good has happened today, but the rabbit cheers him up, saying “Tryto remember what made you laugh the most.” In “Dandelion Seed,” there isa happy ending when a dandelion seed that the hedgehog had accidentallyblown away when he sneezed ends up sprouting.
The introverted, pessimistic hedgehog and easy-going, cheerful rabbit are not quite on the same wavelength, but they are full of love for eachother. The conversations between the two are leisurely, and the black-andwhite illustrations on each page well convey the heartwarming atmosphere.
This is a perfect book for children who have just learned to read. (Fukumoto)32

The Goodbye Treasure Box

さよならのたからばこ（Sayonara no takara bako）| Text:
NAGASAKI Natsumi | Ill. MIYAHARA Yoko | Rironsha | 2021
| 64pp | 21x16cm | ISBN978-4-652-20433-7 | Ages: 7+ |Friends, Parting, Island

Seven-year-old Minami is moving from a little island to Tokyo. The book
depicts her last day with Yosei, her best friend and classmate. Disappointed
that Yosei didn’t come to her sendoff party, Minami heads for the beach,hoping to find him. She bumps into him on the way. “Looking for Josephine,”
he says, crowing the name like a rooster. Minami realizes that Taro the rooster must be looking for his owner, Josephine, and that Yosei wants Minami tojoin the search. They set off together. Yosei finds a pretty stone and gives it
to Minami, then places it on top of a stone wall. They end up walking Auntie
Haru’s dog as they search, stopping to ask their neighbors if they have seen
Josephine. No one has, but each person shares a memory of Minami, andAuntie Haru gives the two friends some popsicles. They climb onto the roofof a shed at Yosei’s house and look out at the sea and sky. Gazing at a big
cloud that looks like cotton candy, Yosei says, “Good things are going tohappen in Tokyo. I can feel it.” Minami realizes that her heart, which had felt
like an empty hole until she bumped into Yosei, is a treasure box filled withwonderful memories.
A gentle, humorous tale of how friendship relieves the fears of a little
island girl. The gorgeous island scenery depicted in the illustrations seems
to mirror the rich memories that fill Minami’s heart. (Doi)933

Wonderful to Be Alone

34

すてきなひとりぼっち（Suteki na hitoribocchi）| Text/Ill.
NAKAGAWA Chihiro | Nora Shoten | 2021 | 56pp | 21x16cm |つくしちゃんとおねえちゃん（Tsukushi-chan to onechan）| Text: ITO Miku | Ill. TANJI Yoko | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2021
| 72pp | 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8599-0 | Ages: 7+ |Sisters, Thoughtfulness

ISBN978-4-905015-58-1 | Ages: 7+ | Alone, Lost, Turtle

Ippei is often on his own at school. If someone praises his drawing, he’ll start
making another, but by the time he’s done, everyone is doing somethingelse. Sometimes he trips and falls and gets left behind. One rainy day, Ippei
comes home to find the door to his house locked. His knee is scraped fromfalling, and he’s cold and hungry. Lonely and forlorn, he sets off to find his
mother but instead finds a lost turtle. Feeling sorry for it, he picks it up, butthen gets lost himself. He’s frightened because he doesn’t recognize theshops or people. He stops to help an elderly woman who has dropped her
potatoes. Realizing that Ippei is lost, the shopkeepers gather round, anda police officer takes care of him until his mother comes. This incident is aturning point after which Ippei connects more with the people around him.
That night, he wakes up and steps out onto the veranda. Both the sun andthe moon are visible; it’s neither morning nor night. “I like this kind of beingalone,” he thinks. He realizes that some ways of being alone we can get used
to, while other kinds are very hard. Ippei’s story makes us realize that it’s often when we’re alone that we discover something special. The flyleaf depicts
the ways in which each character in the book enjoys being alone, expanding
the reader’s mind, while the illustrations, which are also by the author, roundout the story. (Sakuma)

35

Samu, Master Detective

This book is divided into five chapters: Stuck Up, Five More Minutes, Dodgeball, Tears, and I’m Sorry, each of which can be read independently of theothers.
Tsukushi, who is in second grade, envies her sister who is two years older.
Her sister not only gets good grades, but can also play the piano. Sometimes
she behaves like a snob and talks down to Tsukushi, but at other times she’s
helpful. When Tsukushi bends down to tie up her shoelace, everything falls
out of her school knapsack. Her sister stops to help find an eraser that rolled
away, even though it means she will be late for school because she has alimp that slows her down. No one passes the ball to her sister during dodgeball games, and this makes Tsukushi sad. When Tsukushi sees her sister comehome crying because she was too shy to give her friend the birthday present
she had made for her, Tsukushi feels like crying too.
In the final chapter, “I’m Sorry,” Tsukushi is longing to go to the festival
but her big sister leaves without her. Furious, Tsukushi writes “Stupid!” in
her sister’s notebook, only to feel remorse when her sister comes back to
get her. She had gone ahead to explain to her friends that she was bringing
Tsukushi. Every episode depicts how the sisters, despite their frequent disagreements, display kindness and consideration towards each other, and also
provides vivid glimpses of the lives and nature of contemporary Japanesechildren. (Sakuma)

36

I Went to Paris

めいたんていサムくん（Meitantei Samu-kun）| Text: NASU
Masamoto | Ill. HATA Koshiro | Doshinsha | 2020 | 88pp |20x16cm | ISBN978-4-494-02066-9 | Ages: 7+ | Mystery,

わたし、パリにいったの（Watashi, Pari ni ittano）| Text/Ill.
TAKADONO Hoko | Nora Shoten | 2021 | 48pp | 22x17cm |ISBN978-4-905015-57-4 | Ages: 7+ | Sisters, Photography,

Samu may look like a regular second-grader, but he carries a sky-blue
towel-handkerchief in his pocket that gives him superpowers. Its smell
clears his mind so he can solve mysteries! (The hanky is made from a towel
he mouthed as a baby.) One morning at school, three boys’ shoes havevanished from the cubbies at the entrance. Samu discovers that yesterday
after school, all three boys jumped in puddles and took these shoes homebecause they were soiled. They forgot to bring them back.
After school, when Samu goes to the park, he finds a little girl whosays her doll disappeared from a bench where she had placed it. Samu
asks eyewitnesses for information and identifies the culprit. Another day, athird-grade student complains of a dog following her. Samu discovers thatthe dog is attracted to the smell of the girl’s bag, which she received in a
trade with another student. That student’s family are the dog’s real owners!
Samu continues level-headedly solving mysteries that crop up around him.
It’s funny how his partner in this is his beloved towel-handkerchief frombabyhood.
Readers of this book will join Samu in wondering about the mysteries
and enjoying the detective-work. The many enjoyable illustrations will
support newly independent readers. The author passed away in 2021 after
completing three books in this series; he had begun it in his twilight years,
wishing to share the joys of mystery-solving with the youngest of readers.
(Fukumoto)

This book tells the story of young girl named Hana and her toddler sister,Meme. Together, they love looking at a photo album from a family trip to
Paris. They enjoy the photo of a lunch eaten in Paul’s garden, and a photofrom in front of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés abbey. The photos were taken
when Hana was much smaller, and when Meme was still in their mother’s
belly. Nonetheless, Meme talks of Paris as if the memories were her own.
As she describes even the colors and smells of Paris, Hana almost feels that
Meme is right! Then again, that seems quite strange. “How could you know
all of that when you couldn’t see out?” Hana says. Meme replies that she
could see out through their mother’s belly button! When Hana counters that
their mother was wearing clothes, Meme says that she could see out throughher mother’s buttonholes, the lace in her slip, and a hole in her underwear!
As Hana and Meme continue their back-and-forth, and imagine an eye peeking out through an opening in their mother’s clothes, they dissolve in heartylaughter. Meme’s imaginative made-up stories show her wish to be a partof the family and her longing to see the unknown, wide world. This delightful story of two sisters features illustrations by the author with a pleasing
combination of colors. It invites readers to experience how the sisters’ daily
life is full of joy. (Okuyama)

Solving, Handkerchief

10

Tsukushi and Her Big Sister

Imagination, Laughter

Recent Chapter Boks and Novels
37

The Best Report Card38

サイコーの通知表（Saiko no tsuchihyo）| Text: KUDO Junko |Ill. YOSHIZANE Megumi | Kodansha | 2021 | 176pp | 20x14cm| ISBN978-4-06-522675-9 | Ages: 9+ | Teacher, Report card,

ネムノキをきらないで（Nemunoki o kiranaide）| Text: IWASE
Joko | Ill. UEDA Makoto | Bunken Shuppan | 2020 | 160pp |22x16cm | ISBN978-4-580-82416-4 | Ages: 9+ | Family, Trees,

Friends

Nature, Life and death

Asahi is in fourth grade. When he finds out that his friend, in punishment
for a bad report card, had his New Year’s money deducted by his parents,
Asahi wonders what report cards are for. Toki, the top student in their class,confides that she feels bad for her younger sister who always gets low marks
no matter how hard she tries. Asahi proposes making a report card for their
homeroom teacher, Hashiken, and the whole class gets involved. To find out
what report cards are for, they interview a very strict teacher, Mr. Okubo,
who teaches the class in the next room. He tells them that report cards arefor their parents. The children realize that not every teacher sees reportcards in the same way.
The fourth-graders are preparing to present their future dreams at aschool event. Asahi, however, doesn’t have a dream. After pondering what
to do, he decides to just be honest. At the end of the third term, the children
present their teacher, Hashiken, with his report card. They mark his methodof teaching, the way he writes on the blackboard, and even the way heeats his lunch, explaining why. Hashiken thanks them for pointing out his
strengths.
The contrast between Hashiken, who cares deeply about his students,
and the more authoritarian Okubo is relatable, reflecting contradictions
within the school system. The students’ exploration of what would makea report card meaningful for them and how to grade their teacher areconvincing and intriguing. (Doi)39

Our Encyclopedia of Sighs

みんなのためいき図鑑（Minna no tameiki zukan）| Text:
MURAKAMI Shiiko | Ill. NAKATA Ikumi | Doshinsha | 2021 |
168p | 22x16cm | ISBN978-4-494-02070-6 | Ages: 9+ | School,
Small groups, Friends

Tanochin (short for Ranta Tanoe) is a fourth-grade boy whose class isworking in small groups to make original encyclopedias, which they will
present when parents visit. Tanochin’s group works on a “sigh encyclopedia,”
about the reasons and situations that cause their classmates to sigh.
Tanochin’s group includes a boy named Koshiro, a girl named Koyuki, a girlnamed Nanaho, and a girl named Yura who spends her days in the school
nurse’s office. As a way of coaxing Yura back to class, Tanochin asks her todraw the encyclopedia’s illustrations, but Koyuki declares she will do theillustrations and refuses to back down. She and Yura seem to have trouble
getting along.
The person Tanochin ends up consulting is Sigh Boy, a mini-versionof him wearing a kimono, which Yura drew on a piece of paper to depict
Tanochin’s sigh. Sigh Boy now jumps out of Tanochin’s backpack every time
he gets home from school. At Sigh Boy’s urging, Tanochin goes to a “SighFestival” and finds the mini version of all the other children! Tanochin learns
from mini Koyuki and Yura what happened between them in the past, and hefinds a clue to help their relationship.
The five classmates’ conversation unfolds in up-tempo Kansai dialect,
and while they have their hard times, it’s fun to watch them solve theirproblems their own way. The realistic story transitions smoothly to fantasy
with the entrance of Sigh Boy, who adds a perfect dash of humor. The end of
the book features the group’s finished Encyclopedia of Sighs. (Fukumoto)Don't Cut Down the Silk Tree

The grandfather of the main character had a very old silk tree in his garden.
Birds always flock to it, and the grandfather used to boast that it was a giftfrom the birds. Now, however, it seems that the grownups want to cut it
down because it’s too big, taller than the roof. It’s dangerous, they say. This
makes the boy cry. “Grandpa always told me it was a good tree,” he tells his
friends. “But they’re talking about cutting it.”“Did they cut it down?” his friends ask.
“No, but they chopped off lots of branches,” the boy replies. Even thatmakes him feel sad for the tree.
Rumors are circulating that a ghost is haunting the garden where aveterinarian once lived. The boy becomes acutely aware that countlesscreatures, some so small we don’t even see them, are all born to die.
Although this grieves him, he decides that he doesn’t ever want to forget
this fact. The author eloquently conveys the emotions of this sensitive
child whose heart is touched and troubled by the deaths of every living
thing and who struggles with the difficulty of expressing these feelings inwords. Instead, his feelings permeate the heart of the reader. The author
has won well-deserved acclaim for her empathy for children and for her
ability to portray their subtle emotions along with the questions that trouble
their minds and their annoyance with the way grownups behave. She wasnominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing. (Nogami)

40

Tomorrow's Words

あしたのことば（Ashita no kotoba）| Text: MORI Eto | Ill.
ABE Kaita | Komine Shoten | 2020 | 184pp | 20x16cm |ISBN978-4-338-31904-1 | Friends, School, Cross purposes,
Words

A collection of eight stories on the theme of how thoughtless words can be
extremely hurtful and damage a relationship. “On The Way Home” is abouta boy who is upset with his friend for interrupting him while they’re chattingwith five classmates during the lunch break. They are walking home together
in silence when it suddenly starts raining, and they are finally able to clear up
the misunderstanding. “I Can’t Stand That Girl” relates how one girl dislikes
Maki, who is popular with boys, but is able to make friends with her aftera word from a friend. In “An E-mail to Tomita,” Misato is freaked out when
Tomita, the captain of her softball team, whispers “You’re dead!” in her ear
after she makes some mistakes in a tournament, and sends her a long e-maildescribing how she feels. “Wind and Rain” is about two fifth-grade girls,
Fuka (whose name includes the kanji for wind) and her friend Ru (with thekanji for rain), who have been in the same class since starting school, but Ru
never speaks at school. When Fuka invites Ru home to hear her grandfather’s
Noh chanting, Ru misunderstands her to mean Western songs (both arepronounced yōkyoku), with hilarious results. The protagonists of the stories
are all elementary school pupils who experience misunderstandings andmiscommunications due to words. They feel frustrated at not being able toexpress their innermost thoughts and regret not being able to communicate
their feelings to others. These delightful stories all convey hope for the
future through words. (Nogami)

11

41

Oedo Mamekichi: "Quarrel Rice Cakes"

42

お江戸豆吉 けんか餅（Oedo Mamekichi kenkamochi）| Text:KIRYU Tamaki | Ill. NOMA Yotaro | Froebel-kan | 2021 | 192pp| 19x13cm | ISBN978-4-577-04972-3 | Ages: 11+ | Edoites,

科学でナゾとき！（Kagaku de nazotoki! yamanba no yashiki
jiken）| Text: ASADA Rin | Ill. SATO Odori | Kaiseisha | 2021 |192pp | 19x13cm | ISBN978-4-03-649160-5 | Ages: 11+ | Solving mysteries, Teachers, Science

lifestyle, Japanese sweets, work

Eleven-year-old Mamekichi moved from the countryside to Edo (now Tokyo)
to work as a live-in employee at Tsurukameya, a confectionery shop with agood reputation. The master and mistress and the other employees were allkind, but he had a hard time with twenty-three-year-old Yonezo, the shorttempered and quarrelsome young master. Yonezo was tall and scary. One
day, furious with Yonezo for getting into a big fight with a customer, themaster rented a small store for him in Asakusa and told him not to comeback until he’d made a success of it. And of all things, he sent Mamekichi tokeep an eye on him!
Mamekichi wanted to cry, but living and working with Yonezo, he
gradually came to understand his personality and learned how to treat him.
Yonezo was still quarrelsome, but he was extremely good at making sweets.
He also gave credit to Mamekichi and told him to try making his own confections. Mamekichi couldn’t make the elegant thin rice cakes Yonezo was
known for, but he came up with his own version of daifuku rice cakes filledwith sweet bean paste. These proved especially popular with Tatsugoro, thecustomer with whom Yonezo had quarreled, and they were soon dubbed“quarrel rice cakes” and sold alongside Yonezo’s rice cakes as a store specialty.
This work depicts the daily life of spirited, quick-tempered Edoites. The
fast-paced dialogue between the young master, Mamekichi, and the people
around them is delightful, vividly conveying the liveliness of Edo. The text
boxes entitled “Mamekichi’s Edo Trivia” are also interesting. (Shiozaki)
43

Candles

キャンドル（Kyandoru）| Text: MURAKAMI Masafumi | Ill.
ENTA Shiho | Froebel-kan | 2020 | 312pp | 20x14cm | ISBN9784-577-04921-1 | Ages: 11+ | Gender, School, Memory, Songs

Sixth-grader Keiichi’s best friend Shoma is a cross-dresser who wears skirts
and loves fashion. He is also a strong fighter, and doesn’t care when someone makes fun of him. Keiichi, on the other hand, lost his mother in an
accident five years ago and always gives up right away. When Shoma asks
him to help him fight to get their junior high school to make school uniforms
genderless, Keiichi tells him he should just follow the rules.
One day, however, he happens to touch a box with a ribbon around it
in the school’s stationery supply room. This causes the memories of a girlnamed Hana Takanashi to enter his consciousness. In her memories, Hana is
attracted to a girl in her class, Ei, and her singing voice. However, when theother children tease her about their relationship, Hana rejects Ei, denyingthat there’s anything between them. She had prepared the box as a gift to
Ei to make up with her, but had been unable to give it to her. Shoma notices
that something is bothering Keiichi, and together they figure out the meaning of the memories and plan to reunite Hana and Ei. Through this experience, Keiichi begins to realize Shoma’s pain and how difficult it is for him tolive freely with his own preferences.
The book depicts LGBTQ+ issues in an upbeat manner, interwoven withfantasy elements and music from YouTube, and featuring unique characterslike Keiichi’s father, a hairdresser who has raised him alone since his mother’s
death, and Shoma’s childhood friend Ruri. (Okuyama)

12

Solving Mysteries With Science!
The case of the Witch's House

Sixth-grader Shogo is the head of the student council at his elementary
school. The part-time science teacher nicknamed Mr. Giraffe is his father, but
he keeps this secret from his classmates.
A boy comes to the student council asking for help to recover a ball thathas fallen in the gutter outside a place dubbed the Witch’s House, saying
he’d seen the ball roll up the hill. Shogo and the others go with Mr. Giraffe
to solve the mystery (“The Case of the Witch’s House”).
Shogo and his friend Daiki make medals as prizes for the first-grade children they have been paired with, but receive letters from them containing
disturbing messages. Shogo and Mr. Giraffe solve the mystery (“The Case of
the Confidential Letters”).
Shogo finds out that his classmate Naho, who has joined a modelingagency, has been handing out some white powder to other girls that is
supposed to be oxygen powder good for diets. Mr. Giraffe summons thechildren to the science lab to conduct an experiment to see if they can makeoxygen powder (“The Case of the Mysterious White Powder”).
With this book, we not only solve fascinating science mysteries but learn
about human relationships and social issues. In story one, we discover thatthe “Witch” is an old woman with a broken arm; in story two we see thefriendship between Shogo and Daiki; and story three is about a scam taking
advantage of young girls wanting to lose weight. (Doi)44

Jump and Catch the Snow!

ジャンプして、雪をつかめ！（Janpu shite yuki o tsukame!）| Text: OGIYANAGI Chika | Ill. KUMAORI Jun | Shinnihon
Shuppansha | 2020 | 176pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4-406-

06479-8 | Ages: 11+ | Divorce, Family, Friends, Snow country

In the third trimester of grade five, Tadashi Sakakibara’s parents divorce, andhe moves from Tokyo with his mother to her hometown in Aomori in northern Japan. Tadashi finds it hard to bridge the gap between himself and hisclassmates. The northern winter is bitterly cold, freezing the water pipes ifthey aren’t careful. They live in a house that is more like a shed without evena flush toilet. Snow falls endlessly, burying their house. One day, as Tadashi
waits alone at home, shivering with cold, his mother’s friend Taeko drops
in. She helps him buy fuel for the heater and tells him he should help out at
home instead of depending on his mother to do everything for him. Later,a classmate passes by, and he and Tadashi have a snowball fight. Tadashi’s
mindset begins to change. He starts doing chores like cleaning the toilet andhelps adults shovel snow and knock snow off the roof. Taeko teaches him
to make fried noodles, and he makes some for his friends and even for his
mother. Gradually, he begins to feel like he belongs. A year later, his motherhas an accident, and Tadashi takes her place in the fall festival, dressing up
as a woman and performing the apple dance. The story follows a year in thelife of a boy who finds it hard to adapt to a new environment, focusing on
the new bonds he forges and the new way of life he discovers through thekindness and friendship of other people. (Shiozaki)

Recent Chapter Boks and Novels
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Gift of Chocolates

46

チョコレートのおみやげ（Chokoreto no omiyage）| Text:
OKADA Jun | Ill. UEDA Makoto | BL Shuppan | 2021 | 48pp |22x16cm | ISBN978-4-7764-1010-2 | Ages: 11+ | Chocolate,

月にトンジル（Tsuki ni tonjiru） | Text: SATO Madoka | Ill.
SATO Makiko | Akane Shobo | 2021 | 192pp | 21x16cm |ISBN978-4-251-04478-5 | Ages: 11+ | Friendship, Growth,

Balloon seller, Rooster, Story making

Dark side

After taking a walk in Kobe city, Yuki, a fifth grader, and his aunt, Miko, stopat a bench near the port to eat a box of chocolates and make a story. “It feels
like time is melting away,” Miko says and asks Yuki to share all the things
he has seen and liked that day. Selecting images from these impressions asmaterial, Miko weaves a story. “A little boy and a rooster lived together ina European-style house on top of a hill,” she begins. Each day, the rooster
climbed onto the roof and checked the wind direction so that the boy could
choose where to sell balloons. But one day, just on a whim, the rooster lied.
The boy didn’t come back for three months, during which time the rooster
turned into a weathercock.
“That’s not fair when he only lied once!” Yuki protests and picks up thethread of the story. The little boy, he says, brought the rooster a box ofchocolates which, like his aunt had said, “melted time away,” bringing therooster back to life, and they lived happily ever after.
The author uses the frame narrative to skillfully weave this tale within
the humorous dialogue between the boy and his aunt, revealing their different perspectives on life. Every page is adorned with beautiful pencil andwatercolor illustrations that conjure up images of Kobe’s townscape with its
European influence. (Doi)47

What She Is to Me, What I Am to Her

わたしのあのこ あのこのわたし（Watashi no ano ko, ano ko nowatashi）| Text: IWASE Joko | Ill. UEJI Naoko | PHP Institute |2021 | 208pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4-569-78969-9 | Ages: 11+| Individuality, Family, Friends, Parent and child

Fifth-grade Aki’s parents are not married, and she lives with her mother, but
the family gets along well. They call her father by his first name, Michio. One
day, Aki takes a record that Michio gave her to her friend Mocchi’s house tolisten to, because unlike Aki, Mocchi has a record player. Aki is a little jealousof Mocchi living in a house with two parents and her brother. Unfortunately,while they are listening to Aki’s record, Mocchi’s little brother Shin shows up
and scratches it. Aki, who often speaks without thinking, blames Mocchi fornot stopping Shin; and Mocchi, who often struggles to explain her feelings
to others, apologizes repeatedly. Aki soon regrets her words and actions,but her friendship with Mocchi grows strained for a while. Then, one day,Shin spikes a high fever while Mocchi’s mother is out, and Mocchi instinctively asks Aki for help. Aki does all she can.
This story’s scenes are narrated from Aki and Mocchi’s alternating pointsof view. Each girl’s way of feeling things, her struggles, the various misunderstandings, and the gradual recovery of a valued friendship are portrayedwith care. Using the everyday interactions of two children who have different
personalities and families, this book explores how people can interact andget along together and what friendship means. (Shiozaki)

The Moon and Miso Soup with Pork

Toru, a sixth grader, belongs to a group of four who call themselves Tetsuyon, the iron four, because they’ve been close friends since kindergarten.
The other members are the group’s leader Daiki, Shun, who is good looking
and likes to cook, and Machi, a girl who is always cheerful. Toru, who is goodat soccer and is sensitive to harmony among his friends, thought that theirgroup would endure forever. When Daiki’s family move far away, however,
the relationships among the remaining members become strained. Toru realizes that they each have very different interests. He fears that the bond that
holds them together will completely disintegrate, remembering something
his grandfather had told him before he died a year ago. “Just like the moon,
you have a dark side that we don’t see, but in time, it will become clear, justlike fat congealing in miso soup with pork when the soup cools down.” Toru
worries that he has only been looking at the surface and has missed theother side hidden within the feelings of his friends. Later, however, he comesto see that the four friends had already begun walking in different directions, and this allows him to step out in a new direction himself. Whereas
before the idea that people have a hidden side disturbed him, he begins tothink that this is precisely what makes people interesting.
The depiction of an adolescent’s dawning understanding and internal
development is convincingly real and vibrant. (Sakuma)

48

With You

ウィズ・ユー（Uizu yu）| Text: HAMANO Kyoko | Ill. NAKATA
Ikumi | Kumon Shuppan | 2020 | 248pp | 20x14cm | ISBN9784-7743-3078-5 | Ages: 13+ | Young caregivers, Romance

Yuto is in year three of junior high and has lived with his mother and his
brother Naoto, two years older, since his father left. His mother only cares
about his talented brother, and Yuto wonders miserably what the point of
his own existence is. One October night with the high school entrance examlooming, he goes for a run to take his mind off things and notices Akane
sitting on a swing in the park. Akane is a year below him at school, but looks
after her sick mother and her elementary school-aged sister all by herself.
Her father has been posted to another town for work, and she doesn’t haveanyone she can turn to for help. Her only respite is going for a walk after
she’s finished the housework and put her little sister to bed. Yuto often
sees her on his nightly runs and becomes curious about her. He strikes up
a conversation, and eventually they start going for nightly walks together,confiding in each other.
One day, Yuto hears his mother talk about young caregivers, and realizes
this applies to Akane. Wanting to help her, he asks his mother, who works
in the welfare office, for advice and together they think about possible
solutions. Realizing that there are people who need him, Yuto begins torethink his relationship with his family. This story is a junior high schoolromance that also focuses on contemporary social issues. It is refreshing tosee Yuto and Akane begin living with their sights firmly fixed on the future.
(Shiozaki)

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49

Looking For Elise50

エリーゼさんをさがして（Erize san o sagashite）| Text: NASHIYA
Arie | Ill. NAKAMURA Hinata | Kodansha | 2020 | 224pp |20x14cm | ISBN978-4-06-521277-6 | Ages: 13+ | Piano, theElderly, Volunteering

サード・プレイス（Sado pureisu）| Text: SASAKI Ari | Ill. SAKAI
Sane | Froebel-kan | 2020 | 256pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4577-04920-4 | Ages: 13+ | Belonging, Friends, Career choice,Identity

These stories are about four junior high school
students who attend Supplementary Garden (a.k.a.
Supplementary), a free after-school activity for local high school students.
Mizuki feels suffocated by school life because she hides her love of
science fiction manga from her classmates. When a friend from elementary
school invites her to Supplementary, she ends up helping a college student
volunteer-organize a cosplay event. (“Back-up Account”)
Daiki was accused of shoplifting when in elementary school and, hurtthat his mother doesn’t believe in his innocence, attends Supplementary to
avoid being at home. When he’s invited to help organize a festival there, hediscovers the joy of interacting with other people. (“Non-Standard Product”)
Piyotchi is worried about her brother, who wants to quit school and isconstantly fighting with their parents. At Supplementary she learns that
there are various career paths available, and after listening to those whoare attending distance-learning high schools, she supports her brother.
(“Change!”)
Ryo Teranishi, who passed the entrance exam to high school but isfrustrated that his grades are the lowest in his class, uses Supplementary as aplace to study. He’s taking out his stress on a drumming game at the arcade
when a staff member from Supplementary comes along and suggests heattend a drumming class there. (“Growing Pains”).
These stories vividly depict how these children who feel suffocated atschool expand their world and see themselves and others in a different lightwhen they attend Supplementary Garden, and we see that all children havepotential regardless of their situation. (Doi)Ami is in year two of junior high school. She wants to continue her piano
lessons, but is forced to quit when her mother says it’s a waste of time
because she’ll never be any good. Her mother always tries to impose hervalues on her, while her father is indifferent. One day she talks about “FürElise” with an old lady she doesn’t know, and decides to call her Elise. When
Ami tells Elise that her hands are a little too small to play the piano, Elisereplies that “You don’t have to have the same hands as everyone else, youknow,” and that “If you can’t have nimble hands, then have graceful hands.”
Ami is invited by Paula C, a high school student she meets by chance who
likes to play the guitar, to volunteer with her as a singer at a day care center.
This gives her an opportunity to learn about the various elderly people andthe circumstances they are put in. She also becomes close with Gen Mizuno, aclassmate who likes to draw, and through him becomes more broadminded.
The story realistically describes the process of Ami going from feelingcrushed by the pressure from her mother to believing she should do what she
can in her own way. It’s refreshing to see her eventually reject her mother’s
belief that she has to win, and begin to make her own way in life. (Sakuma)

51

Graduation Trip

卒業旅行（Sotsugyo ryoko）| Text: KODEMARI Rui | Ill. TANJI
Yoko | Kaiseisha | 2020 | 232pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4-03643220-2 | Ages: 13+ | Band, America, Shooting incident

Nana Harada, who is studying abroad at a high school in Pennsylvania, joinsa band with her schoolmates, Chloe, Ithan, Nick, and Noel. They plan to go
on a graduation trip to Woodstock, the site of a famous music festival. Nickis a year older than the others. Ithan and Chloe are going out together, while
Noel is gay and in love with Ithan. Nana plays keyboard, and the band produces many original songs from the poems she writes. In the spring of her
senior year, she goes back to Japan to prepare for entrance into a Japanese
university. While she is away, Noel is shot and killed at an elementary school
where he was performing as a volunteer. The story begins in the summer,
one year after his death, when Nana visits America again. Chloe is now livingin Manhattan, Ithan works in Hudson, and Nick lives in the town where they
all went to high school. Nana visits each of them and learns that they are all
struggling with guilt over Noel’s death and the cruel rumors surrounding it.
Nana and Nick visit the school where he died to discover the truth. Noel’s
mother’s choice to forgive her son’s killer helps them to overcome their grief
and to find hope in the renewal of their friendship. Elements such as thesong lyrics and a discussion at Nick’s house concerning the death penalty
are deftly woven through the story of Nana’s journey, resulting in a harmonious blend of lyricism and logicality. (Okuyama)

14

Third Place

52

Dear Mr. "Punk's Not Dead"

拝啓 パンクスノットデッドさま（Haikei pankusu notto deddosama）| Text: ISHIKAWA Hirochika | Ill. NISHIKAWA Maiko |Kumon Shuppan | 2020 | 224pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4-77433079-2 | Ages: 13+ | Punk rock, Bands, Brothers

Since childhood, first-year high school student Harumi has lived with his
brother Migiya, who is two years younger. The two brothers do not know
their father, and they also do not know where their mother lives or withwhom, though she deposits money and comes home on the odd occasion.
Harumi must work two part-time jobs, at a Chinese restaurant and a karaoke
place, all while attending school, doing the housework, and looking after
Migiya.
Due to the influence of a man named Shin, a childhood friend of theirmother who still lives nearby, the brothers have grown up listening to punkrock and dream of forming their own band. Harumi would play base, andMigiya would sing. Harumi doubts he can afford to play in a band when he
first starts high school, but when a classmate invites him to the pop musicclub and a university student at one of his jobs mentions looking for abassist, he gradually begins to pursue music. Readers follow Harumi as helearns songs by The Clash, Bad Brains, and The Blue Hearts while connectingwith various people. Through his encounters, Harumi learns that eachseemingly “normal” person may actually be struggling with relationships, or
have an amazing talent at guitar or rap. He also sees that despite not having
been raised by his parents, he has been looked after by Shin and other
adults. Above all, his sweetly innocent brother has supported him. This novel
portrays a boy in his teens discovering the wider world. (Okuyama)

Recent Chapter Boks and Novels
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Borderless Caregiver:
Alive or Not, I Support You

ボーダレス・ケアラー（Bodaresu keara）| Text: YAMAMOTO
Etsuko | Ill. TAKENAMI Otoha | Rironsha | 2021 | 240pp |19x14cm | ISBN978-4-652-20430-6 | Ages: 13+ | University
student, Romance, Life and death, Caregiving

SEO Kaito is a university student whose mother asks him to stay with andsupport his grandmother, who has dementia, over a summer vacation. Every
morning, Kaito’s grandmother takes her deceased Shiba Inu dog named
Mamezo on a walk, using a leash.
Walking along with her, Kaito offers to take the leash at one point—
and Mamezo appears. That’s not all: Kaito encounters his classmate Kosuke
Shimada, who died in a car accident in the fall of their second year of highschool, and he meets a junior-high girl in a uniform. The leash turns out tobe a connection between Kaito and those on the borderline between life
and the afterlife. Kaito nicknames the girl Sailor, and in talking with her, herealizes that those he’s meeting have stayed too attached to life to cross tothe afterlife. He decides to help them along as a “borderless caregiver.” But
is it better to cross to that world or stay in this one? Kaito becomes unable todecide and increasingly attached to Sailor. Investigating her past, he learns
that she was in an accident at age fifteen and has been bedridden ever since;
her real name is Natsu, and she is now twenty-two. When Kaito goes to thehospital to see her, she opens her eyes for the first time in seven years. After
summer ends, Kaito remains with his grandmother and serves as a real caregiver for both her and Natsu. The end of this YA-appropriate book reveals
Kaito’s goodness and lingers in the heart. (Shiozaki)

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54

My Diagonal Stitch: The Boy Who Loves
Crafts and the Cute Newbie

ぼくのまつり縫い（Boku no matsurinui）| Text: KOBE Haruma |Ill. IDA Chiaki | Kaiseisha | 2020 | 192pp | 19×13cm | ISBN9784-03-649150-6 | Ages: 13+ | Crafts, Club activities, Friends,
GenderYuto Harimiya is in his first year of junior high. He initially joined the soccer
team and hid that he enjoys handicrafts, but then he summoned his courage
and switched to the sewing club. The only other members are both girls: thepresident, who is a second-year student, and Yuto’s classmate Itoi. At theiradvisor’s recommendation, the club members sell accessories they createdover Spring Break at a flea market. There, a girl who Yuto first thought was aboy, due to her hair and clothes, buys a pouch; she also joins the club at the
beginning of the next term. For some reason, though, she seems upset with
Yuto.
When Ogura, the new joiner, goes out to buy supplies to sew costumes
for the drama club’s play, she runs into Yuto, and they end up going to
the craft shop together. The shop’s owner is an androgynous Gothic Lolita
named Momo, and when Ogura sees him, she questions his appearance andcalls it “weird.” She and Yuto get into a fight. After that, Ogura sometimes
skips meetings, and when the drama club suddenly alters its costume order,
the sewing club president skips out as well. Yuto and Itoi struggle to repair
the relationships in the club, and Yuto eventually comes to understandOgura’s feelings.
The second in a series, My Diagonal Stitch is named after a blind stitch
that is used in sewing to make seams invisible. By breaking down stereotypes about what is “boyish” and “girlish,” it refreshingly shows the importance of each person’s individuality and interests. (Nogami)

Yashajin River夜叉神川（Yashajingawa）| Text: ANDO Mikie | Ill. TANAKA
Chisato | Kodansha | 2021 | 240pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4-06521852-5 | Ages: 13+ | Demon, River, Friends, Life

Yashajin is a people-eating deity that symbolizes the terrible demon-likefeelings that lurk in people’s hearts. This collection of five stories unfolds
along “Yashajin River,” beginning at its source and gradually heading downstream.
In the first story, “River Fishing,” a boy gets invited fishing by Tsuji, apopular classmate at the cram school he started attending after enteringjunior high school. Tsuji abuses some wild creatures at the fishing spot, andwhen the main character tells him to stop, Tsuji says, “I will exterminate you!”
When an eerie voice emanates from the river mist, Tsuji jumps into the riverto escape, and the main character saves him from drowning. Tsuji says hehas seen a ghost.
In the second story, “Blue Goldfish Bowl,” a sixth-grader no longer able
to go to school finds an old fishbowl in her bedroom, and she shuts the spiritof a school bully inside. In “Onigamori Shrine,” a student prays at a shrine
near a Yashajin River tributary for a friend’s success auditioning for a theatrecompany—and curses a rival. In “Snowdrop,” a boy and a dog stop an obstinate old man on a bench near the river from trying to die, as his wife has
already done. In “The Last Shore,” a boy living near Yashajin River discovers
war’s brutality as it manifested on the southern island of Okinawa. Thoughtsthat bloom in any human heart, from the wicked to the kind, are explored indetail with a hint of darkness in superb prose. (Nogami)

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Recent
Nonfiction

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57

Tale of The Moose

Do You Wonder About...the Wondersof Toilet Paper?

あるヘラジカの物語（Aru herajika no hanashi）| Draft:
HOSHINO Michio | Text/Ill. SUZUKI Mamoru | Asunaro
Shobo | 2020 | 36pp | 26x28cm | ISBN978-4-7515-29676 | Ages: 3+ | Wild animals, Battles, Life and death,

このかみなあに？（Kono kami nani?）| Text/Ill. TANIUCHI
Tsuneo | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2020 | 36pp | 18x30cm |ISBN978-4-8340-8580-8 | Ages: 3+ | Toilet paper, Paper

Alaskaproducts

In the Alaskan wilderness, a fierce battle unfolds
between two male moose for control of their
herd. When their antlers get tangled up and theycollapse on the ground exhausted, some wolves
attack. Then a brown bear turns up and drives thewolves away, stealing their prey. After it leaves,
other wild animals appear one after another tohelp themselves, and lastly the birds peck off
the remaining meat. As spring follows winter, an
American lark nests in one of the moose’s skulls.
She lays her eggs and eventually the chicks fly
away. Inspired by a photograph left by HOSHINO
Michio, a photographer who lost his life in abrown bear attack, this touching picture bookdramatically depicts how the lives of wild animals
in nature intersect. (Nogami)
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59

Protecting the Rails: Doctor Yellow

せんろをまもる！ ドクターイエロー（Senro o mamoru!
dokuta iero）| Text/Ill. KAMATA Ayumi | Shogakukan |2021 | 32pp | 19x27cm | ISBN978-4-09-725109-5 | Ages:
3+ | Shinkansen, Safety, WorkChildren love the shinkansen, but Doctor Yellow, the car that maintains the bullet train tracks,
is the star. Once every ten days, Doctor Yellow
speeds along the Sanyo line, covering the 1,175
kilometers between Tokyo and Hakata in southern
Japan on the island of Kyushu. It can travel at up
to 270 kilometers per hour and carries no passengers. The book depicts a day in Doctor Yellow’s
life, while at the same time introducing the jobs
performed by such cars as the ballast exchange
car and the multi-tie tamper. A fold-out illustration reveals Doctor Yellow’s interior, showing
how it can single-handedly undertake a variety ofmaintenance work. The book offers a fun peek at
an unusual train, casting light on many jobs thatare done behind the scenes. (Sakaguchi)

16This picture book is all about toilet paper, something that we use every day without giving it asecond thought. With every turn of the page, weare presented with a surprising and fun photo—for example, nine elementary school students
lined up in the schoolyard holding up a longextended roll of toilet paper. We learn about its
excellent properties, such as being long, soft,
fluffy, thin, strong, easily broken down when wet,
and water-absorbent. At the end of the book, asection entitled “Toilet Paper Secrets” covers ten
specific topics of interest, including the time ittakes to dissolve in water, which is determined by
the Japan Industrial Standards for manufactured
goods; the differences with overseas toilet paper;
the raw materials used; and its history. (Sakaguchi)
60

Kitchan Who Befriended an Elephant
ゾウとともだちになったきっちゃん（Zo to tomodachini natta Ki-chan）| Text: IRIE Naoko | Ill. ABE Hiroshi |Fukuinkan Shoten | 2020 | 48pp | 23x20cm | ISBN978-48340-8565-5 | Ages: 3+ | Elephant, Zoo, Gesture

Kitchan regularly visits the zoo with her father
where she is particularly attracted by the elephants. She learns to tell them apart by their faces
and physiques and notices how they all swish theirtail when they’re enjoying good food. The zookeeper teaches her how elephants communicate,and Kitchan bonds with a female from Thailand.
One day, Kitchan visits after a long absence.
Something seems different. Just then, she sees
her elephant friend beckoning to her. She wants
to show Kitchan her baby. By the end of the book,the reader will want to go to the zoo and observe
firsthand the gestures and habits of elephants.
The book draws from field observations andresearch on elephant communication. (Sakaguchi)

What Kind of Fruit Behind theWindow?

まどのむこうのくだものなあに？（Mado no muko no
kudamono nani?）| Text/Ill. ARAI Maki | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2020 | 36pp | 27x20cm | ISBN978-4-83408568-6 | Ages: 3+ | Fruit, Windows

A small square “window” in a page reveals partof a fruit. Turn the page, and an illustration of thewhole fruit appears. Turn the page after that, andsee a cross section of the same fruit cut in half.
The fruits featured in this book are strawberry,melon, pineapple, watermelon, mikan orange,
apple, kiwi, and pomegranate. Because one smallpart of each fruit is shown before the whole, it
is possible to discover beauty and magic in thedetails our eyes usually miss. Created with plentyof time and detail, the illustrations are realistic
yet vibrant—and delicious-looking. This book canalso be enjoyed back-to-front and as a fun fruit
quiz. (Sakuma)

Recent Nonfiction
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62

Welcome to the Sushi Restaurant!
From Living Creature to Food

63

Akbar Loves School!

おすしやさんにいらっしゃい！（Osushiya san ni
irasshai!）| Text: OKADA Daisuke | Photos: ENDO Hiroshi| Iwasaki Shoten | 2021 | 44pp | 22x29cm | ISBN978-4-

学校が大好き アクバルくん（Gakko ga daisuki Akubarukun）| Text/Photos: NAGAKURA Hiromi | Alice-kan |2021 | 40pp | 27x22cm | ISBN978-4-7520-0980-1 | Ages:
7+ | School, First grade, Learning, Pencils

The author of this book runs a sushi restaurant,
and here presents photos of a workshop witheight children (from preschool through elementary school) in which he prepares fish including
alfonsino, conger eel, and squid, to make sushi.
First, the children examine the whole fish, closely
observing the fins, eyes, and inside the mouths,
and imagining how they lived in the sea. He thenremoves the stomachs, contents of the intestines,
and ink bags, and demonstrates the different ways of cutting, grilling, and seasoning thefish. Finally, they all eat the sushi together. The
children’s murmured reactions add to the senseof being present in the workshop, and we canshare the sensation of the lives of these creatures
becoming part of our own bodies. (Okuyama)

Akbar is in the first grade of elementary school.
His school is located high in the mountains,and many children have to walk over an hour to
get there. There are 16 students in his class andthe new school year has just started. They havelanguage, math, and Koran classes. Akbar writes
down words the teacher dictates in his notebook
with his precious pencil, and solves math problems counting with his fingers. He plucks up thecourage to raise his hand in math class, eventhough he isn’t too confident. This picture bookshows us a day in the life of a boy at elementary
school in Afghanistan. The abundant photographs
vividly capture Akbar’s facial expressions, conveying his curiosity and the sheer joy of learning.
(Shiozaki)

265-83083-1 | Ages: 7+ | Fish, Food, Life, Workshops

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65

Scrolls of Frolicking Animals:
The Origin of Japanese Comedy

これが鳥獣戯画でござる（Kore ga choju giga degozaru）| Text: YUKI Masako | Shogakukan | 2021 | 40pp
| 27x22cm | ISBN978-4-09-727709-5 | Ages: 7+ | Manga,
Animals, Masterpiece, PlayThe Choju jinbutsu giga is a set of picture scrolls
which dates back to the twelfth century. Not only
are the scrolls designated national treasures, butmany consider them to be the origin of Japanesemanga. Based on the first scroll which follows
the antics of anthropomorphic animals, the bookfocuses on a comical scene of a rabbit and afrog sumo wrestling and how that came about.
Although the originals have no text, the booktransforms each scene into a dramatic story. In
the appendix, all the scenes from the first scroll
are introduced, followed by an explanation of thecontents of the second and third scroll as well. The
humorous touch allows readers to fully experience
the entertainment value of these ancient scrolls.
(Nogami)Icebugs

がろあむし（Garoamushi）| Text/Ill. TATENO Hiroshi| Kaiseisha | 2020 | 40pp | 29x24cm | ISBN978-4-03437080-3 | Ages: 7+ | Insects, Metamorphosis, Underground, Natural environment

This book provides dramatic and detailed description of the eight-year life cycle of the icebug.
Since these small insects live beneath the rocks
that fall from crumbling cliffs, we are also madeaware of the impact of environmental changes
on nature during time. Over the course of a year,
the transparent white larva emerges from a tiny
black egg the size of a sesame seed and grows by
feeding on small insects underground. It is interesting to see the various creatures that live in the
microscopic world of darkness depicted in minutedetail. Fifty photographs of these creatures areincluded at the end of the book. An excellent andambitious picture book that questions humanbehavior from the insect’s point of view. (Nogami)*The Japanese name for the icebug is garoa-mushi, from thegenus Galloisiana, named after the French diplomat Galois
who discovered it in Japan in 1914.

66

The Red Fire of Sakurajima

A Calcium Tale that Starts with Teeth

桜島の赤い火（Sakurajima no akai hi）| Text/Photos:
MIYATAKE Takehito | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2021 | 44pp |26x20cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8611-9 | Ages: 7+ | Volcano,

はからはじまるカルシウムのはなし（Ha kara hajimaru
karushiumu no hanashi）| Text: ISAWA Naoko | Ill.
Daisuke･Hongorian | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2021 | 44pp |20x20cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8594-5 | Ages: 7+ | Teeth,
Calcium, Natural cycles

Sakurajima is an active volcano in Kagoshima at
the southern end of Kyushu. A postcard photo of
its crater glowing red at night inspired the author,a photographer, to capture it on film. He shot the
volcano from various locations and angles for thebest picture of the red crater against the darkness.
This photo picture book also includes shots of it
erupting, spewing sparks into the night sky, and of
volcanic lightning against a plume of smoke andash. The text describes the reactions of children
to his photos, the mechanism of volcanic eruptions, and the history of Sakurajima. The dynamic
images make the reader feel that Earth is alive.
(Okuyama)

This picture book introduces the cycling of calcium through different forms here on Earth, in astory that begins with a boy losing a tooth andends with a girl growing a new one. When the boy
buries his tooth in some soil, the calcium becomespart of a komatsuna plant, making its leaves
crispy. When a snail eats the leaves, their calcium
becomes part of its shell. Then, after a snail-eating
beetle eats the snail, the calcium in the leftovershell dissolves in the earth and finds its way into
Japanese beech tree leaves. From there, it travels
into deer antlers, coral, parrotfish poop, and eventually seaweed; after a girl eats the seaweed, it
helps to form her tooth. This book’s sophisticateddesign makes the concept clear. (Doi)Sakurajima, Photos

17

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68

The Hundred-Year-Old Forest

Fuki's Encyclopedia of Idea Toys

Hear the Sound of the Rhinoceros
Beetle: 11 Months Underground

100さいの森（Hyakusai no mori）| Text/Ill. MATSUOKA
Tatsuhide | Spv. ITO Yasuhiko | Kodansha | 2020 | 36pp
| 25x27cm | ISBN978-4-06-521124-3 | Ages: 7+ | Tokyo,
Meiji period (1868–1912), Forest, Living creatures

ふきさんのアイデアおもちゃ大百科（Fuki-san no aidea
omocha daihyakka）| Text: SATO Fuki | Kaiseisha | 2020
| 96pp | 24x19cm | ISBN978-4-03-524210-9 | Ages: 7+ |The lush forest surrounding the Meiji Shrine near
Harajuku, Tokyo, was planted by humans a century ago. In this book, a chinquapin tree tells thestory of the forest. Initially, broadleaf trees such as
beech and oak were placed between tall conifers;
eventually, the fast-growing broadleaf trees took
over, and the conifers toppled and decayed. Smallorganisms such as insects and mushrooms took
up residence at trees’ bases, and birds, raccoonsand other animals began to thrive in this rich forest. The beautiful, true-to-life illustrations portraygrowth and change and prompt consideration of
the forest’s and humanity’s future. Detailed end
matter written by the supervising editor fleshes
out Meiji Shrine’s history. (Okuyama)

A professional modeler and mother of two boys
introduces more than forty toys that she madewhile playing with her sons. All are simple tocreate using familiar materials. Stick a drawing
of a ninja to some clear plastic and place it on a
train window, and the ninja runs! Draw parts of aface on stacked paper cups, and move the cups
to make the face transform! Supplies and steps
to construct the toys, as well as ideas for deepening and extending children’s play with them areincluded. The toys leave room for children’s own
innovations, so their play may go on and on! Ideas
for fun in the house, the tub, outdoors, and even
without toys are included, making the book usefulanytime, anywhere. (Sakaguchi)

70

この世界からサイがいなくなってしまう（Kono sekai kara
sai ga inaku natte shimau）| Text: MITAMURA Taro
| Gakken | 2021 | 120pp | 22x16cm | ISBN978-4-05205327-6 | Ages: 9+ | Africa, Rhinoceros, Environment,
Extinction

Rhinoceros are hunted by poachers for theirhorns, and if things continue this way they could
be extinct within twenty years. The author is areporter from Japan’s national broadcaster NHK
who covered the story in South Africa. Withvivid prose and photos, she tells us how people
are trying to prevent poaching and protect therhinos, how they are protecting and raising rhinoorphans, why poachers are so rampant, and how
the Black Mamba, a women-only ranger unitthat doesn’t carry weapons, works to prevent
poaching by gaining the trust of local people. She
draws readers attention to the fact that the earth
does not belong only to humans, and that various
species support each other. (Sakuma)

カブトムシの音がきこえる（Kabutomushi no oto ga
kikoeru）| Text: KOJIMA Wataru | Ill. HIRONO Kenichi |Fukuinkan Shoten | 2021 | 44pp | 26x20cm | ISBN9784-8340-8615-7 | Ages: 9+ | Rhinoceros beetles, Larvae,

Playing, Making, Toys

71

Rhinoceros Are Disappearing fromthe World

18

69

Pupae

This picture book covers the 11 months fromthe time rhinoceros beetle eggs are laid in thesoil through the stages of larva and pupa, until
they emerge from the ground. Realistic drawingsand detailed explanations show the small larvaesilently eating leaf mold, the fat larvae hibernating
under the snow, and the process of creating eggshaped cocoons and becoming pupae. The bookalso shares interesting research findings, such as
how larvae form clusters attracted by the carbon
dioxide they each emit, and the way pupae protect
themselves from outside enemies by hitting theirbacks against the wall of the cocoon, causing it tovibrate. Nature’s mechanisms for protecting life
are impressive. (Fukumoto)

72

Diet Member with ALS Goes tothe House of Representatives in a
Wheelchair

The Secret of the Flying Water Flea

ALS, Diet (Japanese Parliament), Inclusive education

The author, a wildlife photographer, introduces
the ecology of water fleas, which in Japanese arecalled mijinko meaning “dust child” or “specks”.
The author observes water fleas growing in ricepaddies, streams and school swimming pools
to unravel their secrets, including how their tiny
bodies are formed, where they live, and what theyeat. When their habitat starts to dry up, water
fleas produce ephippia, which are durable dryseason eggs. These may be carried on the windor by birds to distant places where they generate
new life. The book begins with the author seeking
answers to certain questions. Through methodical
observation, the author reveals the workings ofnature along with the basics of scientific research.
(Fukumoto)

全身マヒのALS議員 車いすで国会へ（Zenshin mahino ALS giin, kurumaisu de kokkai e）| Text: FUNAGO
Yasuhiko and others | Kodomo no Miraisha | 2021 |32pp | 27x19cm | ISBN978-4-86412-185-9 | Ages: 9+ |Mr. Yasuhiko Funago, who is fully paralyzed dueto the incurable disease ALS, was elected to theDiet in 2019 and goes to work in a wheelchair. This
picture book shows us what sort of person he is,looking at his career, his life, how he communicates without a voice, what kind of support hereceives, and the things he enjoys. It also explains
how the Diet building has been made barrier-free
thanks to a number of Diet members using wheelchairs, and the inclusive education (where children
with and without disabilities grow up together)Mr. Funago hopes to implement in society during
his time in the Diet. (Sakuma)

空を飛ぶミジンコのなぞ（Sora o tobu mijinko no nazo）| Text/Photos: HOSHI Teruyuki | Shonen Shashin
Shinbunsha | 2020 | 64pp | 19x27cm | ISBN978-4-87981726-6 | Ages: 9+ | Water flea, Observation, Photographs

Recent Nonfiction
73

74

Creating a Little Satoyama:
A Butterfly Garden

75

Question Box:The What and Why of Animals

Namahage Ogres

小さな里山をつくる（Chiisana satoyama o tsukuru）| Text/Photos: IMAMORI Mitsuhiko | Alice-kan | 2021
| 88pp | 29x22cm | ISBN978-4-7520-0977-1 | Ages: 9+| Satoyama (mixed forest and farmland), Butterflies,

動物なぜなに質問箱（Dobutsu naze nani shitsumonbako）| Text: KOSUGE Masao | Ill. ABE Hiroshi | Kodansha| 2021 | 63pp | 24x19cm | ISBN978-4-06-516872-1 | Ages:
9+ | Animals, Ecology, Zoo

The author’s work as a photographer focuses on
the relationship between nature and humans. He
spent thirty years transforming 300 square metersof terraced rice paddy at the foot of Mount Hiei in
Kyoto into a satoyama, an area of mixed woodlots,
wetland and farmland. Through photographs, hepresents how he raised a diverse range of flowersthat attract various butterfly species throughout
the year. The relationship between the butterflies
and their host plants, as well as the rich diversityof butterfly ecology, are illustrated with vivid images. The text conveys the author’s tender gazeas he responds to the miracle of these small lives
and savors nature’s beauty through the changing
seasons. (Fukumoto)

The Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost zoo. Once threatened with closure, it was
revived with creative interactive exhibits. In thisbook, the former director and the zoo keeper who
were responsible for its revival respond to ten
questions from children. Their answers develop in
ways that both entertain and deepen the reader’s
understanding of animal ecology. For example,
when asked how giraffes sleep, they cover everything from the amount of sleep giraffes need tohuman sleeping positions and bed bacteria. The
children ask such things as why the naked mole rat
lives so long and why male lions don’t hunt. The
answers all contain the message that we too arenature’s creatures. The illustrations demonstrate akeen eye for observation, lovingly rendering eachanimal’s characteristics. (Sakaguchi)

Flower, Photograph

76

77

In a 2-Square-Meter World

二平方メートルの世界で（Ni heho metoru no sekai de）| Text: MAEDA Mion | Ill. HATA Koshiro | Shogakukan |2021 | 40pp | 27x22cm | ISBN978-4-09-725104-0 | Ages:
9+ | Illness, Children, Language

This picture book is based on an essay by Mion,an eight-year-old girl, which won the Grand Prizein the Children’s Non-Fiction Contest sponsoredby Kita-Kyushu City. The main character lives in
Hokkaido and is hospitalized several times a year
for tests and treatment. Her world is her twosquare-meter hospital room. She suffers from theburden she causes her family, the painful medical
tests, fasting, and having to give up things likeparticipating in school events. One day, however,she discovers messages written on the undersideof her hospital bed table. Things like: “Hang in
there!” and “Another operation – this sucks!” Sherealizes that she’s not alone. The frank narrativeand gentle illustrations make it clear that, although lonely, the lives of children suffering from
illness are also precious. (Okuyama)

なまはげ（Namahage）| Text: IKEDA Makiko | Ill.
HAYAKAWA Junko | Chobunsha | 2020 | 36pp | 27x22cm| ISBN978-4-8113-2821-8 | Ages: 9+ | Traditional event,
Intangible cultural asset, Ogre, God

This picture book relates the origins of Namahage,a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage from Oga,
Akita prefecture, in which men dressed as ogres
go from house to house on New Year’s Eve towarn residents to work hard. Although they lookterrifying, the Namahage are considered guardian
deities that bring good fortune. Once a year, theycome down from the snow-covered mountains tovisit each home, frightening naughty children andscolding laggards into behaving. This dramatictale of a family of Namahage who come to Oga
and turn the forest into farmland for the villagers
is illustrated with compelling woodblock prints on
a black base. Included is a thorough, easy-to-read
explanation of the origins and meaning of thisfascinating tradition. (Nogami)

78

Picture Book of Japanese Garden

日本庭園を楽しむ絵本（Nihonteien o tanoshimu ehon）| Text/Ill. ONO Yayoi | Asunaro Shobo | 2021 | 48pp |21x22cm | ISBN978-4-7515-2972-0 | Ages: 9+ | Japanesegardens, Seasons, Nature, Japanese culture

The Japanese have always had an appreciation forthe beauty of nature and the changing seasons,delighting in an array of flowering plants andlandscapes. Traditional Japanese garden designs,
which reproduce scenes from nature, along withthe culture of admiring them, developed from thispursuit of natural beauty. In this story, an elderly
Japanese man introduces a French photographer
to Japanese gardens, describing their origins
and the different types. Line drawings in fine ball
pen and soft colors illustrate how to enjoy suchgardens, the Japanese custom of connecting withnature, and the mindfulness with which Japanesepeople maintain these gardens. The book includes
a map introducing famous gardens in different
parts of Japan. (Shiozaki)

Living in Fukushima: Rin-chan's Ten
Years—Home, School, and Town
Change, But Life Goes On

福島に生きる凛ちゃんの10年（Fukushima ni ikiru
Rin-chan no junen）| Text/Photos: TOYODA Naomi |Nobunkyo | 2021 | 36pp | 27x22cm | ISBN978-4-54020169-1 | Ages: 9+ | Fukushima, Nuclear disaster

Rin was three when the March 2011 nuclear
disaster hit her town of Iitate, Fukushima prefecture. Due to unhealthy levels of radiation, she andher family went to live in temporary housing ina neighboring town. She attended preschool ina prefab building, started school in a temporary
school, and together with her family, she received
regular thyroid exams. Her family then grew andmoved to a house in Fukushima City. When theevacuation order for Iitate was lifted in 2017 but
some dangers remained, Rin commuted by bus toa new Iitate school. This photo picture book traces
her growth and the changes of a decade. May
children exposed to radiation in Fukushima never
be forgotten. Part of the series Nonetheless, It’s
My Home. (Sakuma)

19

79

80

If They Keep Disappearing, Will They
Vanish? Japan's Salamanders

日本サンショウウオ探検記（Nihon sanshouo tankenki）| Text/Photos: SEKI Shintaro | Shonen Shashin
Shinbunsha | 2021 | 56pp | 19x27cm | ISBN978-4-87981734-1 | Ages: 9+ | Salamanders, Amphibians, Habitat,

もしもトイレがなかったら（Moshimo toire ga nakattara）| Text: KATO Atsushi | Ill. SAKURAI Atsuko | Shonen
Shashin Shinbunsha | 2020 | 148pp | 22x16cm |ISBN978-4-87981-728-0 | Ages: 9+ | Toilets, Disaster,

When a disaster occurs and temporary shelters
are needed, the first problem is always toilets.
This book creatively uses photos and diagrams toshow how manhole toilets, portable toilets andothers can be installed and used. It also shows
how home toilet alternatives can be prepared incase of an emergency. Seven tips for preparedness
are shown in concrete detail. In addition, stories
of how nightsoil was used in the Edo period (16031868) and color photos of interesting toilets fromaround the world convey the idea that “no matter
where humans are found, toilets are needed.” This
book shows the importance of toilets, which we
normally use without a second thought, and offers much information to preserve life and health.
(Sakaguchi)

Forty-five species of salamander are known tolive in Japan, and all appear in clear photographs
in this book. Recent genetic research shows thatsalamanders previously thought to be the same
species are, in fact, different species, though
they may live only one mountain away from eachother. Japan’s rich aquatic environments havesupported this variety. In the book, the habitat foreach species is shown on a map, underlining how
narrow its range is. As amphibians, salamanders
need both the water and the land where they live
to be preserved, and they can easily be pushed
to extinction. Close-ups of salamanders’ winsome
faces, which humans don’t often get to see, urge
us to protect our environment now. (Sakaguchi)
83

What is Washi Paper? Vols.1-4

和紙ってなに？ 全４巻（Washi te nani?）| Edt. Washi tenani? Editional Team | Rironsha | 2020 | 48pp each |29x22cm | ISBN978-4-652-10257-2 | Ages: 9+ | Washi
paper, Traditional industries, Technology

This series of four books introduces Japanesewashi paper using photographs. The first two
books, Washi of Eastern Japan and Washi ofWestern Japan, show the history, raw materials,
production techniques, uses, products, and features of papers made in some 56 regions aroundthe country. The regions’ different washi-related
toys, festivals, and ingenuity are also celebrated.
The third book, Basics of Washi, introduces how
to make washi paper and how it differs from otherpapers. The fourth book, Washi in Everyday Life,shows how washi can serve a ribbon-like function
in decorative paper cords and traditional fireworks, as well as in newer products such as masking tape. Each volume in the series uses beautiful
photos and clean layout to showcase the wondersof washi. (Sakuguchi)

20

If We Didn't Have Toilets...

Equipment, HealthDiversity, Environmental pollution

82

81

Making Mountains:
The Tokyo Chainsaws Challenge

山をつくる（Yama o tsukuru）| Text: SUGA Seiko |Komine Shoten | 2020 | 208pp | 20x14cm | ISBN978-4338-08165-8 | Ages: 9+ | Lumberjacks, Forestry, Youngpeople, Lifestyles

Tokyo Chainsaws is a company of modern lumberjacks based in Hinohara village on the westernedge of Tokyo. The company’s foresters bothmaintain company-owned forest and help maintain the forests of Tokyo. The author embeddedwith them for two years and describes their workin detail, from felling trees in winter, to planting
trees in spring, to thinning undergrowth in summer, to removing branches in fall. Their tools arealso introduced. The foresters are all young people, including women, who try to create a sustainable forestry industry without relying on nationalor regional subsidies. They have fans, including
a club to enjoy the growth of planted trees overthirty years! This book prompts readers to consider the future of forestry, human lifestyles, and the
UN Sustainable Development Goals. (Sakaguchi)

84

Japanese Broth:
Blessings of the Sea 1—Konbu

和食のだしは海のめぐみ１ 昆布（Washoku no dashi wa
umi no megumi 1-konbu）| Text/Photos: ABE Hideki| Spv. Nihon Konbu Kyokai | Kaiseisha | 2020 | 40pp |29x24cm | ISBN978-4-03-436810-7 | Ages: 9+ | Konbu,
Japanese cuisine, Sea, Hokkaido

In 2013, UNESCO designated traditional Japanesecuisine as an intangible cultural heritage. This
book is the first of three about dashi, or broth,which is the basis of many Japanese dishes. While
this book focuses on konbu seaweed in dashi, thenext focuses on katsuobushi (dried bonito) andthe third on niboshi (dried sardines). Konbu as aseaweed in the ocean, the ins-and-outs of konbu
harvesting and processing, types of konbu, how
to make konbu broth, ways to eat konbu, the symbolic use of konbu on festive occasions, the influence of environmental destruction on konbu—all
are introduced in words and pictures. In nature,
konbu protects small fish and serves as food for
sea urchins and others. The explanation of how
drying brings out its savory flavors is fascinating.
(Doi)

The Birth of the Chibanian Age

チバニアン誕生（Chibanian tanjo）| Text: OKADA
Makoto | Poplar | 2021 | 224pp | 20x14cm | ISBN9784-591-17034-2 | Ages: 11+ | Geomagnetism, stratum,geoscience, scientific research

The magnetic poles of the earth have reversed
several times in the past. The cause is still unknown. Recently, traces of a magnetic reversal
were discovered in the earth’s stratum from
770,000 years ago in Chiba, east of Tokyo. As a result, that stage in chronostratigraphy was named
Chibanian. The author follows the thrilling race
between Italy and Japan to approve and ratify thename, introducing geological research and the
proposal to the International Union of Geological Sciences. Filled with illustrations and photographs and designed to be read from any chapter,
this book conveys the fascination of geosciencethrough the phenomenon of the reversal of theearth’s magnetic field. The author also introduces
other books for those who want to learn more.
(Sakaguchi)

Recent Nonfiction
85

86

Animals Teach Us about Life in the
Ocean

I Love Dung Beetles!
ChasingInsects that Eat Poo

動物たちが教えてくれる海の中のくらし（Dobutsu tachi
ga oshiete kureru umi no naka no kurashi）| Text: SATO
Katsufumi | Ill. KIUCHI Tatsuro | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2020
| 44pp | 26x20cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8585-3 | Ages: 11+ |constitution

This book provides a solid overview of war, especially modern wars, including: what war is; thehistory, causes, and types of war; Japan’s wars in
Asia; the rules under international law; and the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Twenty-four text
boxes throughout the book provide simple, easyto-understand explanations of specific terms suchas the Strategic Defense Initiative and the Zerofighter. The author also encourages us to takeaction, with statements like “War is started byhuman beings... which means human beings canstop it,” and “Even small amounts of power can
add up to a big power.” Readers can join him in
considering how we can ensure that the people’s
wish to eliminate war from the world does not end
up being just a wish. (Sakaguchi)

Coexistence

In 2018, NAKAMURA Keiichi opened a museum in
Nara that displays specimens of dung beetles. The
beetles roll animal feces into balls and push themto their nests in an impressive “handstand” position. Nakamura first encountered these insects in
middle school and became entranced, observing
and collecting them for years. After getting a job,working for a few decades and raising his children,
he left his job in his early fifties and opened themuseum. This book not only introduces the dung
beetle in fascinating detail, but it also tells thestory of a young man holding onto his interests
and realizing his dream. The museum director’s
own commentary appears at the end. (Fukumoto)89

池上彰の君と考える戦争のない未来（IKEGAMI Akira no
kimi to kangaeru senso no nai mirai）| Text: IKEGAMI
Akira | Rironsha | 2021 | 320pp | 19x13cm | ISBN978-4652-20365-1 | Ages: 13+ | War, Nuclear weapons, Pacifist

万葉と令和をつなぐアキアカネ（Manyo to reiwa otsunagu akiakane）| Text/Photos: YAMAGUCHI Susumu| Iwasaki Shoten | 2020 | 152pp | 22x16cm | ISBN9784-265-08319-0 | Ages: 11+ | Red dragonfly, Nature,

Ages: 11+ | Dung beetles, Museum, Interests

Studying the behavior of marine life is challenging. This book introduces new findings using amethod called biologging, in which small recorders are attached to animals for study, and features
Weddell seals and king penguins in Antarctica,
and sperm whales around the Ogasawara Islands.
It explains how these animals have evolved not
only in terms of the speed and depth to which
they dive, how they swim, and the routes theytake, but also in terms of the way they dive tofeed most efficiently. Accompanied by illustrations
depicting ocean depth in different shades of blue,
with frame-by-frame images of the way animals
swim, these detailed explanations tell us about
discoveries made in a world we cannot see forourselves. (Sakaguchi)

IKEGAMI Akira Thinks with You:A Future without War

The Red Dragonfly That Unites Thenand Now

フン虫に夢中（Funchu ni muchu）| Text: IDOKI Eri| Comment: NAKAMURA Keiichii | Kumon Shuppan| 2020 | 144pp | 22x16cm | ISBN978-4-7743-3075-4 |Marine organisms, Behavior, Scientific research

88

87

The autumn darter is a red dragonfly beloved
in Japan since Manyo times (late seventh to lateeighth century). Though it used to be found all
over, the dragonfly’s numbers have greatly decreased. But in some rice fields in Kashiwazaki city,
Niigata prefecture, autumn darters were foundto be thriving. This turned out to be because thefarmer, Tsunezo Uchiyama, believed in the soil andplants and did not apply any chemical fertilizers;
autumn darters need a healthy, natural place tolive. As a photographer who specializes in insects,
the author of this book uses prolific images toelicit affection for nature and help readers understand the need for coexistence. (Shiozaki)

90

Out and About with Professor
Getcho: Exploring Nature in Okinawa

Gorillas Taught Me Everything That
Is Important in Life

ゲッチョ先生と行く沖縄自然探検（Getcho sensei to iku
Okinawa shizen tanken）| Text: MORIGUCHI Mitsuru |Iwanami Shoten | 2021 | 256pp | 18x11cm | ISBN9784-00-500936-7 | Ages: 13+ | Okinawa, Organisms,

人生で大事なことはみんなゴリラから教わった（Jinsei
de daiji na koto wa minna gorira kara osowatta）| Text:
YAMAGIWA Juichi | Ienohikari | 2020 | 224pp | 19x13cm| ISBN978-4-259-54773-8 | Ages: 13+ | Gorilla, ScientificThis book is set during summer vacation whena brother and sister from Tokyo go to visit theiruncle in Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, and are introduced to the charms of natureas they travel around the islands of Okinawa,
Yonaguni, Ishigaki, Iriomote, and Miyako. The
author’s hand-drawn illustrations are powerfully
realistic, depicting not only protected species likethe Okinawa rail and the Iriomote wild cat, butalso various plants, insects, birds, dugongs, andeven animal bones. The pictures capture the ecosystems occupied by a wide variety of creatures,
vividly conveying the richness of nature. The bookincludes an index of over 350 life forms, making
it easy to find what you are looking for. This is agreat way to learn about the charms of Okinawa.
(Sakaguchi)

The author, an international primatologist who
spent 40 years researching gorillas, presents histhoughts on life and on being human. The tenchapters cover such topics as his first encounter with gorillas and the lessons he has learned
from them, and explores how we should live. The
author lived among gorillas in an African jungle
where he noticed that they peer into each other’s
faces to preserve equality and peace in their socialgroup. He introduces their approach to raising
the young, male-female relationships, conflict,and friendship, as well as the differences between
gorillas and other primates. The book serves as
an encouraging message for teenagers struggling
to communicate with others, offering insights on
how to live. (Sakaguchi)

Diversity, Scientific researchresearch, Lifeways

21

The Hans Christian Andersen Award
KADONO Eiko 19352018 Author Award
Born in Tokyo, KADONO Eiko moved toBrazil for two years when she was 25,

and based on her experiences there she

Winners

wrote her first book. Since then she has
written many books for children of several

generations. Her chapter book Majo notakkyubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service), written

in 1984, won a number of prizes and wasincluded on the IBBY Honour List. This story
was adapted into a wildly popular animatedfilm by MIYAZAKI Hayao. Kadono has been
decorated by the Emperor of Japan forher significant contributions to children’s
literature.

22

UEHASHI Nahoko 1962-

MADO Michio 1909-2014

2014 Author Award

1994 Author Award

Born in Tokyo, UEHASHI Nahoko researchedindigenous people in Australia for her PhD
in cultural authoropology. Her literary debut
came in 1989, when her first book won anaward that brought her into the spotlight.
In 1996, she began to write her historicalfantasy series Moribito (Guardian), which

MADO Michio was born in Tokuyama.
When he was a small child, his family left
for Taiwan, leaving him behind with his
grandfather. He began to write poetry at
the age of 19. In 1934, two of his poems
were recognized by KITAHARA Hakushu,
the most respected poet of the time. This
marked the beginning of Mado’s career as acreator of nursery rhymes, songs and poems
for children. The Animals , co-publishedbecame a huge hit and received several
literature awards in and outside of Japan,
including the IBBY Honour List and the
Batchelder Award in the USA. Her series The
Beast Player is now out in the USA and theUK.

in the USA and Japan as a bilingual book,
was translated by then Empress Michiko ofJapan.

ANNO Mitsumasa 1926-2020

AKABA Suekichi 1910-1990

1984 Illustrator Award

1980 Illustrator Award

Born in Tsuwano, a village located in a valley
surrounded by mountains, ANNO Mitsumasa
developed a strong desire to experienceplaces beyond those mountains while
growing up. This is reflected in his books.
He taught art in elementary school for ten
years; his first two picture books reflect his
love of playing with visual perception, and his
drawings, often compared to Escher, not onlyabound with visual trickery and illusions but
also display a playful sense of humour.

Born in Tokyo, AKABA Suekichi emigrated
to Manchuria at the age of 21. He worked
in industry and began to paint while still
there. He was awarded special recognition
three times at the Manchurian National
Art Exhibition. After returning to Japan at
the age of 36, Akaba mastered painting
techniques on his own; he published his first
picture book in 1961. His influences include
traditional Japanese painting and Felix
Hoffmann.

These authors and illustrators, among the finest creators of Japanese children’s literature, were
all nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Five were named winners.

Nominees since 2000

ARAI Ryoji

CHO Shinta

1956-

1927-2005

HAYASHI Akiko
1945-

2022 Illustrator

1998, 2000 Illustrator

2008, 2010 Illustrator

ISHII Momoko

IWASE Joko

KAKO Satoshi

KANZAWA Toshiko

1907-20081950-

1926-2018

1924-

2002 Author

2022 Author

2012 Illustrator

2000, 2006 Author

KATAYAMA Ken

NASU Masamoto

OHTA Daihachi

SATO Satoru

1940-

1942-2021

1918-2016

1928-20172014, 2016 Illustrator

2012 Author

1970, 2002-2006 Illustrator

2004 Author

TANIKAWA Shuntaro

TASHIMA Seizo

TOMIYASU Yoko

1931-

1940-

1959-

2008, 2010 Author

2018, 2020 Illustrator

2020 Author

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Japanese Books Selected forthe IBBY Honour ListJBBY has selected books for three categories (writing/illustration/translation) of the IBBY Honour List every
two years since 1996. Since 2008, JBBY has given these books the JBBY Award.
Writing 2022
HANAGATA Mitsuru
Tokujiro and I
Tokujiro to boku
RironshaWriting 2020
NASHIYA Arie
Sensing Your Presence
Kimi no sonzai o ishiki suru
PoplarWriting 2018
FURUUCHI Kazue
Hula Boys
Furadan
Komine Shoten

Writing 2016
IWASE Joko
Since the New One Came
Atarashii ko ga kite
Iwasaki Shoten

Writing 2014
MAHARA Mito
Where the Steel Sparks Fly
Tetsu no shibuki ga haneru
KodanshaWriting 2010
HAMANO Kyoko
FusionFyujonKodanshaWriting 2008
TAKADONO Hoko
Let's Be Frrrrriends
Otomodasa ni narimasho
Froebel-kan

Writing 2006
OGIWARA Noriko
The Tale of the Flute Player
Fujinhisho
Tokuma Shoten

Writing 2004
UEHASHI Nahoko
Guardian of the God
Kami no moribito
Kaiseisha

Writing 2002
TOMIYASU Yoko
Mokko in Mount Yamamba
Yamanba yama no Mokko tachi
Fukuinkan Shoten

Writing 2000
ITO YuA Bridge to the Other WorldOni no hashi
Fukuinkan Shoten

Writing 1998
OKADA Jun
The Stories of the Kosoado Woods
Kosoado no mori no monogatari
RironshaWriting 1996
ITO Hiroshi
Hurrah, I'm a Monkey
Osaru ni naru hi
KodanshaWriting 1994
IWASE Joko
Tanikawa Said It's Not a Lie
Uso janaiyo to Tanikawa kun wa itta
PHP InstituteWritingIllustration
Illustration 2018SUZUKI Koji
Dome Story
Domu gatari
Text: Arthur Binard
Tamagawa University Press

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Illustration 2022
TASHIMA Seizo
Gotcha!
Tsukamaeta
Kaiseisha

Illustration 2016
YOSHIDA Hisanori
The Ranch of Hope in Fukushima
Kibo no bokujo
Text: MORI Eto
Iwasaki Shoten

Illustration 2020
TAMURA Shigeru
Night Sounds
Yoru no oto
Kaiseisha

Illustration 2014
ABE Hiroshi
To the New World
Shin sekai eKaiseishaIllustration 2012INOUE Yosuke
Hats
Boshi
East Press

Illustration 2006
CHO Shinta
The Story of the Earthworm
Named Ossan
Mimizu no Ossan
Doshinsha

Illustration 2000
ONO Kaoru
The Night of Kagura
OkaguraText: WAKI Akiko
PoplarIllustration 2010
ITO Hideo
Ushio
Ushio
Billiken Shuppan

Illustration 2004
SAITO Takao
The Frogs and the Cat:
Story Inspired by Heike
Monogatari
Kaeru no Heike monogatari
Text: HINO Kazunari
Fukuinkan Shoten
Illustration 1998
KOBAYASHI Yutaka
My Sweet Village
Sekai ichi utsukushii
boku no mura
PoplarIllustration 2008
ARAI Ryoji
A Sound of Taiyo-Organ
Taiyo orugan
Kaiseisha

Illustration 2002
CHO Shinta
The Magical Fun of
the Long-nosed Ogre
Tengu no hauchiwa
Text: KAYAMA Yoshiko
Kyoiku Gageki
Illustration 1996
MATSUOKA Tatsuhide
Exploring the Dinosaur Age
with My Robot
Boku no robotto kyoryu tanken
Fukuinkan Shoten

Translation 2022
Trans. NAGNO Toru
Pholus the Centaur
by Roberto Piumini
Kentaurosu no Porosu
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 2020
Trans. NISHIMURA Yumi
De Blauwe Maansteen
by Tonke Dragt
Aoi tsuki no ishi
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 2018
Trans. MOTAI Natsuu
Please Be Quiet, My Father is
Taking a Nap: Jewish Folktales
Oshizukani, chichi ga hirune shiteorimasu
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 2016
Trans. HARADA Masaru
No Crystal Stair
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Haremu no tatakau honya
Asunaro Shobo

Translation 2014
Trans. JINGU Teruo
Swallows and Amazons
by Arthur Ransome
Tsubame-go to Amazon-go
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 2012
Trans. SAITO Michiko
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
Shikago yori tondemonai machi
Tokyo Sogensha

Translation 2010
Trans. KODAMA Tomoko
Dido and Pa by Joan Aiken
Daido to tochan
FuzanboTranslation 2008
Trans. CHIBA Shigeki
Dumb Creatures by Jeanne Willis
Ori no naka no himitsu
Asunaro Shobo

Translation 2006
Trans. HISHIKI Akirako
Maj Darlin by Mats Wahl
Mai ga ita natsu
Tokuma Shoten

Translation 2004
Trans. MATSUOKA Kyoko
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
Ramona to atarashii kazoku
GakkenTranslation 2002
Trans. SAKUMA Yumiko
Last Summer with Maizon
by Jacqueline Woodson
Magaretto to Meizon
PoplarTranslation 2000
Trans. SAKAI Haruhiko
The Arabian Nights
edited by Wiggin and Smith
Arabian naito
Fukuinkan Shoten

Translation 1998
Trans. WAKI Akiko
The Silent Shore by Ruth Elwin HarrisOka no ie no Sera
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 1996
Trans. KAKEGAWA Yasuko
Darkling by K. M. Peyton
Unmei no uma Dakuringu
Iwanami Shoten

Translation

25

Recent Translations into Japanese
Recommended by JBBYJBBY selected books in three categories (picture books, chapter books andnovels, nonfiction) for its recent publication Translated Children’s Books. JBBY
publishes this catalog every year for Japanese readers.

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Picture Books

Tiger Walk by Dianne Hofmeyr & Jesse Hodgson (UK) | Tora to issho ni,trans. SAKUMA Yumiko; Tokuma Shoten

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman (US) | Yokoso!
Koko wa minna no gakko dayo, trans. YOSHIGAMI Kyota; Suzuki Shuppan

The Water Princess by Susan Varde & Peter H. Reynolds (US) | Mizu okumu purinsesu, trans. SAKUMA Yumiko; Saela Shobo

Alma Y Cómo Obtuvo Su Nombre by Juana Martinez-Neal (US) | Aruma
no namae ga nagai wake, trans. UNO Kazumi; Goblin Shobo

Chapter Books and Novels

Cuando las niñas vuelan alto by Raquel Díaz Reguera (ES) | Takaku
tobitate onnanoko, trans. HOSHINO Yumi; Chobunsha

Alaska by Anna Woltz (NL) | Oide, Arasuka!, trans. NOZAKA Etsuko;
Froebel-kan

The Day War Came by Nicola Davies & Rebecca Cobb (UK) | Senso gayatte kita hi, trans. ITO Nobuko; Suzuki Shuppan

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely (US) | Oru amerikan
boizu, trans. NAKANO Reina; Kaiseisha

El mapa de los buenos momentos by Fran Nuño & Zuzanna Celej (ES) |Shiawase na toki no chizu, trans. UNO Kazumi; Holp Shuppan

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (US) | Toraware no Amaru, trans. SAGARA
Michiko; Saela Shobo

Ga je mee? by Charlotte Dematons (NL) | Boku to issho ni, trans. NOZAKA
Etsuko; Bronze Shinsha

Anne Frank: The Graphic Diary adapted by Ari Folman & ill. David
Polonsky (DE) | Gurafikkuban Anne no nikki, trans. FUKAMACHI Mariko;
Asunaro Shobo

If All the World were… by Joseph Coelho & Alison Colpoys (UK) | Omoide
wa kienai yo, trans. YOKOYAMA Kazue; Bunken ShuppanБЕЛЫЙ ВОЛК by Grigoriĭ Dikov & Dim Rezchikov (RU) | Shinimori no
shiroi okami, trans. AIBA Tae; Tokuma Shoten

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (US) | Jurian wa mameido, trans.
YOKOYAMA Kazue; Thousands of Books

Blended by Sharon M. Draper (US) | Kyarameru iro no watashi, trans.
YOKOYAMA Kazue; Suzuki Shuppan

Mam is a Haenyeo by Ko Hee-young & Eva Armisen (KR) | Mama to umi
no yakusoku, trans. OTAKE Kiyomi; Shufunotomosha

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman (US) | Hashi no ue no
kodomotachi, trans. TANAKA Natsuko; Kodansha

Perdu by Richard Jones (UK) | Kitto dokoka ni, trans. FUKUMOTO Yumiko;Froebel-kan

Copyboy by Vince Vawter (US) | Kopi boi, trans. HARADA Masaru; Iwanami
ShotenThe Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad & Hatem Aly (US) | Ne-san no
aoi hijabu, trans. NOZAKA Etsuko; BL Shuppan

The Curse of the School Rabbit by Judith Kerr (UK) | Usagi to boku no
komatta mainichi, trans. KODAMA Tomoko; Tokuma Shoten

Robinson by Peter Sís (US) | Robinson, trans. TAKAYANAGI Katsuhiro;
KaiseishaEnglish Fairy Tales (excerpt) by Joseph Jacobs (UK) | Kajiya to yo-sei tachi,
edit./trans. WAKI Akiko; Iwanami Shoten

Stella and Seagull by Georgina Stevens & Izzy Burton (UK) | Sutera to
kamome to purasuchikku, trans. ITO Nobuko; Iwasaki Shoten

Hedgehog and Mole Go Ballooning by Alison Uttley (UK) | Harinezumi tomogura no fusen ryoko, trans. KAMIJO Yumiko; Fukuinkan Shoten

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (US) | Arigato, Amo!, trans. MIHARA Izumi;
Suzuki Shuppan

Jelly by Jo Cotterill (UK) | Himitsu no noto, trans. SUGITA Nanae;
Shogakukan

Three Moms & Three Lunchboxes by Ji-Seung Kook (KR) | San-nin nomama to mittsu no obento, trans. SAITO Mariko; Bronze Shinsha

The Last Soldier by Keith Gray (UK) | Tosan ga kaeranai machi de, trans.
NOZAWA Kaori; Tokuma Shoten

The Light Princess by George MacDonald & Maurice Sendak (US) | Karuiohimesama, trans. WAKI Akiko; Iwanami Shoten

A Wolf Called Wonder by Rosanne Parry & Mónica Armiño (US) | Okamino tabi, trans. DATE Jun; Akane Shobo

Meister Marios Geschichte by Rafik Schami (DE) | Ningyo tsukai Mario no
ohanashi, trans. MATSUNAGA Miho; Tokuma Shoten

青銅葵花 by 曹文軒 | (CN) | Seido to himawari, trans. NAKA Yumiko;
Juritsusha

The Mistery of the Colour Thief by Ewa Jozefkowicz (UK) | Iro dorobo osagashite, trans. OSAKU Michiko; Poplar

Nonfiction

My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne (UK) | Ani no na wa Jeshika,trans. HARADA Masaru; Asunaro Shobo

Balderdash! by Michelle Markel & Nancy Carpenter (US) | Kodomo no
hon no sekai o kaeta Nyuberi no monogatari, trans. KANEHARA Mizuto;
Nishimura Shoten

To Nightowl, From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer (US)| Yoru fukuro to doggu fisshu, trans. SANBE Ritsuko; Shogakukan

The Bug Girl by Sophia Spencer & Margaret McNamara (US) | Mushi garu,
trans. FUKUMOTO Yumiko; Iwasaki Shoten

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos (US) | Supa Nova, trans. CHIBA
Shigeki; Asunaro Shobo

Cats and Kittens by Tomie dePaola (US) | Neko to nakayoku naro yo, trans.
FUKUMOTO Yumiko; Mitsumura Kyoiku Tosho

La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises by Jean=Claude Grumberg (FR) |Kamisama no kamotsu, trans. KONO Mariko; Poplar

Children in Our World: Culture and Diversity by Marie Murray & Hanane
Kai (UK) | Ima, sekai wa abunai no?, trans. OYAMA Izumi; Hyoronsha

This Post Is Password Protected by Young-mee Hwang (KR) | Cherishurinpu: watashi wa watashi, trans. YOSHIHARA Ikuko; Kinnohoshisha

Consent (for Kids!) by Rachel Brian (US) | Kodomo o mamoru kotoba doi
tte nani?, trans. NAKAI Haruno; Shueisha

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz and Brian Floca (US)| Ohime-sama ni natta wani, trans. NAKANO Reina; Fukuinkan ShotenDášeňka by Karel Čapek (CZ) | Dashenka, trans. HANDA Ryosuke; Seidosha

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen by Susin Nielsen (CA) | Boku
dake no buchimake nikki, trans. NAGATOMO Keiko; Iwanami Shoten

Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran jeet Singh & Baljinder Kaur (US) |Hyakusai ranna no monogatari, trans. OTSUKA Noriko; Nishimura Shoten

Rymlingarna by Ulf Stark & Kitty Crowther (SE) | Oji-chan tono saigo no
tabi, trans. HISHIKI Akirako; Tokuma Shoten

The House By The Lake by Thomas Harding & Britta Teckentrup (UK) | Ano
mizuumi no ano ie ni okita koto, trans. OCHIAI Keiko; Crayon House

The Skylarks' War by Hilary McKay (UK) | Rubato no ita natsu, trans.
TOMINAGA Hoshi; Tokuma Shoten

How to Build an Orchestra by Maru Auld & Elisa Paganelli (UK) |Okesutora o tsukuro, trans. IWAJO Yoshihito; BL Shuppan

The Snow Angel by Lauren ST Jhon (UK) | Yukiyama no enjeru, trans.
SAKUMA Yumiko; Hyoronsha

I Know This to Be True: Bryan Stevenson edit. by Geoff Blackwell & Ruth
Hobday (US) | Buraian Sutibunson, trans. HARADA Masaru; Asunaro Shobo

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (US) | Gin o tsumugu mono, trans. NAWA
Kaori; Seizansha

It Began with a Page by Kyo Maclear & Julie Morstad (US) | Hajimari wa
masshiro na kami, trans. YAGI Kyoko; Froebel-kan

Trilogie der Wendepunkte by Klaus Kordon (DE) | Berurin sanbu saku,
trans. SAKAYORI Shinichi; Iwanami Shoten

Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht & Peter Jarvis (UK) | Harouin no kabocha okazaro, trans. NAKAGAWA Chihiro; BL Shuppan

Trouble Don't Last by Shelly Pearsall (US) | Kanata no hikari, trans. SAITOMichiko; Kaiseisha

A Planet Full of Plastic by Neal Layton (UK) | Purasuchikku sei niwa
naritaku nai!, trans. IWAJO Yoshihito; Hisakata ChildThe Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden by Karina Yan Glaser (US) |Niwa zukuri wa himitsu, trans. TANAKA Kaoruko; Tokuma Shoten

Write To Me by Cynthia Grady & Amiko Hirao (US) | Watashi ni tegami okaite, trans. MATSUKAWA Mayumi; Hyoronsha

Waiting For Anya by Michael Morpurgo (UK) | Anya wa kitto kuru, trans.
SATO Mikamu; Hyoronsha
Warum Wir Günter Umbringen Wollten by Hermann Schulz (DE) |Bokutachi ga Gyunta o koroso to shita hi, trans. WATANABE Hirosuke;
Tokuma Shoten
The Wee Christmas Cabin of Carn-na-ween by Ruth Saeyer (US) |Kurisumasu no koya, trans. KAMIJO Yumiko; Fukuinkan Shoten

27

Japanese Children's Books 2022

JBBY’s recommendations for young readers throughout the world© Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY), 2022
JBBY Secretariat
1-32 Kandajimbocho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0051 Japan
Tel. [int. +81] 3 6273 7703
Fax [int. +81] 3 6273 7708
E-mail: info@jbby.org
https://jbby.org/
Translation: Cathy Hirano, Ginny Tapley Takemori, Avery Fischer Udagawa
Supported by
The Foundation for the Advancement of Juvenile Education in Japan

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