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

2020
Japanese
Children's Books

Cover illustration

Japanese Children's Books

Chiki KIKUCHI
Born in 1975 in Hokkaido. After working at a design
firm, he decided at age 33 to become a picturebook artist. His book Shironeko kuroneko (White
Cat, Black Cat; Gakken Plus) won a Golden Apple
at the 2013 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB),
and his book Momiji no tegami (Maple Leaf Letter;
Komine Shoten) won a plaque at the 2019 BIB. His
other works include Boku da yo, boku da yo (It’s Me,
It’s Me; Rironsha), Chikiban nyaa (Chiki Bang Meow;
Gakken Plus), Pa-o-po no uta (Pa-o-po Song; Kosei
Shuppan), Tora no ko Torata (Torata the Tiger Cub;
Shogakukan), and Shiro to kuro (White and Black;
Kodansha).

2020

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 12 nominees from Japan .........................................................20● Japanese Books Selected for the IBBY Honour List ....................................22● Essay: Children’s Literature as a Part of Japan’s Publishing Statistics........................ 24● Recent Translations into Japanese Recommended by JBBY.....................26

JBBY Book Selection and Review TeamThe JBBY Book Selection and Review Team collaboratively chose the titles listed in thispublication. The name in parentheses after each book description is the last name of theteam member who wrote the description.
Yasuko DOI

Director and senior researcher at the International Insti-

tute for Children’s Literature (IICLO). Besides researchingreading activities and the history of Japanese children’s
literature, she plans projects such as training courses
for teachers and librarians, as well as lectures and symposiums for children’s book authors from Japan andoverseas. Coeditor of I Could Read by Myself!; Book Guideof 200 Books for Young Children (Hyoronsha) among oth-ers. Jury for the 2018 and 2020 Hans Christian Andersen
Awards. JBBY board member.

Akira NOGAMI

At Shogakukan, served as editor of First Grader monthly
magazine, head of children’s books, company director,
and finally president and CEO of Shogakukan Creative.
Taught children’s literature and culture at Shirayuri University and Tokyo Seitoku University. His writings in Japa-

nese include To the Modern Children’s Literature of Japan(Parorusha), Children’s Literature Crossing Borders (Na-gasaki 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.

Yukiko HIROMATSU

Picture book author, critic, and curator. Her writings inJapanese include the series Picture Books of Old Tales
for Now Vols. 1-11 (Iwasaki Shoten). Her translations
into Japanese include Run, Toto! by Eun-young Cho(Bunka Shuppankyoku), winner of the Japan Picture Book
Awards Translation Award, and A World of Your Own by
Laura Carlin (BL Shuppan). She has sat on the jury of the
Bologna llustrators Exhibition, the Biennial of Illustrations
Bratislava, and the Nami Concours. Former chief curatorof Chihiro Art Museum, Tokyo. JBBY board member.

Yumiko SAKUMA

Translator, 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 of Enzaro Village (Fukuinkan Shoten).
Her more than 250 translations of books from English to
Japanese range from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and thepicture books of Maurice Sendak to Refugee by Alan Gratz.
Her translation of Last Summer with Maizon by Jacqueline
Woodson made the IBBY Honour List. JBBY president.

Junko SHIOZAKI

Researcher, part-time lecturer at Keio University, and amember of the steering committee of the Association ofChildren’s Libraries (Jitoken). She obtained her PhD in Li-

brary and Information Science after working as a librarianin 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 Historyof Library Services to Children—Development of Public
Library Services to Children in Postwar Japan (Sogensha).
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 ofPages | 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
to take advantage of the prolific information generated by IBBY and to encourage mutual understanding. Our mission is to create a peaceful future forchildren worldwide through books.
JBBY 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
for international 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,please contact us: info@jbby.org
Yumiko SAKUMA, JBBY President

Cover illustration © Chiki Kikuchi

Recent
Picture
Books

1

2

Let's Search for a Cool Place（あついあつい／ Atsui atsui）

Text/Illus. Taruishi, Mako | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2019 | 24
pp. | 22 x 21 cm | ISBN 9784834084610 | Ages 0+ | Pen-

The Snail Taxi

（かたつむりタクシー／ Katatsumuri takushii）

Text/Illus. Tamura, Shigeru | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2018 | 24
pp. | 22 x 21 cm | ISBN 9784834084160 | Ages 2+ | Ant,
Snail, Taxi, Family

guins, Seals, Hippopotamus, Elephants

A penguin trots around sweating heavily andcomplaining, “It’s too hot!” Finally he finds a cool,shady spot, but then realizes it’s in the shadow of
the seal’s body. So now the two of them go aroundlooking for somewhere cool, and gain more friends
along the way as the hippopotamus and the elephant join them in their search for a somewhere
else cool. And eventually they reach the big wide
ocean! As you turn the pages, children can guess
which animal will appear next, and enjoy the rhythmof the words that are repeated. This is a cheerful
picture book with a bright yellow background, andamusing pictures of the animals who are so hot they
can’t stand it. (Shiozaki)

3

4Granny Bo-Peep5

Little Shadow

Maple Leaf Letter（いないいないばあさん／ IInai inai baa-san）（くろいの／ Kuroi no）（もみじのてがみ／ Momiji no tegami）

This picture book is about a boy who goes for walks
with his granny, but she keeps suddenly disappearing and reappearing somewhere totally unexpected.
His granny pretends to be a mannequin in a show
window, hides under a bridge and jumps out at
him, poses on top of a statue in the park, hangs
upside down behind the stairs, stands on top of achimney, and suddenly appears out of a snowman.
The pictures of the chubby granny as she goes toextraordinary lengths to surprise her grandson are
amusing, and it’s fun to see the boy wide-eyed as
he is continually being surprised. (Doi)On her walk home, a little girl encounters the small,completely black Little Shadow, which no one else
can see. One day, the girl works up her courage andtalks to Little Shadow, and it leads her down a lane
and through a wall to a house. An adventure all theirown begins, as the two climb from a storeroom into
an attic room, where a mysterious play space awaits.
This 64-page picture book is illustrated entirely withcopperplate etchings. Detail and the black tone
stimulate the senses, lending wonder to a pool ofsunlight on the porch; a shadow in the storeroom;
plants. Even the smell of the old house is evoked.
Winner of the Nami Concours Purple Island Prizeand Shogakukan Children’s Book Award. (Hiromatsu)

A thrush brings a mouse a letter from beyond themountains. Consisting of a single maple leaf, thisletter brings tidings of winter. The mouse, gathering
the squirrel and brown-eared bulbul, goes in searchof maple leaves on the mountain where they live. At
first, when they see something red, it turns out to bea mushroom or a camellia. But before long, a pure
red scene of maple leaves spreads before them. The
expansive, free illustration style brings the animal
characters to life. Watercolor paintings with bleed
and blur, involving a limited palette, make the reds
stand out. A 2019 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava
plaque winner, this book’s covers and endpapers
also deserve close attention. (Hiromatsu)

Text/Illus. Sasaki, Maki | Kaiseisha | 2019 | 32 pp. | 24 x
19 cm | ISBN 9784032326000 | Ages 3+ | Grandmothers,
Nonsense, Hide-and-seek

4

A young ant’s mother sees him and his father off
from their fruit candy tin home as they go to his
grandmother’s house. It starts to rain, so they take asnail taxi and enjoy the ride to Rocking Horse Park.
Father and son enjoy the landscapes as the taxi
climbs a mountain, crosses over on the underside ofa bridge, and passes through a pond. Along the way
they drink some juice at a juice stand, and eventually arrive safely at Granny’s house. It is interesting
to see the world from the perspective of an ant, andfun to see how insects use leaves and mushrooms
as umbrellas, and how they devise ways to convert
bottles and flowerpots into their homes. (Doi)Text/Illus. Tanaka, Kiyo | Kaiseisha | 2018 | 64 pp. | 19 x 23
cm | ISBN 9784033328805 | Ages 3+ | Girls, Imaginary
creatures, Attics

Text/Illus. Kikuchi, Chiki | Komine Shoten | 2018 | 32 pp.
| 23 x 31 cm | ISBN 9784338261326 | Ages 3+ | Maple
leaves, Animals, Winter preparations, Letters

Recent Picture Books
68

7The Mirage Picture BookThe Ororon Parade（まぼろしえほん／ Maboroshi ehon）（おろろん おろろん／ Ororon ororon）

Text/Illus. Inoue, Yosuke | Suzuki Shuppan | 2018 | 28 pp. |27 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784790253631 | Ages 3+ | Nonsense

Text/Illus. Ishiguro, Ayako | Kaiseisha | 2019 | 32 pp. | 19
x 24 cm | ISBN 9784033520803 | Ages 3+ | Monsters, Pa-

This picture book is inspired by a sixteenth-century
illustrated scroll called Night Parade of the One
Hundred Demons. Here the parade of monsters
and spirits is called Ororon. On the night of a red
moon, the parent monsters and spirits go out for
the Ororon Parade. Left behind at home, the children decide to do their own Ororon Parade. They
call together their friends, sing and dance, makestrange faces, and practice music. They start out inhigh spirits, but after a while they lose their way andbecome discouraged and uneasy. They are beginning to feel really scared when they have a pleasantsurprise. It is a slightly scary but delightful book by
an author known for painting pictures of monsters.
(Sakuma)

10

The Pea-sized Boy Patufet:
A Folktale from Catalonia, Spain（まめつぶこぞうパトゥフェ／ Mametsubu kozo Patoufe）
Text: Uno, Kazumi | Illus. Sasameya, Yuki | BL Shuppan |2018 | 32 pp. | 29 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784776408628 | Ages
3+ | Folktale, Cow, Fart, Errand

Patufet is an active little boy who tries to do everything even though he is pea-sized. When his motherasks him to go and buy some saffron, he successfully fulfills his mission. To make sure no one steps
on him, he sings “Patan, patine, paton” the whole
way there. When he goes to take lunch to his father,
however, it begins to rain. Patufet shelters under acabbage leaf, but is swallowed by a cow that eats
the cabbage. What does he do? The resourceful boy
sings loudly inside the cow’s stomach so that his
parents can find him and leaps out when the cow
farts. The illustrations and text are fun and entertaining. (Sakuma)

Text: Tanikawa, Shuntaro | Illus. Noritake | Bronze Publishing | 2019 | 32 pp. | 19 x 19 cm | ISBN 9784893096579 |Ages 3+ | Peace, War

rade, Parents and children

Each page of this nonsense picture book begins
with the words “Nobody knows but...” and follows
up with startling revelations of strange things humans don’t realize, such as the moon really being alight bulb or a bear sleeping in a train. When a roadis rolled up and taken away, the reader is left pondering what a road really is, while the image of adog walking a human makes the reader reconsider
the relationship between animals and humans. The
allegorical illustrations are drawn with a warm touchand capture the humorous gap between the uniquereality imagined here and the reality we know. (Doi)9

Peace and War（へいわとせんそう／ Heiwa to senso）

As a teenager, the author was forced to flee fromfire bombs during World War II, at which time hesaw countless corpses. In this book, however, heneither shares those painful experiences nor talks
about peace in abstract terms. Instead, he takes
familiar things and actions that we take for granted
and juxtaposes what they look like during a timeof peace and a time of war. The book begins witha child (me at peace, me at war) and progresses
through a father, a mother, a family, a tool of peace(a pencil) and a tool of war (a gun), as well as suchthings as a queue, a tree, the sea, a town, night, anda cloud. Except for the mushroom cloud rising fromthe atomic bomb, which is a photo, the pages areillustrated with simple black-and-white drawings. In
the last spread, “a baby on our side” and “an enemy
baby,” the pictures are identical. (Sakuma)

11

Turning on a Flashlight

Undies People（かいちゅうでんとう／ Kaichu dento）（ぱんつさん／ Pantsu-san）I’m never scared in my room at night, even when
it gets dark. I switch on my flashlight, and start exploring with my older brother. When I shine it on
the wall, the light is round. If I go closer to the wall,the circle of light gets smaller. Light and shadows
dance, and the room I thought I knew really wellalways looks completely different. Can you catchlight? How far does light go? This picture bookis mostly black and white, capturing the contrast
between light and dark with a soft touch, making it
easy for small children to understand the fascinationof light. (Shiozaki)

Clay figures emerge from the mud wearing colorful
undies. A giant hand appears and grasps a clay figure. The picture zooms out and we see that the man
to whom the hand belongs is also a man wearing
undies. He uses the figure to open a bottle and takea drink. The picture zooms out again, and an evenlarger man is stringing the man taking a drink on achain as a pendant and fastening the pendant to his
girlfriend’s neck. The picture zooms out again andthe man and his girlfriend are being hung by theirundies on the clothesline to dry by an even bigger
woman dressed in undies. A sudden shower falls,
and when it stops, we see that this whole world fits
under the hand of a little girl playing in a sandbox.
A nonsense book that challenges the reader’s senseof scale as absurd figures wearing undies grow everlarger from one page to the next. (Nogami)

Text/Illus. Miyakoshi, Akiko | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2018 | 24
pp. | 23 x 21 cm | ISBN 9784834084191 | Ages 3+ | Flashlight, Night, Shadow, Science

Text/Illus. Tanaka, Hikaru | Poplar | 2019 | 36 pp. | 31 x 22
cm | ISBN 9784591160497 | Ages 3+ | Underpants, Big,
Small, People

5

12

13

Gorobe in the Land of Mononoke

A Japanese Summer

The King of Circles（ごろべえ もののけのくにへいく／ Gorobe monoke nokuni e iku）

（なっちゃんの なつ／ Nacchan no natsu）（まるのおうさま／ Maru no osama）

Long ago, there lived the strongest samurai in all
Japan: Gorobe. He wanted to experience fear, anemotion he had never felt. On the advice of a Buddhist temple’s head priest, he journeyed to the landof mononoke (evil spirits). But though he happened
upon a mononoke banquet, and a giant monster
tried everything to scare him, he merely felt amazedor amused. Then, when he returned to the temple, ayoung monk offered to teach him fear. This folktalelike story of studying fear resembles some of theGrimms’ fairy tales. The ending has a witty twist
that leaves the courtly, tenderhearted Gorobe—andreaders—shuddering. (Hiromatsu)

O-Bon is a Japanese summer ritual of honoring one’s ancestors. On the day of O-Bon, a little
girl named Nacchan goes alone to the riverbank,encountering plants and creatures. The kudzu
vine tickles her heel so she laughs. The sunflower
watches her with its round eye, seeming unwell
today. From the shadows, Nacchan watches a grey
heron move, sips some salvia nectar, and uses a fouro’clock flower to paint her fingernails and nose. The
reader shares in her enjoyment of the wind throughthe grasses, the discomfort of a mosquito bite, theloneliness of seeing a dead cicada fall. Prose poemlike writing and watercolor illustrations stimulate thesenses as well as the emotions. This book portrays
a full summer day when life and death intertwine.
(Hiromatsu)

The plate says, “I’m the roundest thing in the world.
I am the king of circles.” No sooner have the words
left his mouth than he falls from the shelf andshatters. A pair of cymbals laughs and declaresthat he’s the true king of circles. But as soon as hesays so, he is crushed by a bouncing, rolling wheel.
Many others, including a compass, an orange, anda record claim to be king. Finally, the Earth declaresthat they do not need a king of circles. He points
out that there are countless stars in the universethat are even bigger than the sun. The last pageencourages readers to draw their own circles,
concluding with a graceful brush-drawn circle inblack ink. The creative design and bright colors
transmit the beauty, mystery and freedom of circles.
(Doi)

Text: Ito, Hiromi | Illus. Katayama, Ken | Fukuinkan Shoten| 2019 | 28 pp. | 26 x 23 cm | ISBN 9784834084665 | Ages
4+ | Summer, Nature, Life, Senses

Text/Illus. Otomo, Yasuo | Doshinsha | 2018 | 32 pp. | 21
x 23 cm | ISBN 9784494016297 | Ages 4+ | Mononoke,
Samurai, Wit stories, Folklore

15

16

Little Frogs Play Hide-and-Seek（あまがえるのかくれんぼ／ Amagaeru no kakurenbo）

Text: Tateno, Hiroshi | Illus. Kawashima, Haruko | Sekai
Bunkasha | 2019 | 24 pp. | 27 x 24 cm | ISBN 9784418198085 | Ages 4+ | Tree frogs, Camouflage, Hide-and-seekThree frog children are playing hide-and-seek inthe grass, when all of a sudden one of them turns
brown. The other two wash and scrub him, but hiscolor remains stubbornly brown. They are wondering why when suddenly a heron swoops down fromthe sky. The shocked frogs freeze, and the heronmoves away without noticing them. Through a fun
story, this picture book informs the readers how
as frogs grow, their bodies change color to blend
in with their surroundings. The illustrator spent a
number of years watching tree frogs breed, and her
illustrations accurately capture the actions of thefrogs. It is also fun discovering the other small creatures. (Sakuma)

6

14

Text: Tanikawa, Shuntaro | Illus. Awazu, Kiyoshi | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2019 | 24 pp. | 26 x 23 cm | ISBN 9784834084535| Ages 4+ | Circle, King, Nonsense

17

I’ve Started Playing Japanese Chess（しょうぎ はじめました／ Shogi hajimemashita）

Text: Mabe, Kayo | Illus. Tanaka, Rokudai | Bunken Shuppan | 2019 | 32 pp. | 27 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784580823471 |Ages 5+ | Shogi, Traditional games, Board games, Grandfathers

Shogi, often called Japanese chess, is a traditionalboard game played by two people. In this book, themain character learns to play shogi at after-school
recreation, but he always loses games to older students or his father. When summer comes, he goesto stay with his grandfather, an excellent shogi player, and asks him for lessons. Even readers who havenot played shogi will be able to follow their story
and absorb shogi rules, beginner practice methods,
and winning strategies. While the book conveys thefun of shogi, it also shows with warmth the interactions between generations of a family. The coverand back cover turn into shogi pieces and a board,
letting readers play right away! (Hiromatsu)

Let Me Tell You a Long Story（なんげえはなしっこ しかへがな／ Nange hanashikko
shikahegana）
Text: Kita, Shosuke | Illus. Ota, Daihachi | BL Shuppan |2018 | 32 pp. | 31 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784776408819 | Ages
5+ | Folktale, Endless story, Aomori

Narrated in the Tsugaru dialect of Aomori in northern Japan, the book begins with the phrase “Let metell you a long story.” The author relates many longtales such as that of a crow that cawed each timea chestnut fell from a tree until the very last nut
fell after a year and three days, a singing contest
between a cicada and a turtledove, a snake whocame out of a hole, a carpenter bee who flew outof a storehouse, kappa children who dived one by
one into the water, and the loincloth of the thundergod. In the last story, a monk chants “Tagazugu,
tagazugu” to make a hag grow until she reaches theclouds. The unusual northern dialect along with theJapanese-style illustrations make this book endlessfun. (Doi)Recent Picture Books
18

19

Mitsu

20

Mr. Octopus Comes to My House

Animal ABC Picture Book

（ミツ／ Mitsu）（タコやん／ Tako-yan）（どうぶつ ABC えほん／ Dobutsu ABC ehon）

The author takes his cat, Mitsu, for a walk in a spring
field. Mitsu is dying, and the fresh brightness ofthe yellow daffodils is the author’s final gift for his
beloved pet. The author holds Mitsu, who is now
as light as a ball of fluff, through the dark and rainynight. At dawn, Mitsu closes his eyes as thoughsquinting against the spring sunshine. The lives of
all the little animals in the field full of dandelions
are portrayed in colorful detail as if in celebration of
Mitsu’s life. On the last page, Mitsu smiles. The gentle language and illustrations portray the departureof a little life from this world, profoundly touching
the heart. (Nogami)

One day, Mr. Octopus comes over to Sho-chan’shouse wanting to play. Sho-chan is hesitant, but Mr.
Octopus turns out to be good at video games, soccer, and hide-and-seek. Everyone is impressed andpraises him, but he is quite bashful. In the evening,
Mr. Octopus goes back to the sea waving one of hiseight legs. The exchanges between Mr. Octopus andthe children are full of humor. A delightful picturebook by an author nominated for the 2020 Hans
Christian Andersen Award, who is an illustrator aswell as editor and essayist. (Shiozaki)

An illustrated ABC book that introduces animals andother things familiar to children from A to Z in both
English and Japanese. Using humorous characters,such as an alligator, an albatross, and an anteater,
and crisp, rhythmic sentences such as “An alligator ate an apple,” the book entices readers into theworld of words. Children can piece together eachstory as they discover many words and intriguing things in the colorful and detailed illustrations.
(Shiozaki)

Text/Illus. Nakano, Masanori | Kosei Shuppansha | 2019
| 32 pp. | 23 x 25 cm | ISBN 9784333028009 | Ages 5+ |Cats, Life, Death, Nature

21

Text: Tomiyasu, Yoko | Illus. Minami, Shinbo | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2019 | 32 pp. | 26 x 24 cm | ISBN 9784834084658| Ages 5+ | Octopus, Friends, Play

22

A Big Festival on a Small Island

23

The Day The Lions Saw the Wind

（ちいさな島の おおきな祭り／ Chisana shima no okina
matsuri）（ライオンの 風をみたいちにち／ Raion no kaze wo mita
ichinichi）

The small island of Taketomijima, with its 9-kilometer circumference covered in white coral sand, isin Okinawa on the westernmost tip of Japan. Every
October, the Tanedori Festival is held to pray forthe prosperity of the islanders’ descendants and forabundant harvests. The time-honored preparations
for this traditional festival, along with various unusual Shinto rituals and a sacred play, are portrayedin bright colors from the perspective of a six-yearold girl who will appear for the first time in the play
performed on the last day of the festival as an offering to the island gods. The detailed descriptionsof this festival, which has developed over 600 years
against a background of nature where it is always
summer, will also be of interest to cultural anthropologists. (Nogami)

A father lion with a mane like fire takes his fivechildren for a walk through the African savanna to“see the wind.” Scattered across the broad panorama of the plain are many kinds of animals. The
short manes of the giraffes flicker in the wind. A
family of warthogs marches through the tall grass,holding their tails high. A black rhinoceros stands
like a black stone in a sea of grass. The magnificent
savanna and the animals that live there are depictedin bold brush strokes, and the dynamic images
vividly convey the atmosphere of the wild kingdom
and the movement of the wind. (Nogami)

Text/Illus. Hamada, Keiko | Shin Nihon Shuppansha | 2019
| 32 pp. | 27 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784406063531 | Ages 6+ |Island, Festival, Gods, Seeds

Text: Yasue, Rie | Illus. Furiya, Nana | Nora Shoten | 2019
| 56 pp. | 18 x 19 cm | ISBN 9784905015437 | Ages 6+ |ABC, Picture books, Animals, Word games, English

Text/Illus. Abe, Hiroshi | Kosei Shuppansha | 2018 | 32 pp. |23 x 25 cm | ISBN 9784333027828 | Ages 6+ | Lion, Wind,
AfricaGolden Bird: A Tale from Bulgaria（金の星／ Kin no tori）

Text: Yaoita, Yoko | Illus. Sakata, Kiyoko | BL Shuppan |2018 | 40 pp. | 29 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784776408635 | Ages
6+ | Folktales, Bulgaria, Adventure, Illusion

A Japanese illustrator and author takes on a onceupon-a-time story from Bulgaria. A king orders
three princes to go in search of a golden bird. The
two older princes prove lazy and selfish, but the
youngest prince proves honest and intelligent.
Stumbling at times due to temptations, he nonetheless overcomes obstacles due to magical elements
such as a flying horse and a fine bridal garment
tucked in a chestnut shell. East and west combine inthis tale from a country with complex ethnic history.
Ms. Sakata debuted as a picture book illustrator in
Europe, but this title came out first in Japan. The refined use of color, bold composition, and exquisite
detail draw readers into the adventure. (Hiromatsu)

7

24

I Dream of a Journey

It’s New Year!

Konton（ぼくのたび／ Boku no tabi）（お正月がやってくる／ O-Shogatsu ga yatte kuru）（こんとん／ Konton）

The main character in this book manages a hotel ina small town. Every day, he welcomes guests fromaround the world and listens to their stories. Afterwork, when he climbs into bed, the wish to travel
wells up inside him. Never having left town before,
he travels to unknown places in his dreams. Then,a letter from a former hotel guest arrives, further
stirring his desire to visit guests around the world.
The illustrations, by an artist who ardently loves
travel, are all lithographs. The softly layered, beautiful colors draw readers into the hero’s imaginary
journey. This is the latest work by internationallyrenowned illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi, recognized at
the Bologna Ragazzi Awards and by The New YorkTimes/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards. (Hiromatsu)

This picture book portrays traditional Japanese
New Year customs. The protagonist is Naoko, wholives in a modern city where her husband manages
a construction firm. As the year draws to a close,
they buy a special lucky rake from a shrine fair, andthen some materials for New Year decorations at
Asakusa’s Gasa-ichi fair. They use these materials to
make traditional decorations, which they sell to local people. When they’ve finished that, their family
thoroughly cleans their house from top to bottom,
she prepares the special New Year’s food, and on
New Year’s Eve they eat buckwheat noodles as theysee in the New Year. And once the New Year has
started, in order to chase out bad luck, Naoko’s husband and others put on the Lion Mask and dance
to the accompaniment of drums and flutes as they
go around the neighbourhood wishing everyone a
Happy New Year. (Sakuma)

This picture book is never simply funny or sad. Its
theme is konton—chaos!—and it grew from the
Chinese legend of a mysterious monster. Having no
name, the monster is no one. Since the monster isno one, it can be anything. Wait, it has ears but can’t
hear? No, it has no ears, eyes, or mouth! But Konton
is always looking up at the sky and laughing! This
collaboration between a well-known novelist andmanga artist exudes chaos in every way—with its
text, illustrations, and even binding and printing.
If read repeatedly, however, with an openness tothe unknown, it gradually imparts joy, sadness, andbeauty. (Hiromatsu)

Text/Illus. Miyakoshi, Akiko | Bronze Publishing | 2018 | 32
pp. | 28 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784893096470 | Ages 6+ | Travel,
Hotels, Letters, Animals

27

Text/Illus. Akiyama, Tomoko | Poplar | 2018 | 32 pp. | 24 x
27 cm | ISBN 9784591160657 | Ages 6+ | New Year, New
Year’s Eve, Lion dance

28

Yamashita Doesn’t Speak

Text: Yumemakura, Baku | Illus. Matsumoto, Taiyo | Kaiseisha | 2019 | 40 pp. | 27 x 19 cm | ISBN 9784033328904 |Ages 6+ | Chaos, Chinese legend, Imaginary creatures

29

The Boy of Yanbaru

The Imaginary Museum of Fossils（ や ま し た く ん は し ゃ べ ら な い ／ Yamashita-kun wa
shaberanai）（やんばるの少年／ Yanbaru no shonen）（空想化石はくぶつかん／ Kuso kaseki hakubutsukan）

The narrator of this book has a classmate named
Yamashita, whose voice no one has heard. Yamashita makes mischief in class without speaking, andat the choir competition, he only lip-syncs. Shortly
before elementary school graduation, on a parent
observation day, Yamashita is due to present anessay. He brings a cassette recorder into the classroom and plays a recording of his voice. The author
himself did not speak throughout the nine years
of preschool and elementary school, and he based
this book on an episode in his life. Written from thepoint-of-view of a girl classmate, the book shows
Yamashita’s individuality and growth. The illustrator,
also a manga artist, created facial expressions thatconvey nuanced emotional changes. (Hiromatsu)

The word yanbaru refers to the original forest thatcovers the northern part of Okinawa island, thewesternmost part of Japan. It is a treasure troveof rare animal and bird species threatened withextinction. To the children in this story, the forest isa natural playground where they climb trees, jump
into the river, and fish. But the great trees are to
be felled to build an American air force base for
Ospreys. Local men and women protest by blocking
the road to stop the bulldozers. The powerful illustrations convey from a child’s perspective the cruelty of razing this bountiful forest to build a militarybase. (Nogami)

A young girl finds herself in a museum of mysterious fossils. The bones of a great dinosaur speak: “Wehave been waiting for you! Imagine us when wewere alive, will you?” As the girl imagines, the fossilsof an extinct species of coelacanth, the winged dinosaur Anchiornis, and other creatures from millionsof years ago come alive, take on skin and color, andmove! Inventory from the Oishi Fossils Gallery of
Mizuta Memorial Museum, Tokyo, was used as thebasis for creating this picture book. Realistic pencil
drawings lead one to ponder how life on Earth has
miraculously continued for such a long time. The
end-matter includes a fossil guide. (Hiromatsu)

Text: Yamashita, Kenji | Illus. Nakada, Ikumi | Iwasaki Shoten | 2018 | 32 pp. | 28 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784265086436 |Ages 6+ | Classmates, School life, Individuality, Voice

8

26

25

Text/Illus. Tajima, Yukihiko | Doshinsha | 2019 | 40 pp. | 25
x 26 cm | ISBN 9784494012459 | Ages 8+ | Forest, Nature,War, Osprey

Text/Illus. Mori, Yoko | Josai University Publishing | 2018 |48 pp. | 31 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784907630591 | Ages 8+ | Fossils, Museums, Prehistoric life, Imagination

Recent Chapter Books and Novels

RecentChapterBooks
and Novels

31

Kai and Tim’s Nighttime Adventures（カイとティムよるのぼうけん／ Kai to Timu yoru no boken）
Ishii, Mutsumi | Illus. Sasameya, Yuki | Alice-kan | 2019 | 144
pp. | 22 x 17 cm | ISBN 9784752008613 | Ages 5+ | Night,
Dinosaurs, Ghosts, Vehicles, Playing Cards

It’s Kai’s sixth birthday. His Mom and Dad give him a
soft-toy Tyrannosaurus, while Granny and Grandpa’spresent is a picture book about dinosaurs. Kai’s Mom
keeps telling him that now he’s six he’s a big boy, so
he declares that from now on he will sleep alone. After his Mom has turned out
the lights and left his room, he suddenly gets anxious, and sees a small ghost in
the dimness.
“Who are you?” he asks. “Tim,” comes the answer. Kai thinks his toy tyrannosaurus must have spoken, so he asks it, “Tyra, can you talk?”, but it wasn’t his
toy. It was a fairy called Tim, who is 422 years old and looks after children who
are afraid of the dark and can’t sleep. Tim tells Kai that when you close youreyes, you can see places you’ve never been to and things you’ve never seen
before.
Kai closes his eyes, and when he opens them again on Tim’s signal, he is in
the Jurassic world of the dinosaurs. He rides on an iguanadon’s back and istargeted by a pterosaur. Now he can’t wait for night to come! On the secondnight, he rides a ghost train through outer space, and crosses the milky way ina ghost ship. On the third night, he plays cops and robbers with some playing
cards. This humorous and magical bedtime fantasy gracefully captures the feelings of a boy who likes dinosaurs as he is guided to independence by an exciting sense of adventure. (Nogami)

30

A Forgetful Granny（おばあちゃんのわすれもの／ Obaachan no wasuremono）

Moriyama, Miyako | Illus. 100%ORANGE | Nora Shoten |2018 | 56 pp. | 22 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784905015420 | Ages 5+ |Granny, Bus, Shopping, Forgetfulness

Tonta the piglet loves riding on public transport. Whenhis granny has to go to the hospital in town to have
her knees treated, he goes with her since it means he
can go on the bus, and also she’ll stop at a café on theway home and treat him to an ice cream. After her knees has been examined,
Granny goes to the local shopping street to buy lots of things for the family.
Tonta squeezes all of her purchases into her large rucksack. He hates walking
around town with her carrying the rucksack since he thinks it looks uncool, but
that’s all part of the outing and he has to put up with it.
Having been to the café and finished all the shopping, they are on their way
to catch the bus home when Granny realizes that she has lost her walking sticksomewhere along the way. Tonta runs around the town going to all the shops
they visited. He eventually finds the stick in the hospital they’d been to first,
and the doctor tells him that if Granny had forgotten all about the stick after
leaving the hospital, then her knees must be healed. Tonta is so tired after all
the running around that he has a nap on the bus on the way home. The final
amusing twist is that Tonta belatedly remembers that he was supposed to meethis friend that day.
This is a fun book for children, as all the animals living in the town are humorously and amusingly depicted, and it conveys the heartwarming bond between Tonta and his Granny. (Nogami)

32

Kururu and Kororo（クルルちゃんとコロロちゃん／ Kururuchan to Kororochan）
Matsumoto, Satomi | Illus. Hirasawa, Tomoko | Shuppan
Works | 2018 | 80 pp. | 22 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784907108281 |Ages 6+ | Friends, Length, Rulers, Addition, Body

Kururu is tall with round glasses while Kororo is plumpwith pigtails. Although they are the same age and go to
the same elementary school, Kururu and Kororo tend
to avoid each other because they are very different inappearance and personality.
One sunny day, however, they bump into each other at the park and buy arainbow-colored ribbon from a peddler. They run into another peddler who
sells rulers and measures the distance from the tips of their thumbs to the tipsof their baby fingers. Kururu's measures sixteen centimeters, while Kororo's
measures fourteen centimeters. Added together, the total length is thirty centimeters. When they put their pinkies together, the width is two centimeters.
Using their fingers, they measure the length of the ribbon they bought andfind that it is one meter long. Excited by this discovery, they decide that sixteen
centimeters is one kururu, fourteen centimeters is one kororo, and one meter is
one ribbon and start measuring the length of everything in the park using theirhands and fingers. How long is the lost kitten’s tail? How tall is the clown’s hat?
How wide is the gingko tree’s trunk? By the end, Kururu and Kororo are bestfriends! At the bottom of the cover page is a life-size picture of a ruler, while on
the last page are ideas for using parts of the body to measure things.
The story is engaging while introducing creative ways for children to discover
the fun of measuring different things such as the span of both hands or thelength of a single stride. (Shiozaki)

933

Garden of Wonder（あららのはたけ／ Arara no hatake）

34

Muranaka, Rie | Illus. Ishikawa, Eriko | Kaiseisha | 2019 | 216
pp. | 21 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784035309505 | Ages 9+ | Fields,
Letters, Bullying, Nature

Kiji, Kaeko | Illus. Igarashi, Daisuke | Kaiseisha | 2019 |72 pp. | 21 x 19 cm | ISBN 9784033137704 | Ages 9+ |Cats, Pediatricians, Families

This story unfolds through the letters exchanged between ten-year-old Eri, who has moved to Yamaguchi,
and her friend Emi left behind in Yokohama. Throughthese letters we learn how Eri’s grandfather has given
her a small patch of land where she grows strawberries and herbs. She writes all
her thoughts to Emi, like how vigorously all the weeds grow even if you step onthem; about a spider that only spins a temporary web when it senses a typhoon
is about to hit; how her face swelled up when stung by hairs from caterpillars
on the peach tree; and the feeling of being in contact with nature. The reader
can appreciate the fresh amazement and wonder that a city-raised child feels
upon moving to the countryside.
Emi tells Eri how she has studied about spiders and caterpillars thanks to her
letters, and also about their classmate Kenji, who now won’t leave his bedroom.
Kenji has been their friend since they were little, and they are both worried
about him.
Other people in their lives include Eri’s grandfather, who emphasizes learning from experience and only tells her what to do after she has made a mistake;a new transfer pupil Marumo, who sticks to her own ways without realizing
the pressures on her to change; and Kazuki, who bullied Kenji but deep down
wants to apologize.
It is interesting to see how in this day and age Eri and Emi deepen their connection not by telephone or email, but by letters, and the story ends on a refreshing note when a frog jumps out of a box of vegetables that Eri sends Kenji,
prompting him to step outside and begin to change. This book won the Joji
Tsubota Prize. (Sakuma)

35

Angel’s Baggage（天使のにもつ／ Tenshi no nimotsu）

Ito, Miku | Doshinsha | 2019 | 224 pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN
9784494020553 | Ages 11+ | Work-experience program, Mid-dle school, Nursery school

Futa is in eighth grade and has to choose a workplace
to visit for five days as part of his class work-experience program. None of the options offered appeal tohim, but he chooses the Angel Nursery School assuming that he will spend his time playing with children. Things he never imagined
begin to happen once he starts. The lively children refuse to leave him alone
even when he escapes into the washroom, and the teacher keeps giving him
more work to do. Although Futa claims he is a sloppy guy who leaves jobs half
done and isn’t interested in anything, it gradually becomes clear that he is akind and sensitive young man.
He cares for an abandoned puppy in his apartment complex even though
he knows pets are against the rules. He worries about Shion, a five-year-old
boy at the nursery school who seems strangely attached to him, and about his
relationship with his mother. As he struggles to overcome various challenges,
Futa begins to grow and change. His inner kindness, of which he is unaware, isdrawn out by the nursery school teachers, Makun who is three years his senior,and the nursery school children. The way the adults and Makun interact with
Futa and affirm his individuality is particularly heartwarming. The children’s
acceptance of Futa as one of their own demonstrates how discerning children
can be. The good feeling generated by the book lingers long after the reader isfinished. (Shiozaki)

10

Robert, the Cat Pediatrician（ ね こ の 小 児 科 医 ロ ー ベ ル ト ／ Neko no shonikai
Roberuto）

One night, Yuki’s two-year-old brother Yu suddenly vomits as he sleeps next to her, and hecomplains of stomach pain. Their parents don’tknow what to do and can’t decide whether tocall an ambulance.
Then, Yuki finds an entry in the phonebook for “Robert Matsuda, Emergency
Night Pediatrician,” which is somehow glowing. Yuki finds this odd but calls thenumber. Soon, a doctor arrives on a small motorbike, wearing a small helmet
and goggles. Dismounting in his white coat, he turns out to be a black andwhite cat! The cat doctor diagnoses a rotavirus, has Yu drink a rehydration solution, and tells the family what to do in case of further symptoms. Everyone isrelieved. But the next morning, Yuki’s parents don’t remember the pediatrician
at all! “Dr. Robert Matsuda helped us!” Yuki insists. “If it’s Robert you mean, he’s
over there,” Yuki’s mother says, pointing at a cat asleep in the living room.
Was the whole thing a dream? Yuki begins to doubt herself, but a week later,
she wakes to see Robert talking on a cell phone and changing into his whitecoat. Robert does not return after that house call, and soon everyone but Yuki
forgets him. A fantasy that skillfully explores the mysteries only children cansee. (Shiozaki)

36

Artificial Soul

（つくられた心／ Tsukurareta kokoro）

Sato, Madoka | Illus. Urata, Kenji | Poplar | 2019 | 176 pp. | 20
x 13 cm | ISBN 9784591162057 | Ages 11+ | Near Future, An-

droid, Doubt

The story is set in the near future. A newly establishedmodel school not only offers small classes and hightech facilities but also has a super security system toprevent cheating, bullying and violence. Each class has aguard-droid that looks and behaves just like one of the students, but is actuallyan android programmed with the same intelligence as a human and equippedwith a built-in mike and camera through which the school can watch over the
students. The androids each have their own personality and are indistinguishable from humans.
Mika comes to this new school with great expectations and makes friends
with three students sitting near her. The students are forbidden to look for theguard-droid, but Mika’s class secretly tries to find out. Mika starts suspecting
everyone. She and her group of friends visit the home of a girl who appears
suspicious and closely observe a boy who never gets out of breath even when
he runs a marathon.
But perhaps the guard-droid is really one of Mika’s friends. Are their smiles
fake? Is one of them being operated by remote control and just pretending tohave feelings? Is it all an act?
In the end, the students find out that even the guard-droid doesn’t know
who the droid is, and its identity is never revealed. The author vividly conveys
the frightening nature of a society in which everyone is watched and where it is
impossible to tell the real from the fake. Artificial Soul warns us that the humanmind could one day be subdued and controlled. (Sakuma)

Recent Chapter Books and Novels
37

August Light（八月のひかり／ Hachigatsu no hikari）

38

Nakajima, Nobuko | Chobunsha | 2019 | 128 pp. | 20 x 13 cm |ISBN 9784811326061 | Ages 11+ | Families, Summer, Poverty,
Food, War

Tomori, Shiruko | Kodansha | 2018 | 192 pp. | 20 x 14 cm |ISBN 9784065139059 | Ages 11+ | School, Point of view, Humor

One August day, hot from first thing in the morning,
fifth grader Miki hangs laundry on the porch, slices carrots and cabbage, and makes grilled soba noodles to
eat with her second-grade brother Yuuki. Yuuki gulps
his portion of five bites, and Miki gives him her one bite. The two of them don’t
have enough to eat. They go hungry for hours, but they never tell their mother.
Their father, who was once kind, quit his job and began playing pachinko constantly. Then he started hitting their mother, and when Yuuki was three, he left.
Miki and Yuuki’s mother works as a supermarket cashier, but her body isweak, and she can’t handle long hours. With little income, the family of threebarely scrapes by. Miki takes her mother’s place cooking refrigerator leftovers
into daily meals, but food runs low. Electricity costs money, so the family runs
the air conditioner just an hour a day.
Yuuki tells Miki that at school, he’s been teased: “You’re basically living onschool lunch, aren’t you?” “Do you ever take a bath?” Miki’s been told the same.
Their mother was born when their grandmother was only 18, unmarried, andgrew up in poverty herself. The cycle seems unbreakable. In the midst of this,Miki and Yuuki’s determination and the support of one friend of Yuuki’s and his
dad, is what keeps them going. The end of the book includes the note, “In Japan today, one in seven children under 17—about 2.7 million young people—
can be found living in poverty.” This novel brings their struggle to life. (Nogami)

39

Kofuji the Cat: Number 3 Ash Street（ねこのこふじさん／ Neko no Kofujisan）

Yamamoto, Kazuko | Illus. Ishikawa, Eriko | Alice-kan | 2019
| 168 pp. | 21 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784752008934 | Ages 11+ |Cat, Event, Stay-at-home, Diversity

Kofuji the cat once worked very hard at an advertising company. When her coworkers began to treat
her coldly, however, she quit her job. Now she stays
at home, never leaving the house. One day, however,her grandmother asks her to take care of her house on Ash Street while she
travels around the world. Instead of rent, she asks Kofuji to plan a monthly
event, each one befitting the month in which it is held.
Although reluctant at first, Kofuji plans a picnic under the cherry blossoms in
April, a seasonal change of clothing in May, plum juice-making in June, a star
festival in July, fireworks in August, moon viewing in September, chestnut gathering in October, a festival for children aged three, five and seven in November,wreath making in December, making traditional New Year’s dishes in January,bean throwing in February, and a dolls’ festival in March. The neighbors on
Toneriko Street are a diverse group of characters. There is a tapir who moved
back from overseas and thinks she has to conform to fit in, a young fox who
throws tantrums because she’s upset that her mother has a new fox cub, andan elderly monkey living on his own. Through her interactions with these different neighbors, Kofuji gradually perks up and by the end of the year, she has
decided to start weaving traditional textiles.
Each monthly event is described by Nezumori, the postmouse who lives in
the cupboard of her house. His own story also unfolds within this book, and thelast scene is his wedding, which is attended by all the characters who have appeared, including Kofuji’s grandmother who has returned from her travels.
With one story per chapter and plenty of illustrations, the book is easy and entertaining even for children unused to reading. (Sakuma)

Happy Tokoi（ゆかいな床井くん／ Yukai na Tokoi-kun）

This novel vividly portrays a year in the class of two
Japanese sixth-grade students: Koyomi, a girl, andTokoi, a boy.
One episode unfolds per chapter. In one episode,a boy named Toya blurts out that a student teacher has large breasts. In another, a girl named Omori realizes in the school bathroom that she’s gotten her
period and doesn’t know what to do. Another girl, Suzuki, can speak freely atcram school but struggles to speak at school. Katsuta’s father has lost his job
and unfortunately takes his stress out on her, so she takes her stress out on herclassmates. Many different stories fill the class.
For her part, Koyomi is the tallest student and has been called “Giant” and“Amazon Woman,” but the shortest student in the class, Tokoi, once expressedjealousy of her, saying, “I wish I could be tall.” Now, nobody makes fun ofheight. Koyomi often feels pressured by classmates but dislikes playing alongwith them; in contrast, Tokoi voices his thoughts freely and finds the good ineveryone. Koyomi gradually comes to admire Tokoi; when something happens, she considers it, observes Tokoi’s reaction, and takes a step toward trying
someone else’s point of view.
Humorously narrated and filled with the appeal of Tokoi, this book keeps
readers turning pages and offers them the appeal of new viewpoints. Winner of
the Noma Children’s Literature Prize. (Sakuma)

40

Luna and Sango（月と珊瑚／ Runa to Sango）

Kamijo, Sanae | Kodansha | 2019 | 176 pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN
9784065162224 | Ages 11+ | Okinawa, Military bases, Family,
Friendship

Sango Oshiro is in the sixth grade at an elementary
school in Okinawa. Her name, which means “coral,” waschosen by her grandmother in honor of the coral, as
well as the blood and tears, upon which the island of
Okinawa was built . But the Chinese characters for “sango” are quite difficult,and Sango, who hates studying, has trouble writing her name. Her classmate
Shion Mizuhara teases her about this. To improve her writing ability, Sango decides to keep a diary. Through her entries, we learn what happened in Okinawa
during and after World War II and the issues surrounding the American militarybases on the island.
Because Sango’s mother, a hair dresser, works in Kyushu, Sango lives with her
grandmother who performs traditional Okinawan songs in pubs. But they are
so poor that Sango cannot afford a smartphone like her friends and sometimes
has to use a meal program for disadvantaged children that charges only one
hundred yen (about US$1.00 ) per meal.
American fighter jets frequently fly over the school with a deafening roar thatthrows Shion into a panic but sets the boys guessing the type of aircraft fromthe engine sound. The great-grandmother of Sango’s classmate has been arrested numerous times for demonstrating against the construction of a militarybase in Henoko. When Sango learns that her own great-grandmother wasforced to work in the brothels due to poverty, she is devastated. She is helped,
however, by the arrival of Luna Izumi, a student who transfers in from anotherarea. This ambitious work sheds light on the history of war, the vicious cycle ofpoverty, the background to the military bases in Okinawa, and the current situation. (Nogami)

11

41

Someday, a Sun Ship

（いつか太陽の船／ Itsuka taiyo no fune）

42

Komae, Ryo | Komine Shoten | 2018 | 288 pp. | 20 x 14 cm |ISBN 9784338081627 | Ages 11+ | Edo period (1603-1868),
Maps, Hokkaido

This story is about a family who moved to Nemuro in
Hokkaido following the great earthquake and tsunamithat hit their hometown of Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, six years earlier in 2011, narrated from the perspective of eleven-year-old Kaito. Kaito’s father is a boat builder, and he shows
the local youths the techniques he uses. Kaito and his six-year-old brother
Hikaru attend the local elementary school, which has only 13 pupils. At school
they have to draw a picture of a mackerel pike, and their drawings will be madeinto a calendar to sell at the festival. However, Kaito is terrified of the fish’s eyesand can’t bear to look at it. One day, his mother disappears, and Kaito and his
father go to his grandmother’s house in Sendai in search of her. When they findher there, she tells them she has been trying so hard to keep her life going that
she is worn out. She had come to see Granny out of a need to reconnect withpeople she holds dear.
Before returning to Nemuro, the three of them go to Kesennuma and his
father vows to rebuild his boat-building workshop. However, Kaito feels that
Nemuro is home too, and he studies mackerel pike so that he can draw them.
He sees thin seagulls swallowing the fish, the catch being brought in as the suncomes up, and visions of boats and Spanner, the dog they lost in the disaster.
Finally he is able to draw a picture of a fish.
A Vietnamese trainee whose father used to work in Nemuro comes to see
Kaito’s father’s workshop, prompting us to consider what family means. Kaito’s
thoughts about life and death are symbolically portrayed through the seagulls
that appear throughout the book. The bold illustrations in India ink provide a
lively portrayal of people going energetically about their lives. (Doi)Tokujiro and I（徳治郎とボク／ Tokujiro to boku）

Hanagata, Mitsuru | Rironsha | 2019 | 240 pp. | 19 x 14 cm |ISBN 9784652203057 | Ages 11+ | Grandfather, Family, Death

The story follows the relationship of a boy and his
grandfather, Tokujiro. Stubborn and cantankerous
Tokujiro is a widower who lives alone and is hard ofhearing. He has three daughters including the boy’s
mother but when they and their families come to visit during the summer,
Tokujiro just sits silently in front of the TV.
Yet this same taciturn and difficult old man teaches the boy how to makebamboo-copters, takes him beetle hunting in the woods, and teaches him thewonders of nature. The boy is fascinated by his grandfather’s stories. Born in
1923, the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake, his grandfather was a rebellious
boy of whom even his parents despaired. Although a poor student, he excelled
at sports. He and his friends had dangerous stone-throwing fights and snuck
into other people’s fields and orchards to steal tomatoes, loquats and oranges.
If they had been caught, they would have met a horrible fate, Tokujiro tells theboy.
The life of this stubborn old man whom the boy loves dearly is vividly andrichly portrayed from the boy’s perspective, including the old man’s gradual demise after a heart attack. The man’s boyhood and way of living overlap with thefamily’s history, linking with the boy’s present life. Tokujiro’s unique approach
to living is scrupulously portrayed through his interactions with his grandson,
his experiences during the war, and the family’s response to nursing him after
his heart attack. Each memory of Tokujiro is a precious gift that enriches theboy’s life. (Nogami)

12

Tadataka Ino and the Legendary Ghost Fish

（星の旅人 伊能忠敬と伝説の怪魚／ Hoshi no tabibito）

Muranaka, Rie | Illus. Koshida, Mika | Shin Nihon Shuppansha |2019 | 176 pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN 9784406063371 | Ages 11+| Tohoku 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami, Family

43

Star Traveler:

In the year 1800, a 56-year-old man named Tadataka
Ino walked the island of Hokkaido in order to survey
and map it for the first time. This documentary-likenovel follows a fictional 12-year-old boy named Heiji
who travels with Ino on this journey. Heiji’s reason for accompanying Ino is that
he received news that his father died in Hokkaido, and he wants to confirm thiswith his own eyes. Ino’s real son, Shuzo, is on the journey, too, and appears inthe story.
Ino runs into trouble crossing the Tsugaru Strait between Japan’s main island,
Honshu, and Hokkaido; he also struggles with measurements for the map. For
his part, using a piece of wood given him by an indigenous Ainu person, Heiji
finds a letter from his father and learns that he fell off a cliff and was picked up
in nearby waters by a Russian vessel.
At the end of each section of the book, a column with text and diagrams
presents background information on Ino’s life; early studies of the West by Japanese; and the fine reputation of Ino’s Hokkaido map today. In one memorable
passage of the book, Ino—who only became a scholar at age 50, yet left a significant legacy—scolds Heiji for filling in blanks in mapping logs with numbersthat seem apt. “Filling in numbers you want doesn’t make them right!”
This book can function as a biography of Ino, an introduction to the Edo
period, and even an absorbing primer on cartography. In addition, with Heiji as
the main character, the book reads as a story of sons and fathers: Shuzo andIno, Heiji and his missing father. The ghost fish in the subtitle turns out to thebe shape of the cliff where Heiji discovers his father’s letter. (Doi)44

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Fascinating Museum（ヴンダーカンマー／ Vunderkammer）

Kashizaki, Akane | Rironsha | 2018 | 240 pp. | 19 x 14 cm |ISBN 9784652202845 | Ages 13+ | Work experience, Museums, Friendship, Discovery

This story is about a day’s work experience at a museum undertaken by five children (two boys and three
girls) in year two of middle school. The placing was
decided at the last minute and, not having any idea ofwhat work they will be doing, the children are not very enthusiastic. On the day,they draw lots to decide who will do what: Ikumi, who isn’t good at anything
and lacks confidence in himself, gets fish; Renka, a spoiled girl with an overprotective mother, gets vertebrate paleontology; Madoka, a loudmouth fromthe girls’ basketball club, gets birds; Chie, an introverted girl who is shy witheveryone, gets mammals; and Manabu, a straight A-seeming student who finds
it hard to live up to his nickname of “Prof,” gets inanimate objects. Once theirjobs have been decided, they split up to go to their relevant departments.
Each recounts their experience in a chapter of their own, describing theirjob and their exchanges with the experts, curators, and volunteers they meetin the course of their work. They all have new experiences and make discoveries, and grow a little as a result. While the day is described from the different
perspectives of the five children, the author has skillfully created an overall flowby using names as a key to the story, and by including similar scenes in all thechapters, such as discussions during the lunch break.
The term Cabinet of Curiosities comes from the German word Wunderkammer, which refers to a room in which rare articles from all over the world are
displayed, and was the forerunner of museums. This book conveys the charmand role of the museum, and the people who work there are extremely convincing. (Shiozaki)

Recent Chapter Books and Novels
45

Captain Mark and the Bathhouse（キャプテンマークと銭湯と／ Kyaputen maku to sento to）

46

Sato, Itsuko | Illus. Sato, Makiko | Kadokawa | 2019 | 248 pp. |20 x 14 cm | ISBN 9784041077054 | Ages 13+ | Soccer, Public
Baths, Captain, Friendship

Yoshino, Mariko | Asahi Gakusei Shimbun | 2019 | 264 pp. |19 x 13 cm | ISBN 9784909064738 | Ages 13+ | School clubs,
School life, FriendshipThis interesting story links soccer, which is all the rage
among children these days, and the public bathhouses
that are now slowly disappearing.
Shuto, a junior high school student who belongs to
the soccer club team, is shocked when he is replaced as captain by newcomer
Daichi, and gets irritated when he is criticized by his team mates for saying cruel things to him. When he comes across the public bathhouse where he used
to go with his late grandfather as a little boy, he decides to go in and feels his
irritation melt away as he soaks in the hot water. After this he goes to the bathhouse regularly, and it not only becomes a place of healing for him, but he also
begins to see things from a new perspective as he chats with the people hemeets there. He comes to understand that even Daichi, who he used to resent
for being able to do everything well, has a big problem of his own.
Most of the regular customers at the bathhouse are local elderly people,
but there are also young people too. A plasterer called Hiro, who grew up in achildren’s home, has been blessed with a good boss and does his best at work.
Kona is a high school student obsessed with bathhouses, and she posts on Instagram about their attractions.
However, after 77 continuous years of business through two generations ofownership, the bathhouse is finally to close down. The old couple who run theplace can no longer cope with burning the wood to heat the water. On closing
day the entire soccer team, having won a game and with all the ill-feeling between them dispelled, all crowd into the bathhouse along with the regulars. But
then there is a power cut . . . Readers are sure to sympathize with the efforts of
Shuto and the others to support the business right until the end. (Sakuma)

47

Green Whales that Swim in Summer（夏に泳ぐ緑のクジラ／ Natsu ni oyogu midori no kujira）

Murakami, Shiiko | Shogakukan | 2019 | 208 pp. | 19 x 14 cm| ISBN 9784092897724 | Ages 13+ | Adolescence, Isolation,
Friendship, Helpers, Divorce

The summer between semesters of her third year in
middle school, Okyo is taken by her mother to a small
island where her grandmother lives. Until now, theisland has been a place for family vacations, but thistime is different. Okyo is staying with her grandmother due to her parents’ divorce. Not fully understanding the adults’ problems, Okyo believes that she has
been cast off. Anxiety and anger envelop her, leaving her lost.
When told by her grandmother to go and harvest a watermelon in the field,
she sees a strange boy who calls himself Tsuchinko. He’s shaped like a human,
but his head has no hair, and his face is smooth like a mud dumpling. Tsuchinko
refers to watermelons as “green whales that swim in summer,” and he teaches
Okyo how to find a ripe one. Tsuchinko is only visible to children who feelalone and who struggle; he says that he helps them grow up, then gets forgotten. Besides Okyo, a boy named Kai whose mother died, who refuses to leave
his house, can see Tsuchinko; and Okyo’s sensitive cousin Manami can see
Tsuchinko. Over the course of the book, these three adolescents weather thestorms in their hearts. Okyo learns that her mother, exhausted from life withher father, has huge mental scars of her own. Thought at first able to think onlyof herself, Okyo gradually grows able to see other people’s perspectives andunderstand their feelings. A coming-of-age novel that portrays one summer
and three vulnerable children. (Shiozaki)

The Captains’ Meeting Will Come to Order（部長会議はじまります／ Bucho kaigi hajimarimasu）

This novel unfolds in a private middle school in Japan.
Part 1 is a meeting of the student captains of culturerelated clubs, and Part 2 is a meeting of the student
captains of sports clubs. The novel unfolds with eachcaptain speaking in the first person. (School club activities in Japan happen
after school, each led by a captain. If a problem occurs, club captains meet to
discuss it.)
In Part 1, the art club’s diorama for a school festival has been vandalized.
Participating in the culture club meeting are an angry art club captain, a discouraged occult research club captain, a less-than-confident gardening club
captain, a Miss Perfect-like flower-arrangement club captain, and a deep-inlove cooking club captain. Who committed the crime? Did the vandalism stemfrom bullying? From a grudge? The captains’ opinions clash at first, but they
eventually find an answer.
In Part 2, one of the gyms is being razed, so the table tennis and Japanese
drumming clubs that used it need new spaces to practice. At first, the various
sports captains try to defend their own clubs’ practice spots, but then they work
toward a fix. The captains of table tennis, basketball, ballet, drumming, soccer,
baseball and even ParaSports—a student with a prosthesis—find themselves in
unexpected territory.
In this book, as various captains’ distinctive voices weave together, the reader starts to see the full picture. The reader also gathers that each captain faces
struggles the others could never know. While entertaining to read, this bookpromises to make readers a bit kinder to others, too. (Sakuma)

48

moja

（moja ／ moja）

Yoshida, Momoko | Kodansha | 2019 | 208 pp. | 20 x 14 cm| ISBN 9784065154014 | Ages 13+ | Appearances, Inferiority
complex, Friendship

Risa, age 14, has been called Moja (Shaggy) ever since
grade school due to the dark hair on her legs andarms. She never swims in the pool, and she wears long
sleeves and pants even in the summers, so as not toshow her limbs. Risa hangs out with Noa and Konomi, two girls who sit nearher in middle school, but she has never told them about her real appearance.
Summer vacation rolls around again, and Noa proposes that the girls go on athree-couple date with some boys, but all Risa can think of is hiding her secret.
She asks her mother for hair removal at a salon, but the two of them have amassive fight, and the salon attendant refuses Risa service due to scarring froma shave. Then, Risa quarrels with Noa and Konomi, who sense that she is hiding
something.
One day, since her bathtub at home needs repair, Risa goes to a public bath.
A granny at the bath scrubs her back and tells her that she’s lovely, but Risa
finds she can’t believe that—and realizes the “Moja” problem is really inside
her. Risa reveals her secret to Noa and Konomi and makes up with them, thengoes with them to the beach, where they help each other get over their various
inferiority complexes. Risa also develops a crush on Satoshi, a boy embarrassedby his shortness, and realizes that everyone has a complex about something.
She has obsessed over her appearance ever since being teased, but the novel
humorously shows her learning to accept herself as she is. (Doi)

13

49

Opposite Shore（むこう岸／ Muko gishi）

50

Yasuda, Kana | Kodansha | 2018 | 256 pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN
9784065139080 | Ages 13+ | Poverty, Friendship, Racism

Nashiya, Arie | Poplar | 2019 | 336 pp. | 20 x 13 cm | ISBN 9784591163566 | Ages 13+ | Reading, Family, Friends, Disability

Three 15-year-olds come of age while struggling withschool placement, poverty, and study. Kazuma, a boy,
got into the middle school his doctor father insisted on,
but he can’t keep up in class and switches to a publicschool. One day he gets drunk and is leaning off a bridge when he is saved by
Itsuki, a girl in his class, who takes him to Café Your Place. Itsuki agrees to keep
the secrets about Kazuma’s past that he tells, if he agrees to tutor her friend
Aberu, a boy whose father is Nigerian.
By teaching Aberu, Kazuma begins to find meaning in his life; Aberu himself
does not speak in front of others but begins to grow confident. Itsuki’s father
has died, leaving her mother subject to panic attacks and her family, including her and her younger sister, on public assistance. With Kazuma’s help, Itsuki
learns that she can enter private school while on public assistance, and she
begins to strive in life. Then, just when all three teens are finding reasons tolive, Kazuma tells off a man who bullied Aberu, saying, “I don’t want to be an
adult like you. I reject you.” The man sets fire to Café Your Place, and Kazuma
becomes a shut-in.
This novel is written from the alternating viewpoints of Kazuma and Itsuki
and conveys the importance of diverse perspectives. While illuminating hard realities such as poverty, discrimination, and pressure parenting, it vividly portrays
three young people who learn, think, and help one another find their futures.
(Doi)

51

Traveler of the Wind:

Unofficial Tales of the Moribito（風と行く者／ Kaze to yuku mono）

Uehashi, Nahoko | Illus. Satake, Miho | Kaiseisha | 2018 | 448
pp. | 22 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784035405504 | Ages 13+ | Fantasy,
Bodyguard, Parallel universe, Repose of souls

Balsa, now in her late thirties, is a bodyguard second
to none. One day she is at the market with her husband Tanda, a herbalist, when she runs into the group
Sadan Taram and saves them from a dangerous situation. Sadan Taram is a group of musicians that travels through the plains of
Lota carrying out rites for the repose of the souls of the dead with song anddance. Balsa and her late foster father Jiguro had in fact escorted them on theirtravels twenty years earlier. As a result of this incident, Balsa is again employed
as Sadan Taram’s bodyguard, and sets out for Lota.
The group’s young female leader, 19-year-old Eona Le Sari, has a special
power of playing the shata, a “river koto,” to open the way to the spirit world
in order to perform a memorial service for the souls of the dead. She is thedaughter of Sari, the group’s leader when Balsa accompanied them twenty
years earlier. Balsa suspects that Sari might be Jiguro’s daughter and she tries
to get to the bottom of this puzzle while protecting the group, whose lives arein danger from relentless attacks wherever they go. In the end, a hidden secret
and the long-term relationship of the Tahsa and Lota clans are revealed. By
juxtaposing what happened twenty years ago with current events, and fleshingout Balsa’s memory from a different angle, the person of Jiguro and his bondwith Balsa are seen in a new light. This is a multilayered work depicting longstanding feuds between nations and the people at their mercy. Cathy Hirano’stranslation of the first Moribito volume won a Bachelder Award. (Shiozaki)

14

Sensing Your Presence（きみの存在を意識する／ Kimi no sonzai o ishiki suru）

A collection of linked short stories each narrated by oneof five friends in Year 2 of the same junior high school.
Their monologues, in which they speak of their hidden
troubles and conflicts, intertwine to vividly reveal thedelicate inner lives of the protagonists and their feelings for their friends. Hisui
and Takuma are sister and brother in the same year. Their homeroom teacher ispassionate about teaching reading and makes her class compete for the number of reading record cards on the books they read.
Takuma sails through even difficult books, but Hisui is so bad at it that she
can’t even get through text books. Even so, the teacher seems to think she isa top student who loves reading, and this makes her anxious. Meanwhile Riki
hates boys and girls being segregated and is determined that people should bethemselves. She refuses to hand in her reading record cards as she feels it infringes upon her privacy, and she openly confronts the homeroom teacher overthe issue. Takuma was adopted by Hisui’s family after he lost his own parents,and he is confused when a woman resembling his birth mother appears. Riki
happens to get together with Takuma at summer camp, and somehow they getalong well and she shares his troubles. Koharu, the class president who tends toovereat and makes out he’s a straight A student, and Rumina, who nobody canunderstand has a chemical allergy, make an odd pair. Each of the five have theirown various burdens, and they struggle against old values while being awareof each other’s existence. The words of another student called Koharu, who
has moved from another school and has a reading and writing disability that
nobody understands, leave a particularly strong impression: “Hey, you all, don’t
die! Keep on living, okay?” (Nogami)

52

You Are on the Other Side of this River（この川のむこうに君がいる／ Kono kawa no muko ni kimi ga
iru）

Hamano, Kyoko | Rironsha | 2018 | 224 pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN
9784652202890 | Ages 13+ | Tohoku 2011 Earthquake andTsunami, Friendship, Falling in love

Rino from Miyagi prefecture and Ryo from Fukushima
prefecture are both survivors of the March 2011
earthquake and tsunami, and both of their families
relocated to cities near Tokyo, on opposite sides ofthe same river. But their experience of the disaster and their reaction to it arequite different. Written from Rino’s perspective, the story depicts how these
two are drawn together despite their differences. Rino’s older brother died in
the tsunami. Ever since, her mother has suffered from insomnia and her father
has buried himself in his work. Rino, who hated being pitied by her classmatesin junior high school, decides to enter a senior high school on the other side of
the river where no one will know her past.
She joins the brass band club, keeping her background a secret. Ryo belongs
to the same club, but he speaks openly about his experience of the disaster. At
an all-school brass band competition, Rina runs into some of her classmatesfrom junior high, and Ryo finds out that she is also from the disaster-stricken
area. They begin to share their experiences. Rino tells Ryo that she dated herolder brother’s friend for a while, but broke up, while Ryo confides that he wasbullied in junior high because he was from Fukushima and that his relationshipwith his girlfriend in Fukushima is rocky. At the end of the year, Rino is able toopen up to her band mates. She finds that sharing her past helps her feel more
comfortable at school.
The novel explores situations common to many survivors such as the after
effects of the tsunami in Miyagi and the dislocation caused by nuclear contamination in Fukushima. Rino and Ryo’s efforts to communicate and bridge thegap give the reader hope. A winner of the Japan Juvenile Literature Association
Prize. (Doi)Recent Nonfiction

RecentNonfiction

53

54

Adzuki Beans（あずき／ Adzuki）

55

Text/Illus. Arai, Maki | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2018 | 28 pp.
| 25 x 23 cm | ISBN 9784834084276 | Ages 4+ | Adzukibeans, Sweet bean paste, Japanese food culture

Text/Illus. Okata, Tadaaki | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2019 | 28
pp. | 25 x 23 cm | ISBN 9784834084504 | Ages 5+ | Sar-

When it comes to adzuki beans, the first thing thatcomes to mind is sweet bean paste. Sweet beanpaste has many uses, such as a filling in a breadbun and in sweet red-bean soup. Adzuki beans
are also used in the red bean rice made for special
occasions. Since ancient times red has been considered a lucky color that protects us from evil, andJapanese people have always eaten a lot of adzukibeans hoping to benefit from their auspicious powers. What sort of plant is this adzuki bean that has
underpinned our eating habits in various ways? Thisis an educational book that provides realistic depictions of the stages of the bean’s growth, and makes
you think about the place of this familiar ingredientin Japan’s food culture. (Shiozaki)

The spawning season for sardines is from winterthrough spring. One female can lay tens of thousands of eggs in a night, but sardines have many
natural enemies in the ocean. Only a few of theyoung can survive. The sardines that overcome
danger and reach adulthood form a shoal. Sardines
are small and weak, and living in a group is an
instinct and knowledge necessary for them to livein harsh nature. The author, who illustrates living
creatures and science for reference books, provides
a minutely detailed portrayal of the life of sardinesin the setting of the solid blue ocean. This is an educational book on how life is born and grows, and on
the importance of connecting. (Shiozaki)

56

Power Lines in the Sky（そらのうえの そうでんせん／ Sora no ue no sodensen）
Text/Illus. Kamata, Ayumi | Alice-kan | 2019 | 32 pp. | 27 x
22 cm | ISBN 9784752008606 | Ages 5+ | Work, Electricity,
Daily life, Safety

Power lines supported by tall metal poles are foundin the sky all over Japan. This book introduces thejob of lineworkers, who inspect power lines as highas 50 meters off the ground. To keep safe, lineworkers use special tools and clothes and call out to one
another, working carefully as a group. A foldout
page in this book shows the poles’ height; panelsin the illustrations evoke the feeling of tension andbring one close to the action. Info-packed endpapers also make the book effective. Illustrations of
the mechanical elements are accurate yet warm,
inviting the reader to absorb all the details of electrical work. (Hiromatsu)

The Life of Sardines（イワシ／ Iwashi）

dines, Fish, Life, Ocean, Group living

57

Radiolarians: Tiny, Wondrous Beings（ほうさんちゅう／ Hosanchu）（ナマコ天国／ Namako tengoku）

Radiolarians are single-celled marine organisms justa few millimeters in length. They have lived on Earthfor five hundred million years, but their skeletonsare complex and beautiful, displaying a breathtaking diversity of shapes. Some structures even look
like rockets, spider webs, or eyeglasses! This bookshows photos of radiolarians’ skeletons enlarged
by electron microscope, displayed as striking white
shapes on black background. After drawing readers
in with these nature-made designs, the book delivers another surprise: radiolarians are made fromthe same ingredients as glass! The book’s uniquecomposition effectively emphasizes the visual. The
photos captivate readers, causing them to noticenature and want to learn more. The end-matterfeatures detailed information on radiolarian habitatand research. (Hiromatsu)

They have neither eyes nor ears nor nose, nor heart
nor brain. Rub them and they disintegrate, but a few
weeks later they’re back. Cut them in half, and two
grow! Sea cucumbers challenge our very concept ofliving creatures. They do not flee, hide, or fight; they
may eat nothing but sand, and then excrete the unneeded bits. As this book describes them from various angles, they come to seem very peaceful, simple
creatures. Learning how a being wholly different
from oneself lives, leads readers to a reverence thatis the hidden message of this work. The writer is abiologist known in Japan for the bestseller ElephantTime, Mouse Time. The artist’s bold, humorous illustrations show her affection and respect for sea
cucumbers. The end of the book features music
notation for a song, all about sea cucumbers! (Hiromatsu)

Spv. Matsuoka, Atsushi | Text: Kanchiku, Takako | Alice-kan| 2019 | 36 pp. | 24 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784752008958 | Ages
5+ | Sea life, Bones, Electron microscopes

Sea Cucumber Paradise

Text: Motokawa, Tatsuo | Illus. Koshida, Mika | Kaiseisha |2019 | 44 pp. | 28 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784034372708 | Ages
5+ | Sea cucumbers, Sea life, Diversity

15

58

59

A Stick Insect Is Born!

（うまれたよ！ ナナフシ／ Umareta yo! Nanafushi）

Icicles: Water, Cold, and the Power of the Earth（つらら／ Tsurara）

This is a picture book about the stick insect, whosebody is often mistaken for a twig. We see how the
newborn nymph sheds its skin to grow to its adultsize, eats leaves, poops, reaches adulthood, lays
eggs, and dies, and then how eggs hatch and anymph is born, through clear close-up photos andsimple text that even infants can understand. We
can feel the life force of the stick insect in photosof a newly hatched nymph that looks like it could
easily be blown away in the breeze as it climbs up
a tree. This series also features small cabbage whitebutterflies, ricefish, crayfish, grass lizards, and hermit
crabs, all of which are captured in photos and text
from the moment of their birth. (Doi)This picture book introduces the icicles we often
see in a cold winter through stunning photographs.
How are they formed? Why do they grow so long?
Their changes in appearance are explained in simple
terms using beautiful photographs. Readers are informed that there are places where we can still see
icicles in spring, caves where they can be seen all
year round, and sometimes ice sprouts up from theground like bamboo shoots. There are several appendices, including instructions on how to conduct
an experiment to grow icicles in the refrigerator
using familiar items such as cup noodle containers,
and a map showing the various names for icicles indifferent dialects around Japan. (Sakuma)

Text/Photos: Yasuda, Mamoru | Iwasaki Shoten | 2019 | 32
pp. | 29 x 25 cm | ISBN 9784265020805 | Ages 5+ | Birth,
Insects

61

Seabird Island

Text: Terasawa, Takaki | Illus. Abe, Hiroshi | Kaiseisha | 2019
| 32 pp. | 30 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784033329208 | Ages 6+ |Seabirds, Islands, Nature, Daily life

Hokkaido’s Teuri Island, located in the northern Sea
of Japan, has a circumference of just 12 kilometers
and a population of only 300 people, but it annually welcomes some 1 million seabirds who migrate
there to raise young. It is known as a seabirds’ paradise. This picture book portrays a year on the island
in terms of both seabird and human life. The author,
who moved to the island as a grade school teacher
and then become a nature photographer, has
lived there for nearly 40 years. The illustrator, whoworked as a zookeeper for 25 years, has also been
captivated by the island’s rich natural world andhas visited often. His unique perspective and boldcomposition and color scheme evoke dynamic wild
creatures going about seasonal tasks. (Hiromatsu)

Jumping Spiders: The Small Hunter（ハエトリグモ／ Haetorigumo）

Text: Ijichi, Eishin | Photos: Hosojima, Masayo | Poplar |2019 | 36 pp. | 21 x 26 cm | ISBN 9784591161074 | Ages
6+ | Icicles, Winter62（うみどりの島／ Umidori no shima）

16

60

Photos/Text: Sakamoto, Norihisa | Poplar | 2019 | 36 pp.
| 21 x 26 cm | ISBN 9784591162941 | Ages 6+ | Spiders,
Flies, Hunting, Eyes

Jumping spiders are found almost everywhere,
both inside and outside the home. Unlike manyother spiders, jumping spiders do not build webs to
trap their prey. Instead, they use their eight roundeyes to spot and pounce on small insects. Whenobserved at close range, jumping spiders resemble
crabs, while in zoom shots, they look like monsters.
And when the camera zooms even closer, they resemble owls. Mating for jumping spiders is a lifeand-death business. A female may eat a male if
she dislikes his mating dance. This book is full of
surprises as it introduces a world invisible to thenaked eye and uncovers the mysteries of this small
life form. The impressive mini-encyclopedia in the
appendix introduces fifteen different types of jumping spiders. (Nogami)
63

What Are Stones Made Of?

（ 石 は な に か ら で き て い る ? ／ Ishi wa nani kara dekite
iru?）

Text: Nishimura, Hisao | Photos: Takeda, Shinichi | Editing/concept : Bokoyama, Kurita | Iwasaki Shoten | 2018 | 32
pp. | 27 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784265043743 | Ages 6+ | Stones,
Earth, Plate tectonics (geoscience)

Photos and simple, non-technical text depict how
stones are formed. Eight different kinds of stones
are featured, each with its own page that includes acloseup photograph and easy descriptions such as “asparkly white stone.” The book concludes with thewords “The Earth has mountains, rivers and seas andmany more kinds of stone” and a beautiful portraitof the Earth taken from the moon, suggesting thatto know stones is to know the universe. The appendices include the scientific names of stones andtheir classifications, as well as information aboutatoms, the smallest components of stone and othermaterials. (Doi)

The Life of Sparrows（スズメのくらし／ Suzume no kurashi）

Text/Photos: Hirano, Nobuaki | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2019| 40 pp. | 26 x 20 cm | ISBN 9784834084429 | Ages 8+ |Sparrows, Life, Group living

We can see sparrows everywhere: around our house,in the streets, in the park, in the fields, and on theplains. Even though they are such a familiar creature, few people know much about their habitat orways of life. Being so small and weak, sparrows haveto be cautious and on their guard at all times. In
order to protect themselves from their many natural
predators, they form flocks. The author has loved
animals ever since he was a small child and grew up
to become a photographer specializing in wildlife. In
this educational book he provides a vibrant accountof the lives and actions of sparrows year roundthrough photos and accompanying commentary.
(Shiozaki)

Recent Nonfiction
65

64

Cutting Tools: Scissors and Utility Knives（切る道具／ Kiru dogu）

Ed. WILL Kodomo Chiiku Kenkyujo | Froebel-kan | 2018
| 32 pp. | 31 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784577047064 | Ages 9+ |Scissors, Cutters, Stationery, Design

A Family in Hiroshima: Their Vanished Dreams（ヒロシマ 消えたかぞく／ Hiroshima kieta kazoku）

Text: Sashida, Kazu | Photos: Suzuki, Rokuro | Poplar | 2019| 40 pp. | 23 x 23 cm | ISBN 9784591163139 | Ages 9+ |Hiroshima, Atomic bomb

Second in a four-volume series about stationery
and tools used at school, this volume takes up cutting tools, which must be used correctly to prevent
injury. Methods for proper use, tips for fail-free
cutting, design of common tools, and different uses
for different purposes are covered, along with tools’
invention and history, a “crest-cutting” activity bornin the Edo period (1603-1868), and the recent trendof carving rubber erasers to make them into rubber
stamps. This series’ other volumes cover tools forwriting, fastening, and measuring. (Hiromatsu)

67

66

Journeys to Find Frogs in Japan

Text/Photos: Seki, Shintaro | Shonen Shashin Shimbunsha| 2019 | 56 pp. | 19 x 26 cm | ISBN 9784879816719 | Ages
9+ | Frogs, Environment

This photographic picture book introduces all fortyeight frog species in the Japanese archipelago. It
begins with an introduction to the Japanese brownfrog (rana esculenta), which lays its eggs in February, and continues on in order of egg-laying season
to introduce the mating and egg-laying habits ofdifferent species. It then reintroduces these frogs
based on specific characteristics, such as beautiful appearance, melodious voice, and interesting
shape. The author, a nature photographer, traveled
the length of Japan to capture photos that spark
the imagination and help the reader to envision thelife of each kind of frog. He also explains in easy-tounderstand language which species are endangeredby the destruction of certain environments. (Doi)Text/Photos: Fujiwara, Koichi | Kaiseisha | 2018 | 40 pp. |26 x 21 cm | ISBN 9784033327808 | Ages 9+ | Jungle, El-ephants, Environmental destruction, Scat

Rokuro Suzuki, a barber who lived in Hiroshima, recorded the life of his family in photos near the endof World War II. Each photo captured their daily life
with a loving touch: the smiling face of Suzuki’s wife,
the laughter on his children’s faces as they played,
and the innocent antics of their pet cats and dogs.
On August 6, 1945, the entire family was wiped out
by the atom bomb that fell on Hiroshima. Whenauthor Kazu Sashida first saw their photos in the
Hiroshima Peace Museum, she was intrigued. Basedon the photos and interviews with Suzuki’s relatives
who saved the photos, Sashida brings the Suzuki
family back to life. Suzuki’s photos and Sashida’s
text, which is written in both Japanese and English,
inspires readers to ponder such themes as life andpeace. (Sakuma)
68（日本カエル探検記／ Nippon kaeru tankenki）

Hungry Elephant Poo（はらぺこゾウのうんち／ Hara peko zo no unchi）

The setting of this book is a south Asian rainforest
near the equator. Due to drought stemming fromglobal warming, food and water have grown scarcefor some wild Asian elephants. They begin to approach areas where humans live, winding up at a
garbage dump. The hungry elephants end up eating food in plastic bags and other hazardous items,
including broken glass, sharp knives and needles.
Near the dump, elephant scat is found that is full ofplastic bags, and a young, female elephant is founddead nearby. What she ate seems to have killed
her. Environmental destruction caused by climatechange and irresponsible development comes to besymbolized by the elephant scat in this galvanizing
picture book illustrated with photos. (Nogami)

69

Namahage:

A Volcano Awakens

Divine Protection Ritual in Oga, Akita（なまはげ／ Namahage）（火山はめざめる／ Kazan wa mezameru）

Text/Photos: Ogano, Minoru | Poplar | 2019 | 48 pp. | 27
x 22 cm | ISBN 9784591162675 | Ages 9+ | Masks, Gods,
New Year’s Eve, Demons

Text/Illus. Hagiwara, Fugu | Spv. Hayakawa, Yukio |Fukuinkan Shoten | 2019 | 40 pp. | 27 x 23 cm | ISBN
9784834084641 | Ages 9+ | Volcanoes, Earth science, History

The Namahage ritual carried out on New Year’s Eveon the Oga peninsula, Akita prefecture, is listed as a
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Asset. This picture bookfeatures photos of Namahage taken over some
35 years. On December 31 at nightfall, a crowd
in demon-like masks and straw capes descends asnowy mountain road carrying torches. They circulate among village houses, raising a large knife andasking “Any crying children here?” to galvanize theyoung. Ample powerful images of this ritual are accompanied by legends and historical information,
as well as humorous spot introductions of curious
masks. The end-matter includes a guide to similar rituals around Japan, which involve god-visits,masks and costumes. (Nogami)This picture book portrays different kinds of volcanic eruptions in easy-to-understand format.
Explosive eruptions like cannon fire; eruptions thatleave a tall column of smoke in the air; eruptions
that cause slow lava flows, or dangerous pyroclastic
flows; eruptions that wipe out the mountain. No two
eruptions are alike, even on the same volcano. This
book focuses on Mt. Asama in central Japan, tracing
its eruptions through four periods: several decadesago, 200 years ago, 900 years ago, and 25,000 years
ago. Incorporating both geology and history, thebook’s detailed illustrations and design get readers closely observing the lifestyles, expressions andreactions of people in different eras, as well as the
movements of Nature itself. (Hiromatsu)

17

70

Wild Plants and Dreams:

An Illustrated Reference of Wheelchairs:

The Mathematical Ant

The Story of Tomitaro Makino（草木とみた夢／ Kusaki to mita yume）

Understanding Accessibility（車いすの図鑑／ Kurumaisu no zukan）（アリになった数学者／ Ari ni natta sugakusha）

An illustrated biography of Japanese botanist Tomitaro Makino, who is known as the father of botany
in Japan. Born in Kochi in 1862 just before Japan
opened its borders to the world, he was fascinatedwith plants from childhood. His longing to know
more about them was his starting point and inspired him to become a botanist. Although he neverfinished elementary school, he continued to study
plants on his own for the rest of his life. At the ageof seventy-eight, he completed the Makino Japan
Plant Encyclopedia, and he continued to study until
his death in 1957 at the age of ninety-four. The
gently-hued illustrations vividly convey his life aswell as his character and his deep love for nature.
The end of the book presents well-researched documentation of his life and achievements along with achronological table. (Shiozaki)

This book aims to make us think about universal ac-

Mathematics is the field of study that considers
what numbers and diagrams are. In fact, numbers
do not have a specific form. There is a number
called “3,” but a tangible item called 3 doesn’t exist.
So what is it? The protagonist is a mathematician
who studies the mysterious world of numbers, butsomehow one day he suddenly turns into an ant!
Now in the ant world, he tries to explain about
numbers to the other ants. We take many things for
granted in our daily lives, but actually there are lotsof things we don’t know about them. This is an educational book that provides an opportunity to find a
new perspective through considering the hows andwhys of numbers. (Shiozaki)

Text: Tanimoto, Yuji | Illus. Ono, Yayoi | Shuppan Works |2019 | 32 pp. | 27 x 22 cm | ISBN 9784907108328 | Ages
9+ | Plants, Botanist, Professions, Research

73

Come Visit the Mosque

Text/Illus. Takii, Hiroomi | Komine Shoten | 2018 | 152 pp.
| 20 x 14 cm | ISBN 9784338321020 | Ages 11+ | Islam,
Sacred sites, Religion, Terrorism, EarthJapan’s largest mosque is found in Shibuya ward,
Tokyo, and called Tokyo Camii. In this book, Tokyo
Camii PR staff member Shigeru Shitayama takes
readers on a tour of the mosque. As readers view
the spectacular colors inside the worship hall, theylearn that about one in four people on Earth is Muslim, and they encounter Islamic history and culture.
Arabic numerals, algebra, aspects of science, surgical tools, and much else in human civilization turnout to have roots in the Islamic world—perhaps
even cameras and coffee! Mr. Yamashita explains
why he became a follower of Islam, affirming thebelief that all humans are equal under God. This
book begs to be read far and wide to reduce prejudice and discrimination against Islam and Muslims.
(Nogami)Text: Morita, Masao | Illus. Wakisaka, Katsuji | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2018 | 48 pp. | 26 x 20 cm | ISBN 9784834084344| Ages 10+ | Mathematics, Numbers, Quest

Ed. Takahashi, Gihei | Kinnohoshisha | 2018 | 80 pp. | 29 x
22 cm | ISBN 9784323056586 | Ages 10+ | Wheelchairs,
Accessibility

cessibility through wheelchairs. Chapter 1, Guide toWheelchairs, tells us about what they are, what kindof people use them, their structure and how to usethem, and how to assist those using them. Chapter
2, Wheelchairs and Accessibility, is about the typesof barriers that exist in cities, ways to make roads,
toilets, and public transport accessible, assistive
vehicles and UD (universal design) taxis, universal
design, wheelchair sports, assistance dogs, and soforth. Chapter 3, Illustrated Wheelchair Reference,
introduces various types of wheelchairs from thosefor daily use to those used for disabled sports. This
book is an extremely useful way to introduce issuesof accessibility. Index included. (Sakuma)
74（モスクへおいでよ／ Mosuku e oide yo）

18

72

71

75

The Secrets of the Owl: Interesting Creatures（おしえて フクロウのひみつ／ Oshiete fukuro no himitsu）
Text: Shibata, Yoshihide | Illus. Matsuda, Yuka | Kodomo no
Miraisha | 2019 | 144 pp. | 21 x 15 cm | ISBN 9784864121538| Ages 11+ | Owls, Witches, Legends, Gods

There are about 240 owl species in the world. Although owls appear in many myths and legends,
most people know very little about them. Using
photos, illustrations and cartoons, this book reveals
the mysteries of the owl in approachable language.
Owls have 100 times more light-detecting cells intheir eyes than humans. That is why they can hunt atnight when there is little competition. People haveoften depicted owls as gods or forest sages becauseof their wise appearance, but crows and ravens are
actually far smarter than owls. The book brims withsuch fascinating facts about owls, and covers everything from these creatures’ role in folklore as guardian gods and witches’ messengers to the white owl
Hedwig which appears in the Harry Potter series.
(Nogami)Save the Grouse from Extinction（ ラ イ チ ョ ウ を 絶 滅 か ら 救 え ／ Raicho wo zetsumetsu
kara sukue）
Text: Kunimatsu, Toshihide | Komine Shoten | 2018 | 176
pp. | 20 x 14 cm | ISBN 9784338321013 | Ages 11+ |Grouse, Natural environment, Global warming, Ecosystem

The Lagopus mutus Japonicus Clark is a species ofgrouse native to high mountains such as the Japanese Alps. Due to drastic changes in their ecosystem, global warming and other factors, the species
faces extinction. Japanese ornithologist Hiroshi
Nakamura identified the Japanese grouse as a key
to the mountain ecosystem and has spent years
studying and protecting them. In 2013, he launcheda project to protect these chicks in cages in themountains, with positive results. This book represents an important record that teaches us about thenatural environment through the Japanese grouse
and urges us to rethink our relationship with nature.
(Shiozaki)

Recent Nonfiction
77

76

78

The Emperor System of Japan:

What Sort of Star is the Sun?

Let’s Think about the Emperor System from the Perspective of Democracy（太陽ってどんな星 ? ／ Taiyo te donna hoshi?）Miyahara, Hiroko | Shin Nihon Shuppansha | 2019 | 160
pp. | 22 x 16 cm | ISBN 9784406063678 | Ages 11+ | Sun,
Climate, Research（天皇制ってなんだろう ? ／ Tennoseitte nan darou?）

The author studies the relationship between changes in the Sun’s surface, including sunspots, and theEarth’s climate. In this book she explains her methods of research and what she learns from it, and thefuture prospects. No sunspots were recorded when
the River Thames froze over in the 17th century
during the Little Ice Age. From our efforts to know
more about this relationship, by surveying the ice at
the South Pole and the year rings in the cedar trees
on Yakushima we now know there are changes in
the Sun’s activity in units of 1000, 200 and 11 years.
Her extremely interesting writing style consists ofrepeatedly laying out the process of hypothesis, investigation and experimentation, and result, so thatlittle by little the reader learns about the sun, while
also getting a feel for the charms of studying science. (Doi)How did Japan’s current Emperor system comeabout? This book explains the emperor’s position
under the present Constitution and the one in force
before World War II, and compares the current stateof Japanese politics under the Emperor system, withother countries. Simple and appropriate questions
such as “Japan’s emperor system has continued
from really ancient times, hasn’t it?” “Is there a relationship between wartime responsibility and theemperor system?” are answered. Also, the author
makes the significant point that “Furthering yourthoughts about the issue of the emperor systemmeans going back to its origins while also considering our human rights, democracy, and freedom.”
(Doi)

79

Learning to Love Bugs from the Experts

Text/Illus. Kanai, Maki | Rironsha | 2019 | 160 pp. | 19 x 13
cm | ISBN 9784652203095 | Ages 13+ | Bugs, Likes anddislikes

The author hates bugs, even butterflies and cicadas. In this book, she records her encounterswith seven bug experts she visits in an attempt toovercome her aversion. She meets an expert in thefield of education who is studying the relationshipbetween children and bugs, the director of a bug
museum, an expert on wildlife observation andoutdoor play, an artist who makes clay bug objects,
a scientist researching harmful insects, a cognitive
scientist studying the psychology of fear, and a bug
keeper at the Tama Zoo. With a humorous touch,the author describes how the experts’ enthusiasm
sometimes has the opposite effect, turning her off
bugs even further. Her persistent efforts to like bugs
are endearing, and the illustrations make this a fun
read. (Sakuma)

A Fresh Start for Dogs and Boys

（ギヴ・ミー・ア・チャンス／ Gibu mi a chansu）

Otsuka, Atsuko | Kodansha | 2018 | 208 pp. | 20 x 14 cm| ISBN 9784065130001 | Ages 13+ | Juvenile reformatory,Dogs, Training

Utsunomiya, Kenji | Heibonsha | 2019 | 224 pp. | 19 x 13
cm | ISBN 9784582837933 | Ages 13+ | Emperor system,
Democracy, Constitution of Japan80（虫ぎらいはなおるかな ? ／ Mushi girai wa naoru ka?）

Give Me a Chance:

In 2014, a program was started at Yachimata Reformatory in Chiba prefecture to have young inmates train rescued dogs. Three boys joined theprogram in the first phase, and were paired up withthree abandoned dogs from a shelter. The program
lasted for three months during which time the dogs
were trained in order to be rehomed with ordinary
families. This book closely documents the day to
day process, vividly demonstrating how a sense oftrust developed between the neglected or abuseddogs and the delinquent juveniles as they began tounderstand each other, and together they began tochange. Readers will be deeply moved by the photos capturing the dogs’ facial expressions and theneutral written account. (Sakuma)

81

Mensore! Chemistry:Classes with Local Grandmas（めんそーれ！ 化学／ Mensore! kagaku）

Moriguchi, Mitsuru | Iwanami Shoten | 2018 | 240 pp. | 17
x 11 cm | ISBN 9784005008896 | Ages 13+ | Okinawa, Science, Night schoo

During the war, many children in Japan were unable to finish school, but some later studied at nightschool as mature students. The author taught local
Okinawan women in their sixties elementary chemistry at night school, using familiar things from daily
life to illustrate his lessons. In one class, for example, he explained the difference between materialchange and chemical change by cooking meat andpotatoes. In another, he conducted a distillation
experiment using wine and millet brandy. As he
got to know his students, they began sharing withhim what they had experienced during the war. The
author learned that there was much that he thought
he knew but really did not. This record of the author’s lessons and experiences stimulates readers tothink about what science really is and what it means
to learn. (Doi)Peace Baton: Memories of August 6 Depicted
by Hiroshima High School Students（平和のバトン／ Heiwa no baton）

Yugari, Masazumi | Kumon Shuppan | 2019 | 160 pp. | 20
x 14 cm | ISBN 9784774327778 | Ages 13+ | Hiroshima,
Atom Bomb, Pictures, Memories

Kazunuki Hashimoto taught a creative expression
course at Hiroshima Motomachi High School. In
2007, the Hiroshima Peace Museum asked him
to undertake a project for high school students
in which they would illustrate the stories of atombomb survivors. To date, 111 students have participated, depicting the experiences of forty survivors.
This book presents the resultant illustrations alongwith the narratives of atom bomb survivors, the students’ experiences, and the teacher’s thoughts andobservations. A unique way of conveying the survivors’ experiences to succeeding generations, thiswork provides readers with insight and understanding through the eyes of the high school students.
(Doi)

19

The Hans Christian Andersen Award
Kadono, Eiko 19352018 Author Award

Winners

Uehashi, Nahoko 1962-

20

Born in Tokyo, Eiko Kadono moved toBrazil for two years when she was 25,
and based on her experiences there she
wrote her first book. Since then she has
written many books for children of several generations. Her chapter book Majo
no takkyubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service),
written in 1984, won a number of prizes
and was included on the IBBY Honour
List. This story was adapted into a wildly
popular animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. Kadono has been decorated by
the Emperor of Japan for her significant
contributions to children’s literature.

Mado, Michio 1909-2014

2014 Author Award

1994 Author Award

Born in Tokyo, Nahoko Uehashi researched indigenous people in Australia
for her PhD in cultural authoropology.
Her literary debut came in 1989, when
her first book won an award that brought
her into the spotlight. In 1996, she began
to write her historical fantasy series Moribito (Guardian), which became a huge hit
and received several literature awards inand outside of Japan, including the IBBY
Honour List and the Batchelder Awardin the USA. Her series The Beast Player is
now out in the USA and the UK.

Michio Mado 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 Hakushu Kitahara,
the most respected poet of the time. This
marked the beginning of Mado’s career
as a creator of nursery rhymes, songs
and poems for children. The Animals ,co-published in the USA and Japan as abilingual book, was translated by thenEmpress Michiko of Japan.

Anno, Mitsumasa 1926-

Akaba, Suekichi 1910-1990

1984 Illustrator Award

1980 Illustrator Award

Born in Tsuwano, a village located in avalley surrounded by mountains, Mitsumasa Anno developed a strong desire toexperience places 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 withvisual perception, and his drawings, often
compared to Escher, not only aboundwith visual trickery and illusions but also
display a playful sense of humour.

Born in Tokyo, Suekichi Akaba emigrated to Manchuria at the age of 21. Heworked in industry and began to paintwhile 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 bookin 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

Tashima, Seizo 1940-

Tomiyasu, Yoko 1959-

Katayama, Ken 1940-

2018, 2020 Illustrator

2020 Author

2014, 2016 Illustrator

Kako, Satoshi 1926-2018

Nasu, Masamoto 1942-

Hayashi, Akiko 1945-2012 Illustrator

2012 Author

2008, 2010 Illustrator

Tanikawa, Shuntaro 1931-

Kanzawa, Toshiko 1924-

Ohta, Daihachi 1918-2016

2008, 2010 Author

2000, 2006 Author

1970, 2002-2006 Illustrator

Sato, Satoru 1928-2017

Ishii, Momoko 1907-2008

Cho, Shinta 1927-2005

2004 Author

2002 Author

1998, 2000 Illustrator

21

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 1992. Since 2008, JBBY has given these books the JBBY Award.
WRITING
Writing 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
Froe-bel 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, Yu
A 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 InstituteWriting 1992
Mitamura, Nobuyuki
When I was a Dinosaur
Boku ga kyoryu datta koro
Holp Shuppan

ILLUSTRATION
Illustration 2020
Tamura, Shigeru
Night Sounds
Yoru no oto
Kaiseisha

Illustration 2014
Abe, Hiroshi
To the New World
Shin sekai eKaiseisha

22

Illustration 2018
Suzuki, Koji
Dome Story
Domu gatari
Text: Binard, Arthur
Tamagawa University Press

Illustration 2012
Inoue, Yosuke
Hats
Boshi
East Press

Illustration 2016
Yoshida, Hisanori
The Ranch of Hope in Fukushima
Kibo no bokujo
Text: Mori, Eto
Iwasaki Shoten

Illustration 2010
Ito, Hideo
Ushio
Ushio
Billiken Shuppan

Illustration 2008
Arai, Ryoji
The Sun 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

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 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 1994
Akino, Isamu
Oral Poetry of the Native Americans
Ore wa uta da ore wa koko o aruku
Text: Kanaseki, Hisao
Fukuinkan Shoten

Illustration 1992
Yabuuchi, Masayuki
Wild Birds of Japan
Yacho no zukan
Fukuinkan 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 1994
Trans. Shimizu, Masako
A Wizard of Earthsea
by Ursula K. Le Guin
Gedo senki
Iwanami Shoten

Translation 1992
Trans. Uchida, Risako
Russian Folktales
Roshia no mukashi banashi
Fukuinkan Shoten

TRANSLATION

23

Children’s Literature as a Part of Japan’s Publishing Statistics
By Akira Nogami, JBBY Vice President
Translated by Deborah Iwabuchi

Total book sales have halved since theirpeak, but children’s books show growth
Sales of books in Japan peaked at 2.6 trillion yen in 1996,
and have been on a steady decline ever since. Sales in 2018
were down to 1.3 trillion yen, a half of what they were attheir highest. The decline is most dramatic among magazines. Figures in this field have fallen from 1.5 trillion yen to
about 600 billion yen, only 40 percent of top figures. Books
have declined from 1.1 trillion yen to 700 billion yen, still
maintaining about 60 percent of their peak sales.
Total sales for children’s books are 87.5 billion yen, accounting for only seven percent of all books, but this figure
has actually increased by close to 20 billion yen, from 70
that sales of children’s literature soared to 100 billion yen in 2002,

The picture book market and problems withpopularity concentrated on particular works

2004, and 2006, when books in the Harry Potter series came out, andResearch Institute for Publications provides statistics on the Japa-

the present situation, while good, is not as strong as it was at those

nese publishing industry. Let’s look at the details. In 2018, 4721 newtimes.

children’s books were published, up 8.5 percent from the previous

billion yen at the end of the 1990s. It should be noted, however,24

The population of children aged 14 and under has declined 1.6

year. The estimated net sales were, as previously mentioned, 87.5

million, from 17 million ten years ago to 15.4 million today. Despitebillion yen, up 1.3 percent over the previous year. Of all children’s

this, sales of children’s books have continued to grow slightly almost

books, picture books saw the most growth. There were 2003 new

every year since 2014. The general book market puts out more books

picture books, up 10.2 percent from the previous year. New reading

than before, but the strategy is to make quick sales before books

and chapter books, etc. numbered 2718, up by 7.3 percent. Net sales

are removed from shelves after a very short period of time. Even hitsof picture books was 31.4 billion yen, a small 0.3 percent increase

come and go at a rapid rate. In contrast, the children’s market hasover the previous year, but an increase of 1.5 billion yen over 2014

many longsellers, reprints of which play an important role in its sup-(net sales 29.0 billion yen). Particular successes include Kagakui Hiro-

port. The selection available is based on books children have loved

shi’s Daruma-san ga (Dharma series; Bronze Publishing). More thanover the years. Popularity transcends generations, and publishers

300,000 copies a year are reprinted, for a total of 2.545 million so far.

have done their best to recognize these books for the successes they

Inai inai baa (Peek-a-boo, written by Matsutani Miyoko, illustrated byare, keeping them on store shelves. Several children’s book publish-

Segawa Yasuo; Doshinsha) is a longseller, with about 200,000 copies

ers were making 60 to 70 percent of sales in reprints, a situation that

reprinted each year for a total of 6.636 million so far.

continued to 2018. As sales of publications in general continue toAmong new books, super bestsellers of more than 100,000 cop-decline, some general publishers have attempted to enter the chil-ies include books by Yoshitake Shinsuke: Oshikko choppiri moretaro

dren’s market, copying the efforts of children’s publishers. So far,

(A Little Pee Leaked; PHP), Mieru to ka mienai to ka (It’s Not About

however, there have been very few successes.

Whether You Can See It or Not; Alice-kan) and Sore shikanai wakenai deshou (That Can’t Be All There Is To It; Hakusensha). When theseFewer books in translation from overseas

new books were launched, other books already published by the

Up until recently, the Japanese children’s book market had a largesame author had surges in sales. Much of this was because the au-

share of works in translation available, much larger than in mostthor was featured on special TV programs and had an overwhelming

countries. Iwanami Shonen Bunko, a juvenile literature imprint estab-amount of media exposure. In recent years, this kind of exposure

lished in 1950, was a frontrunner in publishing children’s books fromtends to link directly to book sales.

overseas. It was followed in 1953 by Sogensha which published the

The same thing can be said for chapter books. The Oshiri tantei

fifty volumes of Sekai Shonen Shojo Bungaku Zenshu (World Litera-

series (Detective Oshiri series, written and illustrated by Troll; Pop-

ture Series for Boys and Girls). In 1958, Kodansha published a similarlar) occupies the top seven ranks in sales. A small number of books

50-volume series. These resulted in a boom for children’s classics inare getting most of the sales, with readers failing to notice the rest.

translation. At its peak, these series accounted for a half of all sales

JBBY has taken measures to offset this trend by uncovering excellent

in children’s books. The trend continued even into the 21st century

books hiding behind the bestsellers. Each year we publish a catalog

with a fantasy genre boom triggered by the popularity of the Harryof recommended books entitled Japanese Children’s Books. We also

Potter books. There was a sudden increase in translated children’s

put together a list of books in translation available for Japanesebooks, sales of which accounted for almost 40 percent of all juve-

readers. We distribute both publications at overseas book fairs, tonile literature. Recently, however, translated versions of both picture

JBBY members, and to other interested parties.

books and other children’s works have been on the decline. Even in

The trend of sales concentrated on a few popular books became

terms of numbers of books, books from overseas are estimated to beeven more pronounced in spring of 2019. Word got out from thedown to about 15 percent of all children’s books. We wonder if thispublishing industry that reprints of Inai inai baa and other longsellers

is a reflection of the times, as Japanese society as a whole seems to

had begun to slow down. It turned out that parents and teachers

be more inward than outward looking. Because of this, JBBY began in

who buy children’s books were focusing more and more on what

2019, as mentioned earlier, to put out Osusume! Sekai no kodomo no

the mass media had to say. Even longsellers that had been read andhon (Translated Children’s Books), an annual publication introducing

loved over the generations were beginning to lose ground to media

new books from other countries that have been translated into Japa-

recommendations. We fear that part of the problem is the lack ofnese. Children’s books had been doing well, but 2019 shows signs

importance the current administration places on culture as well as itsof a sudden slowdown. In the midst of all this, JBBY is active in its ef-

manipulation of media. On top of that, sales tax was raised from 8 toforts to improve children’s books in Japan—in terms of both quality

10 percent in October 2019, and this has somewhat slowed sales ofand a more vigorous market environment. JBBY’s activities include

children’s books, which had been doing well up to that point.

courses for new editors, and fairs and lectures on children’s books
from around the world.

From left: Daruma san ga (by Kagakui Hiroshi; Bronze), Inai inai baa (by Matsutani Miyoko and Segawa Yasuo; Doshinsha), Oshikko choppiri moretaro (by Yoshitake
Shinsuke; PHP), Oshiri tantei (by Troll; Poplar), Sekai shonen bungaku zenshu (Sogensha), Osusume! Sekai no kodomo no hon (JBBY)

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

Picture Books

Maurits Muise by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert (NL) | Nezumi no Maurittsu, trans. Etsuko Nozaka; Bunka Shuppankyoku

Archie Snufflekins Oliver Valentine Cupcake Tiberius Cat by Katie
Harnett (UK) | Tottemo namae no oi neko, trans. Mayumi Matsukawa;
Hyoronsha

Potatoes, potatoes by Anita Lobel (US) | Kachan no jagaimo batake,trans.Mayumi Matsukawa; Hyoronsha

Baby Goes To Market by Atinuke and Angele Brooksbank (UK) | Chito kun to nigiyakana ichiba, trans. Yumiko Sakuma; Tokuma Shoten
Baby on Board by Allan Ahlberg and Emma Chichester Clark (UK) |Akachan ga donburako!, trans. Chihiro Nakagawa; Tokuma Shoten
Because of an Acorn by Lola M. & Adam Schaefer and Frann
Preston-Gannon (US) | Tatta hitotsu no donguri ga, trans. Aiko Sena;
Hyoronsha
Bonshommes des Bois by Elisabeth Ivanovsky (FR) | Mori no tanjobi
pati, trans. Misao Fushimi; Iwanami Shoten

The Secret Project by Jeanette Winter and Jonah Winter (US) | Kono
keikaku wa himitsu desu, trans. Yumiko Sakuma; Suzuki Shuppan
The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones (UK) | Daisuki
raion san, trans. Yumiko Fukumoto; Froebel-kan
Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller and Anne Wilsdolf (US) | Sofi
to chiisana otomodachi, trans. Yukiko Ninomiya; Mitsumura Kyoiku
Tosho

The Boy From The Mars by Simon James (UK) | Sutanri to chiisana
kasejin, trans. Shigeki Chiba; Asunaro Shobo

When We were Alone by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett (CA) |Watashi tachi dake no toki wa, trans. Kazue Yokoyama; Iwanami Shoten

Camino a Casa by Jiro Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng (MX) | Issho nikaero, trans. Kazumi Uno; Iwasaki Shoten

Whose Cat Is That? by Virjinia Kahl (US) | Kono neko, uchi no neko!,trans.Tomoko Kodama; Tokuma Shoten

A Cat Named Swan by Holly Hobbie (US) | Koneko no Suwan, trans.
Izumi Mihara; BL Shuppan

The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse by Mac Bernett and Jon Klassen(UK) | Okami no onaka no nakade, trans. Chihiro Nakagawa; Tokuma
ShotenChildren of the Northlights by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (US)| Orora no kuni no kodomo tachi, trans. Yumiko Kamijo; Fukuinkan
Shoten喀噠喀噠喀噠 by 林小杯 (TW) | Katakatakata obachan no takaramono,trans. Noriko Hosako; Holp Shuppan

The Dam by David Almond and Levi Pinfold (UK) | Damu, trans. Taichi Hisayama; Hyoronsha

Chapter Books and Novels

In Our Mothers' House by Patrcia Polacco (US) | Futari mama no iede, trans. Akiko Nakayama; Thousands Books

Der Bär und die Leute by Reiner Zimnik (DE) | Kuma to ningen, trans.
Maniko Ueda; Tokuma Shoten

The Journey by Francesca Sanna (UK) | Jani, trans. Machiko Aoyama;
Kijitora Shuppan

De Blauwe Maansteen by Tonke Dragt (NL) | Aoi tsuki no ishi, trans.
Yumi Nishimura; Iwanami Shotn

Katinka's Tail by Judith Kerr (UK) | Fushigina shippo no neko Katinka,trans. Tomoko Kodama; Tokuma Shoten

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne (US) | Hitora tokurashita shonen, trans. Masaru Harad; Asunaro Shobo

Lines by Suzy Lee (US) | Sen, Iwanami Shoten

Burton and Dudley by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Barbara
Cooney (US) | Hoihoi to Fumufumu, trans. Yumiko Fukumoto; Holp
ShuppanL'oiseau du sommeil by Isabelle Simler (FR) | Nemuri dori, trans.
Mariko Kono; Froebel-kan
Looking for Yesterday by Alison Jay (UK) | Kino o mitsuketai, trans.
Mimi Hachikai; Tokuma Shoten

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Schellen-Ursli by Selina Chöns and Alois Carigiet (CH) | Urusuri no
suzu, trans. Yuzo Otsuka; Iwanami Shoten

An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo (UK) | Tonneru no mukoni, trans. Nanae Sugita; Shogakukan

The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous (US) | Isuta no tamago no ki,trans. Yumiko Fukumoto; Tokuma Shoten

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (US) | Yasei no robotto, trans. Akie
Maezawa; Fukuinkan Shoten

Folo, il Centauro by Roberto Piumini (IT) | Kentaurosu no Porosu,
trans. Toru Nagano; Iwanami Shoten

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (US) | Negaigoto no ki, trans. Kaoru
Odaka; Kaiseisha

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sacher (US) | Doro, trans. Shigeki Chiba;
Shogakukan

Withering-by-Sea by Judith Rossell (AU) | Umibe no machi no kai
jiken, trans. Yoko Hinata; Hyoronsha

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky (US) | Boku ga sukato o haku
hi, trans. Yoshiko Nishida; Gakken Plus

Zachráněné Vánoce by Lenka Rožnovská (CZ) | Kurisumasu no akari,trans. Yuko Kimura; Fukuinkan Shoten

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (US) | Za heito yu gibu, trans. Rika
Hattori; Iwasaki Shoten

Nonfiction Books

Mr. Piper's Bus by Eleanor Clymer and Kurt Wiese (US) | Paipa sanno basu, trans. Yu Komiya; Tokuma Shoten

All about Anne by Anne Frank Stichting, Amsterdam (NL) | Anne no
koto subete, trans. Erika Kobayashi; edit. Fumiko Ishioka; Poplar

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Andersen (US) | Kaneishon dei,trans. Yoko Kubo; Holp Shuppan

Bloom: A Story of Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (US) | Shokkingu pinku shokku!, trans. Kyoko Yagi; Froebel-kan

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr (UK) | Furora, trans.
Ritsuko Sanbe; Shogakukan

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World by Barry Wittenstein andChris Hsu (US) | "Itai" ga unda dai hatsumei, trans. Tomoko Kodama;
Mitsumura Kyoiku Tosho

The Other Boy by M. G. Hennessey (US) | Henkakyu danshi, trans.
Nanae Sugita; Suzuki Shuppan
Out of Left Field by Ellen Klages (US) | Sono makyu ni mada na wanai, trans. Megumi Hashimoto; Asunaro Shobo
A Piglet Called Truffle by Helen Peters (US) | Kobuta no Toryufu,
trans. Sumiko Moriuchi; Saela Shobo
Pippi Långstrump by Astrid Lindgren (SE) | Nagakutsushita no Pippi(new ed.), trans. Akirako Hishiki; Iwanami Shoten
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park (US) | Juria ga ito o tsumuida hi,trans. Fumiko Naito; Tokuma Shoten
Save Me a Seat by Sara Weeks and Gita Varadarajan (US) | Ashita noranchi wa kimi to, trans. Yoko Kubo; Froebel-kan
Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher (US) | Saidotorakku, trans. Hiroko Taketomi; Hyoronsha
A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis (UK) | Kaze ga hakonda monogatari, trans. Yumiko Sakuma; Asunaro Shobo
The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden (UK) | Kurisumasu no
onna no ko, trans. Miki Kuji; Tokuma Shoten
Train I Ride by Paul Mosier (US) | Atashi ga notta densha wa susumu,
trans. Akako Daida; Suzuki Shuppan
Train Kids by Dirk Reinhardt (DE) | Ressha wa kono yami o nukete,trans. Haruki Amanuma; Tokuma Shoten
The White Fox by Jackie Morris (UK) | Soromon no shiroi kitsune,trans.Shigeki Chiba; Asunaro Shobo

De gans eet het brood van de eenden op: Mijn Kindertijd In een
Jappenkamp p Java by Anne-Ruth Wertheim (NL) | Haha ga tsukutte
kureta sugoroku, trans. Saki Nagayama; Tokuma Shoten
Grandma Gatewood Hike the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer
Thermes (US) | Ema obaachan yama o iku, trans. Yuriko Matsumura;
Kosaido Akatsuki
The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith(UK) | Iroiro ironna kazoku no hon, trans. Emi Sugimoto; Shonen
Shashin Shinbunsha
Jan Vermeer e l'attesa della luce by Chiara Lossani and Andrea
Alemanno (IT) | Ferumeru, trans. Masako Yuki; Nishimura Shoten
Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay Haring andRobert Neubecker (US) | Kisu Heringu, trans. Kaoru Yanase; Hyoronsha
The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond (US) | Hokkyoku guma, trans.
Yukiko Fukumoto; BL Shuppan
The Shape of the World by K. L. Going and Lauren Stringer (US) |Shizen no katachi sekai no katachi, trans. Shigeki Chiba; BL Shuppan
The Usborne Official Astronaut's Handbook by Louie Stowell (UK) |Kimi wa uchu hikoshi!, trans. Sanami Takeuchi; Kaiseisha
Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky: Vincent Can't Sleep by Barb
Rosenstock and Mary GrandPre (US) | Gohho no hoshizora, trans. Chihiro Nakagawa; Holp Shuppan
Where Will I Live? by Rosemary McCarney (CA) | Watashi wa dokode
ikite ikeba iino?, trans. Yoshiko Nishida; Nishimura Shoten

モ ン ゴ ル 大 草 原 800 年 by Ichinnorov Ganbaatar and Baasansuren
Bolormaa (MN) | Mongoru daisogen happyaku nen, trans. Noriko
Tsuda; Fukuinkan Shoten

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Japanese Children's Books 2020

JBBY's recommendations for young readers throughout the world© Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY), 2020
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
http://www.jbby.org/
Book selection and review:
Yasuko Doi, Yukiko Hiromatsu, Akira Nogami, Yumiko Sakuma, Junko Shiozaki
Translation: Cathy Hirano, Deborah Iwabuchi, Ginny Tapley Takemori, Avery Fischer Udagawa
Cover illustration: Chiki Kikuchi
Supported by
The Foundation for the Advancement of Juvenile Education in Japan
Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.

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