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

Japanese
Children's Books
2024

Cover illustration

Japanese Children's Books 2024

TAJIMA Yukihiko

Born in the city of Sakai near Osaka, this illustrator graduated fromthe dyeing and weaving program at Kyoto City University of Arts.
In 1976, he began publishing picture books that incorporate stencil
dying, and his early work Jigoku no Sobe (Sobe in Hades; Doshinsha)
won an inaugural Picture Book Nippon Award. He vigorously createdmore works that won a Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava Plaque, theShogakukan Illustration Award, the Leipzig International Book Design
Silver Medal, and many more awards. Recently, his Fushigi na tomodachi (My Mysterious Friend; Kumon Shuppan) won the Japan PictureBook Award Grand Prize, and Nakimushi Seitoku (Crybaby Seitoku;
Doshinsha) won the Kodansha Picture Book Award. His numerous
other publications include Sobe gokuraku e yuku and Sobe makkuroke no ke (Sobe Goes to Heaven, and Sobe in the Pitch-Darkness;
Doshinsha). He was selected for the 2024 IBBY Honour List.

Contents● Book Selection and Review team.........................................................................2● About JBBY and This Catalog.................................................................................3● Recent Japanese Children’s Books Recommended by JBBY

Picture Books, Chapter Books and Novels, Nonfiction ...................... 4● The Hans Christian Andersen Award
Five winners and 14 nominees from Japan ........................................... 22● Japanese Books Selected for the IBBY Honour List ................................. 24

JBBY Book Selection and Review TeamOKUYAMA Megumi

SAKAGUCHI Mikako

SAKUMA Yumiko

SASAOKA Tomoko

SHIOZAKI Junko

DOI Yasuko

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

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

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 ofEnzaro Village (Fukuinkan Shoten). Her more than 250
translations of books from English to Japanese range fromCharlotte’s Web by E.B. White and the picture books of
Maurice Sendak to Refugee by Alan Gratz. Her translationof Last Summer with Maizon by Jacqueline Woodson madethe IBBY Honour List. JBBY board member.

Librarian at the Tokyo Children’s Library. After working
at an Italian bookstore, she was in charge of the foreign
language picture books collection at the Itabashi Central
Library. Involved in the “Picture Book Town Itabashi
Project” and the “Sister Library Exchange Project” with theSala Borsa Children’s Library in Bologna, Italy. A memberof the Association of Children’s Libraries (Jitoken). JBBY
board member.

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

Director and senior researcher at the International
Institute for Children’s Literature, Osaka (IICLO). Besides
researching reading activities and the history of Japanesechildren’s literature, she plans projects such as training
courses for teachers and librarians, as well as lectures andsymposiums for children’s book authors from Japan andoverseas. Coeditor of I Could Read by Myself!: Book Guideof 200 Books for Young Children (Hyoronsha) among others. Jury for the 2018 and 2020 Hans Christian Andersen
Awards. JBBY managing director.

NOGAMI Akira

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

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

Title in Japanese | Author/Illustrator | Publisher | Publication Year |Number of Pages | Trim Size | ISBN | Target Age | Keywords
Basic Book Description (Last Name of Reviewer)Japanese Children's Books
About JBBY and This Catalog
The Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY) was founded in 1974
as the Japanese section of the International Board on Books for Young People(IBBY). In keeping with IBBY’s ideals, JBBY undertakes a range of activities inJapan. Since 2015, we have also curated this yearly catalog, Japanese Children’s
Books, to introduce superb Japanese children’s titles abroad.
In this catalog, we provide information about recent Japanese books recommended by a JBBY 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 Christian Andersen Award;
books selected for the IBBY Honour List from Japan; and recent translations into

Cover illustration Ⓒ Yukihiko Tajima

Japanese recommended by JBBY.
The titles in Japanese Children’s Books were selected after rigorous consultationand consideration by experts who have been involved in children’s literature formany years. This year’s books had to:•have been published in Japan between September 2022 and August 2023•

contain fine content representative of Japan•

enable children to explore Japanese cultures and the real lives of children
in Japan•be worthy of translation overseas•

be worthy of further introduction to children, caregivers, libraries, andpublishing professionals in Japan as well

We list the selected books by category and in order of target age, including
cover images and synopses along with bibliographic information. We hope that
our listings will help you discover recent children’s titles from Japan. For further
information, please contact us: info@jbby.org
UNO Kazumi, JBBY President

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Recent
Picture
Books

1

2

Treasures of the Sea

My Grandpa’s Big Sneeze

Readers turn the cover of the book to be met
with an endpaper filled with illustrations of all
kinds of shells. The detailed illustrations are so
realistic they almost look like photographs. As
they turn the pages, each shell reveals a newscene, such as a room, the prehistoric sea, ora starry night sky. They are drawn into a worldof fantasy to the sound of the waves and thesmell of the tide: “When you go to the seaside,
look for shells/Try shaking it/Jingle jangle… if
it makes a sound, there is a teeny tiny treasureinside.” A breathtakingly beautiful book, itself atreasure. (Sasaoka)

Grandpa’s sneeze is really big. It sends crayons
and slippers flying. And that’s not all. Grandpa
says he can blow apples off the tree, makewild animals flee, and fly wherever he likes
with the propulsive power of his sneeze. His
granddaughter thinks he’s just making it allup, but then… The doting grandpa’s faceand gestures, and the fantastical ending, aredelightful and amusing. We also get a senseof the everyday life of grandpa caring forand playing with his granddaughter from theillustration on the back endpaper. (Sakuma)

うみのたからもの | Text/Ill. TAKAO Yuko | Kodansha| 2023 | 32pp | 25×27cm | ISBN978-4-0653-2147-8| Ages: 3+ | Sea, Seashells, Fantasy

3

4

5

The Good Morning Birds

Kite

Dr. Burdock Root’s Busy Day

The branches of a large tree are full of thecolorful houses where lots of birds live. When
morning comes, the first bird wakes up andthen rouses the second bird, and the two birds
knock on the doors of birds three and four. All
the birds wake up one after another and then
fly around the town, knocking on the windowsof all the houses. The townspeople wake up
and greet each other with “Good morning!”
Shopkeepers, buses, and dogs all say “Goodmorning!” The morning bustle of the town isfestive and fun in these colorful collages madeup of comical three-dimensional clay figures ofbirds and drawings. (Nogami)“Today I’m going to fly Kite higher than ever!”says Haru, dashing out of her house holding
her white kite. But suddenly a strong gust ofwind takes Kite high up into the sky. Kite wants
to go back to Haru right away, but he can’t.
He is saved by some magpies, and flies overthe sea. He is used as a mattress by a family offoxes, and gives a ride to a baby swallow who
is frightened of flying. And at last he makes
his way back to Haru’s house! The dynamic
illustrations show the view from the perspectiveof the kite protagonist flying high in the sky,and you really feel like you are flying with it.
(Shiozaki)

A story where all the characters are vegetables.
It portrays a day in the clinic of the kindly, clearheaded Dr. Burdock Root. He puts a mustard
spinach who has wilted from lack of water
into a bath, prescribes ladybirds for a lettuce
covered in aphids, and in the afternoon is busy
examining lots of vegetable babies. In thesedetailed illustrations showing the clinic and all thevegetable patients, there is a simple and slightly
nostalgic atmosphere in which we can feel thewarm connection between people. The view ofDr. Burdock Root’s daily life outside the clinic
portrayed on the endpapers and back cover isalso fun. It is the second in the Vegetable Village
Series, following “Ms Maize Corn’s Transformative
Salon” portraying a hairdresser’s. (Okuyama)

おはようどり | Text/Ill. MURO Maiko | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2023 | 32pp | 22×21cm | ISBN978-4-83408718-5 | Ages: 3+ | Morning, Birds, Town

4

おじいちゃんの くしゃみ | Text/Ill. ABE Yui| Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023 | 44pp | 27×22cm| ISBN978-4-8340-8713-0 | Ages: 3+ | Grandpa,
Sneezes, Humor

カイト | Text/Ill. ISHIKAWA Eriko | Kodansha| 2023 | 44pp | 30×22cm | ISBN978-4-0653-2037-2| Ages: 3+ | Kites, Sky, Adventure, Travel

ごぼうせんせいの いそがしいいちにち | Text/Ill.
UEGAKI Ayuko | Kosei Shuppansha | 2023 | 32pp
| 25×22cm | ISBN978-4-3330-2888-7 | Ages: 3+| Vegetables, Hospitalpicture books
6

7

8

The Cherry Blossom Boat

The Biggest Cat in The World

On a Journey

The title page shows a small, cold ladybird flapping
her wings. Turning the page, we are presented
with a spring landscape with cherry blossom petals
fluttering down. The ladybird makes a petal thatlands on the surface of the river into her boat, andgoes to inform the creatures of the forest thatspring has arrived. A bee and two butterfly friends
come and join her on the boat, and the four ofthem float downstream telling everyone “Spring
has come!” The beautiful spring forest is full ofvitality, depicted in delicately hued watercolors
with a bold, and there is a pleasant rhythm tothe words gently speaking to us. This illustrated
book is overflowing with the creatures of theforest joyfully welcoming the long-awaited spring.
(Shiozaki)

How big is the biggest cat in the world? As big
as a dog? As big as a lion? Bigger! Bigger! The
black cat with golden eyes gets bigger every
time we turn the page. As big as a house?
Smaller than a high rise, surely? No, bigger!
Bigger! It is amusing to see the cat growing
and growing until it is bigger than a mountainand higher than the clouds, and the final sceneof two golden eyes shining in the pitch blacknight sky is impressive. (Nogami)

A boy with a pointy hat sets off with his dog.
He plucks and eats an apple, and his ears growbigger and bigger. He eats a strawberry, andhis nose grows long and red, and birds perchon it. A fish jumps out of a pond into the boy’s
mouth, turning him into a fish. A sip of syrupchanges him into a flea, a mouthful of daikon
makes him a giant, and a mushroom turns
him into a monster. The boy dances aroundthe campfire with a band of monsters until his
dog, transformed into a giant after eating amushroom, chases them away. Together, thedog and the boy return home safely. The bookhas no text, and the bizarre journey unfolds likea funny cartoon. (Nogami)

さくらの ふね | Text/Ill. KIKUCHI Chiki | Komine
Shoten | 2023 | 32pp | 24×31cm | ISBN978-4338-26143-2 | Ages: 3+ | Cherry blossoms, Spring,
Ladybirds

9

せかいで いちばん おおきな ネコ | Text: KAZEKI
Kazuhito | Ill. HIROKAWA Saeko | Ehonjuku
Shuppan | 2022 | 36pp | 22×19cm | ISBN978-48648-4190-0 | Ages: 3+ | Cats, Gigantism, Earth10

たびに でよう | Text/Ill. FURIYA Nana | Doshinsha| 2023 | 48pp | 18×19cm | ISBN978-4-4940-1251-0| Ages: 3+ | Trip, Transformation, Dog, Monsters

11

Earth Passport

Summer Holiday

Going to Make a Winter CoatThis picture book was initiated by a groupof six authors. When Russia began invading
Ukraine, one of these authors, Yuki Sasameya
announced, “Even if there’s nothing we can do,
we must still try. Even if we can’t fix the brokenbuildings, at least we can carry a stone or two.”
The group reached out to picture book authors
in Japan and elsewhere, gathering a total oftwenty-four contributors. Each one created theirown imaginary country over a two-page folding
spread. Some element from each country links
the adjoining countries together, such as a handtouching a tail, and the book, which unfolds
in accordion style, is designed like a passport.
Countries include places like Flyingstan andSlowland. Part of sales proceeds goes to support
children in Ukraine. (Doi)During the summer holidays, Kota’s cousins andtheir parents come to stay. The children eat cakeand swim in a nearby pool, then come home for alunch of chilled noodles, tempura, and sushi rolls.
After an afternoon nap, they enjoy watermelon,change into summer kimono and head off forthe festival. At the end of the day, the children fallasleep with contented expressions on their faces.
Packed with the joys of summer vacation, thebook leaves a happy afterglow.
Each frame contains multiple perspectives andangles, and the colors utilize the texture of thecanvas, resulting in a distinctive style. The summer
festival scene, a gatefold featuring festival goers
enjoying different stalls, is superb. (Sasaoka)

One snowy morning, a little bunny named Saki
went to Miko, a dressmaker fox, to have hermother’s red coat refitted for herself. Whiledeciding on the design for the refurbishedcoat, Miko asks Saki all kinds of questions
about what she likes to do when she’s outside
in winter and what she likes about her mother’scoat. The fine illustrations capture such details
as buttons of various shapes and colors andbolts of beautifully patterned cloth, fostering in
the reader an appreciation for the handiworkthat breathes new life into old clothes. This is
the third book in a series on clothes, following
upon Going to Make a Spring Dress and Going
to Make a Fall Sweater. (Okuyama)

ちきゅうパスポート | Text/Ill. 24 Picture Book
Authors | BL Shuppan | 2023 | 46pp | 18×10cm| ISBN978-4-7764-1080-5 | Ages: 3+ | Passport,
World, Peace

なつやすみ | Text/Ill. ASO Tomoko | Fukuinkan
Shoten | 2023 | 36pp | 26×26cm | ISBN978-4-83408720-8 | Ages: 3+ | Family, Gathering, Summer
festival, Fireworks

ふゆのコートをつくりに | Text: ISHII Mutsumi| Ill. FUKAWA Aiko | Bronze Shinsha | 2022 | 32pp
| 24×20 cm | ISBN978-4-8930-9711-8 | Ages: 3+| Winter, Clothes, Dressmaker

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12

13

Invisible Ryu

Road

Rui’s Adventure

The author moved to Amami Island, a Natural
World Heritage site in a subtropical zone.
Amami islanders refer to things they can sense
but can’t see in nature as “ryu.” This is also thename of the protagonist of this dynamic picture
scroll. Born in a small sea, Ryu plows throughthe water, making waves as he ventures out
into the ocean. He swims and flies through theseasons, giving life to many creatures, fromtiny fish to seagulls, from whales to foxes, thenmakes his way back to where he came from. An
awe-inspiring ode to nature with illustrations
that give the invisible Ryu a constantly
changing shape and colorfully depict a story
that transcends time and space. (Nogami)

An orange line runs through the book from thefront cover to the back, representing a road
along which a girl, a boy and a dog travel andencounter many adventures. In one place, theline is broken and the three characters must
jump over the gap.
They walk along the road, pedal bicycles uphill,
ski through a snow-covered forest, and cross adesert on the back of a camel. Along the way,
they take a detour and wander lost in backlanes, get caught at a train crossing, take thelong way around to avoid the rain, and maketheir way through mazes and down long roads.
Using a line to represent a road provides ahumorous touch, and the changing scenery
keeps readers entertained. (Doi)Rui, a kitten that lives on a farm, crawls inside
a cart while playing hide-and-seek and falls
asleep. He wakes to find himself in a strange
place and decides to cut through the forest to
get home. On the way, he meets a snail who
warns him a scary spider lurks in the forest, afrog who teaches him how to jump across theriver, and a bunny rabbit who teaches him todance. When he meets a fawn who is crying for
its mother, Rui cries too. A giant spider attacks
him, but he is saved by his mother who hascome looking for him. Home again, Rui teaches
his siblings to dance. The illustrations capture
the kitten’s actions and expressions in thisenchanting adventure story. (Doi)

みえない りゅう | Text/Ill. mirocomachiko| Mishimasha | 2023 | 32pp | 30×22cm | ISBN978-49093-9490-3 | Ages: 3+ | Sea, Life, Nature15

みち | Text/Ill. MIURA Taro | Asunaro Shobo | 2022
| 36pp | 21×23cm | ISBN978-4-7515-3116-7| Ages: 3+ | Road, Line, Adventure

16

ルイの冒険 | Text: NAMBU Kazuya | Ill. UNO Akira| Collab. TASIMA Seizo | Kodansha | 2022 | 36pp
| 27×22cm | ISBN978-4-0652-9301-0 | Ages: 3+| Cat, Lost child, Adventure

17

I’m Going to Be a Big Sister

A-I-U-E-Oh! Monster Festival

Aleutian Magic

Uta will soon be a big sister. She decides to ask
the animals in the forest what she can do forher baby sister. She makes a mailbox and takes
it to the forest, asking the animals to put lettersin it with ideas. Many animals put in letterswith their suggestions. “You can take your baby
sister to a meadow full of flowers,” “What about
going on a boat together at night?” “It would
be nice to make the baby a hat.” Uta falls fastasleep, relieved to know there is so much she
can do as a big sister.
The charming story is perfectly complimented
by the soft touch and warm colors of theillustrations. (Sasaoka)“The A-I-U-E-O monsters are here, and tonightis their festival!” As the sun goes down, spooks
gather excitedly. They party all through thenight to the rhythms of a festival, and then theyrace away at dawn. There’s a cloth-like yokai
called Ittan-momen that soars through the sky,and another called Amefurikozo that causes
the rain to fall. Some 73 spirits from around
Japan are introduced in the order of Japanesehiragana. The sounds and the wordplay beg
to be read aloud. The illustrations are creepy
but also somehow humorous. The back matterincludes a chart of all the supernatural beings
included, inviting readers to search for themin the pages. A re-publication from a new
publisher. (Sasaoka)

A sea otter boy receives an invitation from themagician Polar Man, to an “amazing magicshow” set for the summer solstice. The sea
otter boy floats on top of his mother to the
Aleutian Islands, where together they enjoy
magic with polar bears, seals, and even cliffdwelling spirits. The magic makes scores of fish
issue from an octopus’s suckers, and it makes
whales jump and eggs hatch so that numerous
birds come flying out. The seven starfish thatthe sea otter boy brought as an admission fee,turn into stars climbing into the sky, and Polar
Man soars away on them. The phenomenon
that the islands’ residents call Aleutian Magicis portrayed with immense imagination andpower. (Doi)

わたし おねえちゃんに なります | Text/Ill. AIZAWA
Fumi | Kogumasha | 2023 | 36pp | 20×22cm| ISBN978-4-7721-0261-2 | Ages: 3+ | Siblings, Baby,
Letter, Animal

6

14

あいうえおばけの おまつりだ | Text: UENO Akio
| Ill. MINO Hyogo | Rokurinsha | 2023 | 36pp
| 27×22cm | ISBN978-4-8676-1007-7 | Ages: 7+| Monster, Wordplay

アリューシャン・マジック | Text/Ill. ABE Hiroshi| Nora Shoten | 2022 | 36pp | 26×26cm | ISBN9784-9050-1567-3 | Ages: 7+ | Sea otter, Magic, NorthPole

picture books
18

19

The Place Where Life Leaves

The Tiny Shrew

いのちが かえっていくところ | Text: MOGAMI Ippei| Ill. ITO Hideo | Doshinsha | 2022 | 32pp | 27×20cm| ISBN978-4-4940-1582-5 | Ages: 7+ | River, Fishing,
Life, Food

ゆきの げきじょう | Text/Ill. ARAI Ryoji | Shogakukan| 2022 | 32pp | 31×22cm | ISBN978-4-0972-5193-4| Ages: 7+ | Snow, Theater, Friend

A boy who lives in a snowy region gets into
a tug-of-war with a friend, tearing Dad’streasured butterfly guide. Without thinking, theboy puts on his skis and heads for the slopes.
As he skis, he drops into a snowy hollow where
he discovers some “little people” and a tiny
theater. Spinning ballerinas, dancers in softwhite dresses, snow-white horses, snowmen,
and even a queen who makes snow fall…
Before long, the boy is up on the stage singing
along. Fantastical illustrations, all with snow
as the basis, evoke the richness and depthof the snowy countryside. The ending, where
Dad comes to get the boy, is full of warmth.
(Okuyama)

ぼくとお山と羊のセーター | Text/Ill. IINO Kazuyoshi| Kaiseisha | 2022 | 32pp | 30×22cm | ISBN9784-0335-0250-2 | Ages: 7+ | Mountain village,
Boyhood, Goat hair

A tiny shrew who lives in human society is themain character of three stories in this book. In“The Tiny Shrew’s Daily Life,” the shrew rides
the train, toils at work, and then goes home tosleep. In “The Tiny Shrew’s Dream,” the shrew
buys a TV at a garage sale, views the sea on it,
and then begins wishing to travel to a tropicalisland. In “The Tiny Shrew’s Friends,” the shrew
spends an evening at year’s end with twomates. The shrew’s life (lower middle class) may
seem mundane, but at a time when war anddisaster have stolen normal life from many, thisbook causes the reader to see its value anew
through detailed depictions. The watercolorand charcoal illustrations exude warmth.
(Sakuma)22

Snow Theater

The Mountain, the Wool Sweater,and Me

ちいさなトガリネズミ | Text/Ill. MIYAKOSHI Akiko| Kaiseisha | 2022 | 72pp | 21×16cm | ISBN978-40343-9580-6 | Ages: 7+ | Daily life, Friends

This book portrays a boy named Tamon and his
father as they spend a day fishing. They gather
live bait in the glow of sunrise and cast a line
into the river. When a fish finally bites, a mighty
struggle ensues. With encouragement from hisfather, Tamon uses the rod and a net to bringin a large, beautiful char. At noon, Tamon’s
father grills the char with care for lunch. Tamonwatches fearfully as the life leaves the fish;
then, its delicious aroma and taste bring tears
to Tamon’s eyes. The snow-capped mountains
in the distance, the blue river, the huge fish, theboy’s artless face… striking illustrations give asense of being right there fishing, and feeling
Tamon’s awe for life itself. (Okuyama)

21

20

The author spent his mid-1950s childhood ina mountain hamlet of only three households
in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. Back then, he
was looking forward to having a wool sweater
knitted for him. Spring brought caring forsheep and chickens, and summer brought
picking mulberry leaves to feed silkworms
being raised in the house. Autumn meant
hanging persimmons to dry, and winter meant
gathering firewood and sledding. In this book,a life of self-sufficiency unfolds against the
backdrop of the four seasons. In spring, a yarnmerchant comes to sheer the sheep and spinwool into string, and at last, a sweater is made.
The boy’s joy comes through vividly. (Nogami)
23

The Seven Secrets to Talking witha Horse

ウマと話すための7つのひみつ | Text/Ill. KAWATA
San | Kaiseisha | 2022 | 48pp | 25×19cm | ISBN9784-0343-5170-3 | Ages: 9+ | Horse, Words,
Communication

Horses are large and highly intelligent creatures,
who have a kind of words that only they understand.
Humans and horses may be different, but there
are certain ways in which humans can understandhorses’ language. For example, take a lot of time
approaching a horse, and do nothing except wait
until the horse takes an interest in you. The authorof this book has longed to speak with animals sincechildhood and even moved to Yonaguni Island in
Okinawa—the westernmost island in Japan—to benear the horses who live there in a near-wild state.
Observation revealed that everything the horses
do has a meaning. This picture book shows theimportance of slowly, quietly seeing the animals
around us and bonding with them. (Shiozaki)

A Rampo Picture Book

The Man Traveling with the RaisedCloth Picture
乱歩えほん 押絵と旅する男 | Original: EDOGAWA
Rampo/Text.Ill. FUJITA Shinsaku | Asunaro Shobo| 2023 | 56pp | 29×22cm | ISBN978-4-7515-3120-4| Ages: 11+ | Steam train, Love, MysteryOn a steam train home from seeing the mirages
at Uozu, on the Japan Sea coast in Toyama, thenarrator of this story meets a man nearing old age.
Oddly, the man is holding a raised-cloth picture
up to the window of the train. Exquisitely worked,
the picture is stuffed and mounted so that it looks
halfway three-dimensional. It shows a white-haired
man and a beautiful woman in an elegant room;
both people look alive. In fact, the man is the older
brother of the man who is holding the picture,and the woman is someone the brother saw inthe picture and fell in love with, so he entered
the art to be with her. This spooky story told byJapan’s Edgar Allan Poe comes at you in realistic
illustrations. (Nogami)

7

Recent
ChapterBooks
and Novels

25

Tales of Mount Seven Crows
1~3

ナナカラやまものがたり１～３ | Text/Ill. DOI
Kaya | Asunaro Shobo | 2022 | 64pp
| 19×14cm | ISBN978-4-7515-3141-9| Ages: 7+ | Animals, Stories, Mountains

This is a collection of early childhood fairy tales told by the animals living on
Mount Seven Crows. In “Granny Bear’s Jam,” Granny Bear goes to the forest
with her grandson to pick wild strawberries to make some jam. They are given
some honey by the honeybees, and by way of thanks they tell them how Mount
Flower Sheep got its name. Back home, Granny Bear makes the jam, and atnight she tells how the tanuki’s daughter met with misfortune when she tried
to keep the nuts her granny gave her all to herself.
In “Stories from the Cat Family,” Daddy Cat is secretly building a new housefor the family. He takes his five kittens to get water from the lake, and tells
them the story of a cat that was punished by the water god for wasting water.
In “Mr and Mrs Bamboo Partridge’s Small House,” a grass lizard and her
boyfriend the skink lizard come to visit Mr and Mrs Bamboo Partridge, and thegrass lizard tells them how Auntie Dog helped her remember something she
had forgotten. The Bamboo Partridge couple tell them the story of how theybuilt the house they currently live in. Then everyone goes to the Mount Seven
Crows festival, and Mr Bamboo Partridge tells the story of how the mountain
got its name.
All the pages are illustrated in color by the author, vividly portraying all
the animals that live on the mountain sharing their stories and food, and therichness of living with nature. (Doi)824

Tenko chan at School

がっこうの てんこちゃん | Text/Ill. HOSOKAWA Tenten| Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023 | 96pp | 22×16cm| ISBN978-4-8340-8704-8 | Ages: 7+ | School, Anxiety,First time

Tenko chan the Japanese marten has just started at elementary school. She
doesn’t like doing things for the first time and immediately becomes anxious.
She is the protagonist of these five episodes featuring a class of ten children.
In “What Do You Like?”, the teacher asks the children to introduce
themselves and tell everyone what they like, but Tenko chan just can’t think ofanything at all and hides by wrapping herself in a curtain. But everyone thinks
this looks like fun, so they all start saying “Me too! Me too!” and wrappingthemselves in curtains. Relieved, Tenko chan is at last able to talk. In “A Brown
Lunch,” Tenko chan feels embarrassed at her plain, brown packed lunch andcan’t bring herself to open the lid in front of the others. But when she finally
does open it, everyone says how envious they are at having only the things
she likes in it. In “Nervous About the Excursion,” they go to the mountains on
a school trip. While Tenko chan is worrying about what will happen if she falls
over or gets lost, it starts raining. She gets even more anxious, but it turns outthat other children too had been feeling scared and they all decide to holdhands.
Through these five episodes, worrier Tenko chan learns that everyone isdifferent and that are various ways of looking at things, and she gradually starts
to enjoy school life. With plenty of joyful pictures, it is easy to understand evenfor children who have only just learned how to read. (Sakuma)

26

Pickles and His Friends

ピクルスと ともだち | Text: KOKAZE Sachi | Ill.
NATUME Chisa | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023 | 120pp| 22×19cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8714-7 | Ages: 7+| Piglets, Friends, PlayThis is the third book in the series portraying Pickles, an energetic piglet inelementary school. It includes four stories about Pickles meeting his friend
Jinbu and the experiences the pair have from spring to autumn.
It won’t stop raining and Pickles goes in search of the strong spring windthat can blow away all the rain clouds, and meets a brown piglet called Jinbu
sitting in the grass under an umbrella collecting snails. Jinbu has just moved
to a house in the neighbourhood where his granny lives alone (“Pickles andthe Spring Wind”). Jinbu transfers to Pickles’ elementary school at the start of
the new school year. Pickles promises him some of his mother’s egg cookies,
but Jinbu gets lost on the way and doesn’t turn up at first (“Pickles and His
Important Promise”). In the summer vacation Buske, the biggest baddest kid in
the class, brings a watermelon that he himself had grown to the beach and thethree of them share it. All the bad things Buske had said came flying out of the
big watermelon (“Pickles and the Astonishing Watermelon”). In the fall, Jinbu’s
friends decide to set off some fireworks from the beach so his grandmother,
who is unsteady on her feet and can’t walk to the sea any more, will be able tosee them from her house in the forest (“Pickles and the Fireworks”).
The friends’ days are full of excitement, anticipation and fun. The delicately
colored illustrations vividly capture the characters individual characteristics,
drawing us into their world. (Shiozaki)

chapter books and novels
27

Have a Look in the Forest Postbox

28

森のポストをあけてごらん | Text: YAMANAKA Mariko| Ill. KOGASHIWA Kaori | Poplarsha | 2022 | 72pp
| 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-5911-7522-4 | Ages: 7+ | Forest,
Letter, Delivery, Acorn

やまだめいたちの えにっき | Text/Ill. YAMADA Mitsuko| Rironsha | 2022 | 64pp | 21×16cm | ISBN978-4-65220522-8 | Ages: 7+ | Homework, Stationery, Food

Mei Yamada doesn’t know what to write in the picture diary assigned forhomework. While lying in bed thinking how lovely it would be if someone else
could do the picture diary, Mei falls asleep.
Mei wakes up to find entries in the diary that are a complete surprise—
although the pictures and writing both look just like Mei’s. Something describes
how the sweets Mei had been eating yesterday had spilt and the ants hadcome to eat them, and how it wishes it could go outside to bask in the sunlight.
Mei wonders who could have written this, but from the content realizes it musthave been the cushion.
Something had been lying in the pencil case with more time to itself after
the eraser had gone outside, and sometimes gets sticky when Mei holds it after
eating sweets, so Mei deduces this was the pencil.
Everything in Mei’s bedroom has written about Mei’s daily life in the
picture diary, ending with a single leaf, which Mei thinks must have been thewind’s entry.
Reading the diary is like enjoying a riddle as Mei works out who wrote it.
Mei had thought there would be nothing to write about, but actually so manythings had happened during the day. Mei records all of it on a large piece of
paper, so it looks like the board game Sugoroku (similar to snakes and ladders).
Just with a change in perspective, Mei’s daily life now seems richly full. (Nogami)

One sunny day after the end of the rainy season, Mr Gaku has to make adelivery deep in the forest where his van can’t enter. Walking with his package
he meets a little girl, Hinata, taking a leaf letter out of a postbox attached tothe trunk of an oak tree. Mr Gaku’s parcel is for Hinata’s grandfather, Mr Ohki,
the forester. Hinata is staying with him while she recovers from an illness. Shesays she exchanges leaf letters with the trees, and that a Mongolian oak had
sent her a letter saying it had lots of ripe wild strawberries growing around it.
On his way back, Mr. Gaku finds there are indeed lots of strawberries.
In autumn, Mr. Gaku goes back to the forest to deliver another package to
Mr. Ohki. The forest is full of autumn leaves, and he sees five small postboxes
labeled “sawtooth oak,” “jolcham oak,” “Mongolian oak,” “red-bark oak,” and“bamboo-leaf oak.” This is the “Acorn Post” set up by Mr. Ohki for people topost the acorns they collect so he can grow seedlings to return to the forest.
Meanwhile, Hinata has recovered and is going to school again, and has broughtsome of her classmates to visit.
Soft watercolor illustrations on every page enhance the gentle atmosphereof the story. It is fun to see some of the leaf letters on the back endpaper. Ourinterest in nature is stimulated by the various plants and trees that appear in
the story. (Sasaoka)

29

The Color of the Car Is the Color of the Sky

Even if it’s a Dream

車のいろは空のいろ ゆめでもいい | Text: AMAN Kimiko| Ill. KUROI Ken | Poplarsha | 2022 | 124pp | 20×16cm| ISBN978-4-5911-7558-3 | Ages: 9+ | Taxi, Animals,
Kindness

This volume is a new addition to a series that has been read for over half acentury, featuring seven stories about a kindhearted taxi driver called Goro
Matsui who witnesses strange happenings in his sky-blue taxi.
He pretends to be taken in by a young tanuki (raccoon dog) that believes
that it has changed into a human boy and tries to pay the fare with a ginkgo
leaf instead of money. In return, he is helped by a family of tanukis when heends up with a wheel in a ditch after braking and swerving to avoid a little girl(actually a tanuki) who runs out in front of him chasing a ball.
Driving through the park at night he sees a little boy fall off the swing,
and stops his taxi to help, eventually realizing that the children are kittens that
had taken on human form in the moonlight. And when he sees a stuffed toy inthe snow, he picks it up and puts it somewhere it will easily be found. Later amother and son get into his taxi carrying the same toy.
Mr. Matsui’s taxi also transcends time and space. When he picks up a boy
searching for his pet dog, they find the dog playing happily with his friends inthe moonlight. On the way back, he discovers that the boy was actually an old
man who had longed to see his pet dog that had been taken away during thewar.
A heart-warming collection that provides glimpses into the space between
dreams and reality. (Sakuma)

Mei Yamada’s Picture Diary30

The Jungle Gym

ジャングルジム | Text: IWASE Joko | Ill. AMINAKA Izuru| Goblin Shobo | 2022 | 144pp | 19×14cm | ISBN978-49022-5744-1 | Ages: 9+ | Family, Children’s feelings

A collection of five short stories featuring elementary school pupil protagonists,
by an author nominated for the International Andersen Award.
In “The Yellow Leaf,” Ryota comes home from school to find a good-fornothing uncle has come to stay. Ryota is skeptical about this uncle who has
never had a proper job and spends all his time sleeping, but gradually warms
to him as begins to notice his uncle’s rich imagination, awareness of thebeauty of nature, and kindness to lost children. In “Jungle Gym” nine-year-old
Sumire gets revenge on the girl who bullies her elder sister by jumping off the
top of the jungle gym to better her. In “The Rucksack,” Ippei is about to startelementary school, but has to go to live alone with his father as his parents
have divorced. He talks with his stuffed toy crocodile as he tries to overcome
his anxiety and come to terms with this new life. In “Color Pencils,” Mami has
been feeling angry, sad, and bitter since her father died, and she starts drawing
her memories of him with the color pencils she found in his bag. In “Fried
Chicken,” Haruki worries about grandpa, who has come to live with them on a
trial basis.
All the stories are sketches of daily life, with realistic depictions of thechildren’s feelings and thoughts. In addition to the individual personalities ofeach of the children, we also get a sense of the adults in their lives. This is a
literary work of high quality. (Sakuma)

9

31

A Summer of Rakugo

32

じゅげむの夏 | Text: MOGAMI Ippei | Ill. Mameikeda| Kosei Shuppansha | 2023 | 128pp | 22×16cm| ISBN978-4-3330-2903-7 | Ages: 9+ | Friends,
Adventure, Muscular dystrophy, Summer vacation

世界の女の子の昔話 | Text: NAKAWAKI Hatsue| Ill. UENO Ao | Kaiseisha | 2023 | 216pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-0351-2720-8 | Ages: 9+ | Folktales, Girls

Akira, Yama chan, Shu chan, and Kacchan are four classmates who have grown
up together in a small village. Kacchan dreams of becoming a rakugo storyteller
and is good at performing a famous story called Jugemu. He is gradually losing
his mobility due to muscular dystrophy, and the four friends all know that hewill eventually lose the ability to walk, and may not even live to adulthood.
On the first day of the summer vacation in year four of elementary school,
Kacchan says “Let’s make this the best summer vacation ever!” In their firstadventure, they go to investigate the mystery of Kumakitsuan, who is said tohave wrestled a bear to the ground, but are taken aback to find this brave mantending to his chicks. On the last day of July, Kacchan decides to take part in
the annual ritual challenge for village boys to jump off the bridge into the riveras it is probably his last chance due to his illness, and his three friends watch onwith bated breath. In August, Kacchan says he wants to see the thousand-yearold haunted horse chestnut tree on Mt. Ikazuchi. His three friends put him on awheelbarrow and push him unsteadily along the rough farm track. When they
finally arrive, they lie down together in a large cavity at the base of the tree,
and they talk about what they want to do when they grow up.
The boys are radiant as they put all their energy into living for the present
and having a great time together rather than thinking about an uncertain
future. (Shiozaki)

33

I Want to Be…

なりたいわたし | Text: MURAKAMI Shiiko | Ill. KITAZAWA
Heisuke | Froebelkan | 2022 | 132pp | 21×16cm| ISBN978-4-5770-5071-2 | Ages: 9+ | Children’s clubs,
Friends

Chinaru really loves the time she spends studying and playing with herelementary school classmates Aira, Mao, and Fuka at the Crayon Children’s
Club they attend after school.
She particularly admires Aira, who is cute, a good dancer, and can speak
clearly. After she points out a hole in Aira’s sock, however, she feels shunnedas Aira won’t talk to her and leaves her behind on the bus from school tothe club, and she can no longer say what she thinks. Then one day her threefriends inform her that they are going to leave the club in year three, as Aira isjoining a theater, Fuka is joining a sports club, and Mao is starting cram school.
Chinaru’s friends all have dreams for the future, but she doesn’t have anything
to offer and doesn’t know what she wants to be. She is shocked to see themleave the club, but eventually she decides to change so that she can do thingson her own and also makes friends with the other children.
Chinaru gradually gains confidence and courage thanks to the teachers at
the club who keep an eye on the children’s daily troubles, and the words andactions of the younger pupils who depend on her. The book minutely describes
the daily lives of the children as they become emotional and argue, cry, andlash out, and gradually learn how to put their feelings into words and try tounderstand each other. (Okuyama)

10

Folktales of Girls Around the World

A collection of eighteen folktales from around the world featuring girls andwomen.
A greedy, lazy girl is kicked out of home by her angry mother, but the
woman innkeeper who takes her in tricks a rich knight into marrying her.
Thanks to a misunderstanding and the girl’s own quick wit, she is able to live
happily ever after without having to work (“The Lazy Glutton,” Spain).
Village girls dress up in their best finery and go to visit a handsome youngman, hoping to marry him. On the way an old woman bathing in the river asksthem to wash her back, but the well-dressed girls coldly refuse. Only a poor,
ugly girl called Njigali obliges, and the old woman reveals her true identity as
the young man’s mother and Njigali marries him (“The Handsome Young Man
and the Ugly Girl,” Cameroon).
The goddess of fire, who lives in the Kilauea volcano, transforms into an
old woman and comes begging for poi, a Hawaiian staple food made from taro.
A rich couple coldly turn her away, but the wife in a poor household entertains
her with all the poi they have. The next morning, the poor household produces
a bumper crop of bananas and taro, but at the wealthy house the bananas
never ripen and the taro dries up due to the goddess’s curse (“Abundance ofPoi,” Hawaii).
It is refreshing and encouraging to see all the girls actively and sometimes
shrewdly overcoming their difficulties. Notes on each story are included at theend of the book. (Sasaoka)

34

I’m All Alone ?

ひとりかもしれない | Text: IWASE Joko | Ill. TAGUCHI
Michiyo | Froebelkan | 2023 | 132pp | 21×16cm| ISBN978-4-5770-5190-0 | Ages: 9+ | Remarriage,
Family, Friendship, Love

Kai is in year 4 of elementary school. Her mother remarried just one week
ago, and while her new stepdad Kosuke is a really nice guy she just can’t bringherself to call him Dad yet. She can’t even tell him that she doesn’t like the factthat they will soon be moving and she will be changing schools. Sometimes she
remembers her dad before the divorce, and feels guilty.
At school she finds herself in the same class as Takahiro for the firsttime. The two have been close friends since pre-school, when Takahiro had
always stuck close to her like a little brother, and she is puzzled by how hehas changed. When her friend Seri confesses that she fancies Takahiro, Kai
realizes that she herself is in love with him. She is jealous of Seri for being able
to express her feelings so clearly, and feels miserable. She feels depressed athome and at school.
One day she is on her way home from school when a neighbor accuses herof scratching his car. Kosuke sticks up for her and she is grateful, but she still
can’t open up to him. She is consumed by anxiety and feels all alone, but then
Takahiro shows a side of himself that is unchanged since pre-school and she isfinally able to talk about her feelings.
The sensitive portrayal of the protagonist confronting her feelings anddisentangling them, and the problems and complex feelings faced by children
approaching puberty, against a backdrop of ordinary daily life leaves anunforgettable impression. (Sasaoka)

chapter books and novels
35

Strange Tales

36

ふしぎ草子 | Text: TOMIYASU Yoko | Ill. YAMAMURA Koji
| Shogakukan | 2023 | 192pp | 19×13cm | ISBN978-40928-9324-5 | Ages: 9+ | Ghosts, Other worlds, Strange

ゆうすげ村の紙すき屋さん | Text: MOICHI Kumiko| Ill. KADOTA Ritsuko | Kodansha | 2023 | 192pp| 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-0653-1952-9 | Ages: 9+| Mountain, Washi, Animals, Mysterious

Kaede Harada works at the local community center. While helping her relatives
who run an inn, she is charmed by the yamaga washi (handmade paper) in
which their dishes are wrapped and learns that farmers used to harvest andsteam paper mulberry to make yamaga washi in the winter. Inspired, Kaedequits her job to learn papermaking. She turns an old hut into a workshop where
customers come to buy her products.
The book is a collection of six short stories about Kaede’s intriguing visitors
and her washi. In “Mount Genpei Owl Delivery Service,” Kaede finds an akebivine basket on her doorstep one spring morning. It’s filled with butterbur andfatsia sprouts. The new delivery owl left it there by mistake, but this sparks an
exchange of paper objects and mountain vegetables between Kaede and thedelivery owl in an episode that conveys the fragrance of early spring. In “The
Magic Thread,” a nymph turns a young florist into a magpie and a fairy-like
little girl into a frog and casts them from the heavens. Kaede uses washi tosend them back home. “Wishing Medicine” is a mysterious tale in which washi
as a traditional craft is overlaid with such magical images as carding paper
covering the mouth of a bag used for catching meteor trails from the Perseids
showers. The Prologue and the Epilogue are also deft compositions that subtly
convey the origin of the magical power in yamaga washi and its connection to
the legend of Yamamba, the mountain witch. (Nogami)

A collection of eight strange and slightly scary short stories.
“Piano” takes place in an elementary school after school hours. Ms.
Nonaka, a teacher, hears the piano being played in the school’s unused music
room. When she looks inside, she sees an elephant standing beside the old
piano. It nudges her to sit down on the piano stool. When she touches thekeys, her fingers begin moving of their own accord, playing a piece she doesn’tknow. She remembers another teacher telling her the keys are made of ivory,and Ms. Nonaka suddenly realizes the elephant is missing its tusks.
In “Cat Valley,” Mr. Yajima uses his car navigation system to get to Cat
Valley Hot Spring. The narrow road, however, runs deep into the mountains,and snow falls unseasonably. When he reaches the hot spring inn, the ownerserves him coffee and pancakes and tells him how the valley got its name.
During a drought, he says, the starving villagers ventured into a forbidden partof the forest. There they found a strange fruit known as cat pears. Although
this saved them from famine, those who ate the fruit turned into cats in thelight of the full moon. Feeling suddenly uneasy, Mr. Yajima rushes outside. The
hot spring, the inn and the snow vanish, leaving only a receipt in his hand for“pancakes with cat pear jam.”
Each short story draws the reader into a strange unknown world andsends chills up the spine. The eerie illustrations augment the thrilling content.
(Sasaoka)

37

Ratta and Kamiyama

ラッタくんと かみやまくん | Text/Ill. TANAKA Rokudai| Poplarsha | 2023 | 128pp | 21×15cm | ISBN978-4-59117863-8 | Ages: 9+ | School, Friends, Play, Monsters

In fourth grade, Rakuta Harada (Ratta for short) becomes classmates with
Kamiyama, who lives in an apartment complex near Ratta’s house. This mangadepicts essay-like episodes in the daily lives of Kamiyama and other people that
Ratta knows. Each episode covers a double-paged spread with six frames per
page and is presented from Ratta’s point of view, providing amusing glimpses
into his life from April to July.
Kamiyama always does things his own way. He talks familiarly to theprincipal and falls asleep in class. While this behavior often surprises Ratta, heis drawn to Kamiyama’s creativity and unique use of words. Kamiyama makes
up original monsters like Fuji Cactus, a fusion of Mount Fuji and a cactus, andPickled Plum Spring, and also helps Ratta overcome his aversion to gym classby teaching him to imagine running like a cheetah.
Ratta has his own idiosyncrasies. He finds a stick that he likes and hides it,
makes dragons out of clay, and sets up a secret hideaway. The way teachersand parents accept the children as they are is reassuring. The humorous
portrayal of the boys’ daily lives makes readers laugh while at the sametime leading to the realization that we are all a little different, we all feelembarrassed or lack confidence sometimes, and we live together by accepting
these things about each other. The author is well known for his simple artisticstyle, and his illustrations are used in many children’s books. (Okuyama)

The Papermaker of Yusuge Village

38

The Girl Who Liked Rainy Days

雨の日が好きな人 | Text: SATO Madoka | Ill. DAKE Maiko| Kodansha | 2022 | 224pp | 20×14cm | ISBN 978-40652-8117-8 | Ages: 11+ | Found family, Illness, Friends

Nanami is in sixth grade. Her father died before she was born and her motherhas just remarried. Nanami looks forward to getting close to her stepsister
Yuki, who is two years older, but Yuki has been sickly since birth and rarely
leaves the hospital. Nanami’s mother and stepfather are always worrying about
Yuki, and Nanami feels forgotten. At school, something Nanami says causes
a rift with her best friend. Feeling like a failure, she shoplifts but gets caught
and stops going to school. One day, she decides to visit Yuki without telling
her parents. It’s their first meeting, and Nanami is surprised to see how small
Yuki is and that she’s not the selfish little princess Nanami had imagined. Yuki
is thrilled to meet her new stepsister. Knowing only the in-hospital classroom,
she urges Nanami to tell her all about school. They talk about many things andagree to keep Nanami’s visit a secret. After this experience, Nanami resolves
not to judge people by appearances or assumptions and to get to know them
personally instead.
Yuki falls into a coma, and Nanami, who has grown very fond of her, isbeside herself with worry. Once, Yuki told her she loved rainy days because it
evens the status quo: no one can go out and play, just like her. Remembering
this, Nanami makes tissue dolls and hangs them upside down to wish for rain.
The book offers many hints about how we can get to know others and learn to
see things from their perspective. (Sakuma)

11

39

Etsuko40

エツコさん | Text: HIRUTA Mitsuko | Ill. MITSUMOCHI
Chiharu | Alicekan | 2022 | 200pp | 19×13cm| ISBN978-4-7520-1021-0 | Ages: 11+ | Grandmother,
Dementia, Memory

かげふみ | Text: KUTSUKI Sho | Ill. AMINAKA Izuru| Mitsumura Tosho | 2023 | 168pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-8138-0423-9 | Ages: 11+ | War, Atomic
bomb, Hiroshima, Ghost

A collection of short stories about Etsuko, former elementary school teacher in
her seventies who has dementia, and her interactions with her grandchild andchildren in her area.
In “Lost,” a boy named Tatsuki who recently moved in loses his way andruns into Etsuko. She offers to guide him, but then slips into memories ofherself as a teacher and thinks she’s on her way to visit her student’s parents. As
they walk past Tatsuki’s former school, he remembers an uncomfortable partingwith a friend. In “Sheltering from the Rain,” Hina, a girl who loved Etsuko when
Etsuko worked as a volunteer, takes Etsuko home because she wants help her
with her homework. Hina’s older sister is surprised to see Etsuko when she
comes home, but also happy when Etsuko remembers her name. In “Protective
Charm,” a boy named Kohei finds Etsuko’s charm and takes it to her, and Kohei
sees the ghost of Etsuko’s husband. In “Yellow Mountain,” Etsuko helps a boy
named Yuto remember his interactions with a man he’d met two years earlier
in the park. The story “Etsuko” depicts her going back and forth between pastand present and celebrating her birthday with her family. In “Memory,” Etsuko
walks in the park with her granddaughter Mana, causing Mana to think about
what memories are. In each story, memory is a keyword. The way in which thechildren’s encounters with Etsuko touch their hearts and help them to confront
their problems is thought provoking and helps reveal how Etsuko has lived herlife. (Doi)41

Grade 5 Class 3 Surprised

5年３組びっくりだ | Text: YOSHINO Mariko | Ill. SATO
Makiko | Seizansha | 2023 | 180pp | 19×13cm| ISBN978-4-5931-0407-9 | Ages: 11+ | Mysterious,
Classmates, Short story series

The third volume in the Elementary School Short Story Series, this book consistsof fifteen chapters, each with a different protagonist, that depicts children in a
grade five classroom. The school is located in the middle of an industrial districtin Suimei City, and each episode shares an experience that surprised the fifteenchildren in the class.
In “Scout,” Seiya has fun at the river making sounds with his body as an
instrument. There he’s discovered by a high school human beatbox group. In“Catch Phrase,” Mizuki, who has come up with a slogan for the city’s tourism
campaign, is surprised by the winning slogan of her classmate Mia. In “Singer,”
Leo is at Jasmine’s Filipino restaurant when he hears a Filipino singer on TV say
she wants to meet Jasmine. In “Invitation,” Junki and Kohei go to Marine Port
Tower after school and run into penguins, a whale shark, and other creaturesfrom an aquarium that was once located on the site.
Other stories depict school excursions and field trips, a long jump rope
contest, interactions with students from other schools and falling in love, ahumanoid housekeeping robot that comes to a student’s house, getting toknow a classmate’s grandparents, and a conversation with a stingray that
wanders into the river.
Each chapter is short and easy to read. What surprises each student, as wellas the students’ cultural backgrounds and family compositions, are diverse, andthe concerns and discoveries of each protagonist are presented with gentle
humor. (Doi)12

Shadow Tag

Takumi, who is in fifth grade, spends the summer holidays in Hiroshima with his
grandmother. At a nearby library, he meets a girl named Sumi reading on her own.
She only comes to the library on rainy days and is searching for a book on how tocatch shadows. Takumi starts helping her, but along the way, realizes that no one
else sees her. From the librarian he learns that the library was once a school where
many children perished in the atomic bomb explosion. When the blast incinerated
one fifth grader, her body left an imprint on the wall as though her shadow had
remained behind. On August 6, the anniversary of the explosion, Takumi goes tothe library and looks for the girl’s shadow in the yard. The bright sunshine burns
away even Takumi’s shadow. When Sumi sees that, she laughs happily for the firsttime. They play hopscotch instead of shadow tag.
The author is the child of an atomic bomb survivor. From episodes such as
one of children collecting glass shards scattered by the blast and things lost in theriver by those who fled into the water, readers realize this is not some past event,but rather a part of history still linked to our present. Because Takumi comes from
Tokyo, children unfamiliar with the atomic bomb can learn and think about it
through him. The short story “Tazunebito” (Visitor), which was published in a grade
five textbook is also included. (Sasaoka)

42

How to Be a Sumo Champion

どすこい！ | Text: MORINO Komichi | Ill. SATO Makiko| Kokudosha | 2023 | 192pp | 20×14cm | ISBN978-43373-3658-2 | Ages: 11+ | Sumo, Contest, Challenge,
Friendship, Summer holidays

Bon, a sixth grader who is the tallest, heaviest kid in Ayase Elementary School,
loves sumo. A year earlier, the sumo wrestling team, of which he was subcaptain, won the autumn school tournament. In the spring tournament,
however, Go Manabe, a sixth grader from Takasago Elementary School, beats
Bon easily. Go and his two younger brothers transferred in from Tokyo where
they had trained at a sumo club. Upset, Bon fears his team won’t be able to win
the fall tournament. His friend and fellow teammate, Kenta, learns that the old
man running the nearby penny candy store used to be a sumo wrestler but quit
because of an injury.
During summer vacation, the boys ask the old man to train them, but heignores them. They keep coming, buying candy and pestering him. He tells
them to show him a sumo move, but even then, he won’t teach them. The
boys begin practicing hard at the local shrine while continuing to frequent
the store. Gradually, the old man starts sharing some sumo basics. Once theboys grasp the fundamentals and apply themselves, they begin to see what
to do. After diligent practice, they’re ready for the fall tournament. In the final
round, Bon throws Go. Only then does he see the old man in the audience. Its
heartwarming to watch the boys develop and mature, and the gradual change
in the crusty old man, who was forced to quit the sport he loved, lingers in themind. Readers can also appreciate the appeal and depth of sumo. (Shiozaki)

chapter books and novels
43

In Summer, Looking for a Cat

44

夏に、ネコをさがして | Text: NISHIDA Toshiya| Ill. SUKAI
Ema | Tokuma Shoten | 2023 | 272pp | 19×14cm| ISBN 978-4-1986-5640-9 | Ages: 11+ | Cat, Death,Children and the elderly, Family

奉還町ラプソディ | Text: MURANAKA Rie | Ill. ISHIKAWA
Eriko | BL Shuppan | 2022 | 208pp | 21×16cm| ISBN 978-4-7764-1061-4 | Ages: 11+ | Shopping district,
Elderly, Local community

The narrator, an elementary school student who moved from Yamaguchi toOkayama, makes friends with Atsushi, whose family runs a manju shop in
Hokan Town shopping district. The district was founded in the late 19th century
by disbanded samurai who used their severance pay to start shops. Despite
its interesting history and TV coverage, however, it has fallen into decline. The
book is a collection of six short stories about various happenings in Hokan
Town seen through the eyes of the narrator.
The owner of Beniya clothing store, an intimidating old man who always
stands outside the mannequin-filled window, actually dreams of flying awaywith those mannequins. Mr. Inoue, an elderly barber, mourns the deaths of
the animals from which the hair and hides for his tools are made, yet he stillfights with stray dogs. Mitsu, an elderly woman, lies on the ground and recalls
the Manchurian flower meadows of her childhood. And Granny Nami goesto Hakata to buy spicy cod roe because it reminds her of her late husband.
While sometimes bewildered by the unusual actions of the people they
meet, the narrator and Atsushi recognize the significance of each person’slife. Newcomers are also portrayed with a light touch, such as young people
and foreigners who have started cafes and secondhand clothing stores, andAtsushi’s older brother, who plans weddings. Set in a real shopping district,each episode has a unique flavor derived from the intersection of old and new,ordinary and extraordinary, past and present. (Okuyama)

At the end of July when Keito is in sixth grade, his family moves into Grandma
Natsu’s house. Grandma Natsu had died suddenly, and Keito, who was very
close to her, can’t accept her death. The family plans to adopt her cat Ten, but it
disappears. As Keito searches for the cat, he meets Ran, a sixth grader with long
hair. He knows the neighborhood cats well and offers to help look. The town isfull of elderly people and empty houses, and the two children make flyers andtalk to everyone they meet. Keito finds many of them knew Grandma Natsu.
As he walks, he recalls places he went and things he did with his grandmother,
gradually processing his feelings about her death. He realizes that memories
of her are found everywhere in the town and that, even when someone dies,
they live on in the hearts of others. Ran, whose mother is Thai, takes care of his
grandmother with dementia and has been dealing with own grief over his pet
cat’s death. While searching with Keito, he decides to adopt a stray cat. The twochildren find Ten in an animal hospital being treated after an accident.
The book warmly depicts the blossoming of a new friendship and theinteractions between children and the elderly and explores a variety of themes,
including the challenges faced by senior citizens, multiculturalism, cat hunting,and the “donation” of pets and livestock for leather and food during World War
II when supplies ran low. (Shiozaki)

45

Midday Ghosts

真昼のユウレイたち | Text: IWASE Joko | Ill. ASINO Kohei| Kaiseisha | 2023 | 180pp | 20×14cm | ISBN978-4-03643250-9 | Ages: 11 + | Ghosts, Friends, Family, Daily life

This is a collection of four short stories in which children encounter ghosts, notat night but in the daytime. Both the main characters and the reader are led toponder the meaning of life and death.
In “Child of the Sea,” a ten-year-old girl named Harumi visits the home ofher friend Hamao’s great-aunt Umi—and meets the ghost of a nine-year-old
girl. The girl turns out to be the ghost of Umi’s younger sister, who drownedin the ocean as a child. In “Face Off,” an eleven-year-old girl named Kasumi
seeks to help her friend Chika, who is being bullied; instead, Chika’s parents,
who passed away in a car accident when Chika was four, end up being the ones
to help. In “Wish,” a ten-year-old boy named Haruo meets the ghost of Dan,an American who was drafted to fight in Vietnam and killed; Dan had known
Haruo’s grandmother. In “Fune’s Room,” eleven-year-old Yōji wonders why
Ren, his new nine-year-old stepbrother, is hiding something in his room; it’s theghost of Fune, a white cat who died three months ago.
None of these ghosts is scary or threatens the children. Each of themcontinues to love someone who was precious to them in life, and keeps an eye
on them. Though the main characters in the stories are not connected eachother, they see and interact with the ghosts, and being sensitive and open
children, the main characters accept the spirits naturally. And good changes
happen as a result of the encounters. Having ghosts make casual appearancesin everyday life, shows that their love endures even after death. (Shiozaki)

Hokan Town Rapsody

46

I’m Making My Lunch Tomorrow.

あした、弁当を作る。| Text: Hiko TANAKA | Ill. OKANO
Kensuke | Kodansha | 2023 | 272pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-0653-0595-9 | Ages: 13+ | Parent and child,
Friends, Gender, Independence

Tatsuki Kusakabe loved his mother’s attention when he was small, but as a
middle schooler, he tires of her saying things like, “I’m glad I can make yourbento packed lunch for you every day, Tat chan.” And he cringes at her soft
touch on his back in the mornings when he leaves the house. Raising him
seems to be her reason for living, which makes him feel pressured. On theother hand, Tatsuki’s classmate Mashiro’s parents both work, and Mashiro
makes her own bento in the mornings. Hearing this, Tatsuki decides to do thesame. Following Mashiro’s instructions, he stops at the frozen food section in
the supermarket by the train station for the first time. The next time he opens
his lunch, Mashiro asks if it’s his “first frozen food creation” and smiles.
Tatsuki’s parents oppose this change; his mother protests that “boys don’t
make their lunches,” and his father snaps that “your job is studying, not making
lunch.” They even revoke his allowance. But Tatsuki searches up bento, side
dishes, simple and middle school on the computer, and despite his parents’resistance, he keeps making his lunch and even begins doing his laundry.
This book follows Tatsuki through thirteen days, from a Monday
through the Saturday of the next week. It explores a young man’s new desire
for independence, awakened by bento, and the rift this causes with hisparents. Lively dialogue between Tatsuki and his friends accents the story.
It is exhilarating how this work, written from Tatsuki’s perspective, skewers
traditional notions of men’s work and gender roles. (Nogami)

13

47

Iko Traveling, 1948-

48

イコ トラベリング1948- | Text: KADONO Eiko
| Ill. KYO Machiko | KADOKAWA | 2022 | 304pp |19×13cm | ISBN978-4-0410-7211-0 | Ages: 13+ | Postwar
period, School, World, Travel

きみの話を聞かせてくれよ | Text: MURAKAMI Masafumi| Ill. Kashiwai | Froebelkan | 2023 | 336pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-5770-5186-3 | Ages: 13+ | School, Friends,
GenderAt the beginning of this book, a mysterious prologue unfolds, in which a girlwith long, braided hair asks a black stray cat living at a school to take care of
the students who will come in the future.
Then, some seven stories unfold about students who attend the school,
Arafune Middle School. The narrators are Rikka Shiraoka of the art club, cakebaking enthusiast Toranosuke Todoroki, Kaho Sugitani of the band, Aoi
Nishijima of the track team, Masaki Kashiwagi and Usa Gionji of the kendo
team, and finally Kaede Misumi, the school nurse. The stories connect little bylittle via class, club, or sibling bonds between students.
Gender norms surface as a theme. For example, Usa wants to maintaina “cool” masculine image she has, even among the girls, so when she asks
Toranosuke to make her sweets, which she loves, she does so secretly. For hispart, Toranosuke reveals that he feels odd being called “cute,” even by girls.
Kaho worries about a younger band member who had a crush on Toranosuke
but was rejected. And so it goes . . . buffeted by assumptions about what’s “girllike” and “boy-like,” and injured and injuring, the students struggle to build
relationships and pursue what is “me-like” in these fresh narratives.
Ryosuke Kurono also plays a part. Appearing in all the stories, roaming theschool grounds, and keeping track of everyone, Kurono is like the cat in the
prologue and helps to keep the tone of the collection light. (Okuyama)

Sequel to The Tunnel Through the Woods, 1945, this book features Iko aged 13–
22 (Iko was the Andersen-winning author’s childhood nickname). World War
II ends, and Iko’s family moves from their refuge in Chiba to Koiwa, suburban
Tokyo. In 1948, Iko enters girls’ school in Ichigaya; on the train to school, shesmells the charred odor of neighborhoods burned in air raids even as she
witnesses the rebuilding of Tokyo. English appears on signs, and the occupiersbroadcast American music on the radio. Once prohibited as the enemy’s
language, English becomes a new class at school.
Eager to see an American’s house, Iko peeks at a commissioned officer’s
residence near the school. Iko gets caught by a maid, but the maid, who isJapanese and two years older, shows Iko inside. Iko is amazed by the officer’s
lifestyle—and by the English ability of the maid, who has not gone to highschool. Determined to learn English and see the world, Iko attends Waseda
University. In the English department, she writes her thesis on a female
American author, and after graduation, she works at the Kinokuniya bookstore
and publishing house. Assigned odd jobs, she admires the authors who visit
the editorial department and yearns to travel. She hears from her senior that aJapanese school in Brazil is seeking a teacher. Iko decides to go to Brazil andspends two months traveling there by ship.
From wartime militarism to democracy: Though shaken by the changes
around her, Iko’s curiosity and adventurous spirit nonetheless lead her topursue her dreams. Her story is thrilling. (Nogami)

49

Us on Fridays

金曜日のあたしたち | Text: HAMANO Kyoko | Ill. Awai
| Seizansha | 2023 | 200pp | 20×14cm | ISBN 978-48638-9771-7 | Ages: 13+ | Climate crisis, Protest
demonstration, Romance

Rejected by her first-choice high school, Hinata struggles with motivation
at the school she ends up going to instead. One Friday, she sees some highschool students holding placards about the climate crisis, standing outside a
train station. One of the students, Ryoma, points out her ignorance on climate,and out of chagrin, Hinata reads on websites and in books about the abnormalchanges and disasters occurring around the world. She decides to standwith the protesters at the station. She also begins to talk with the classmatesand family close to her about how aspects of their daily lives, such as plastic
disposal, meat consumption, and food waste, are harming the environment.
While the story continues to circle environmental issues, it also explores
Hinata’s relationship with Momone, a girl in her year who got into the school
Hinata had hoped to attend. The story also develops Hinata’s relationship with
Ryoma, who seemed haughty at first but turns out to be fair and honest. The
reader comes to share Hinata’s unvarnished feelings of embarrassment andlove. Students at Hinata’s new school such as Shizuho, who helps at a freecafeteria for children, and Elena, who carries scars related to her Brazilian roots,
become known and trusted as well.
This book weaves information about the Climate Clock, International Panelon Climate Change, and Fridays For Future with realistic portrayals of teensinteracting in settings such as Shibuya, Yoyogi Park, and the Ueno Zoo inTokyo. It strikes a marvelous balance. (Okuyama)

14

Tell Me Your Story

50

Scramble Crossing

スクランブル交差点 | Text: SATO Madoka | Ill. KURITA
Yuki | Shogakukan | 2023 | 272pp | 19×13cm| ISBN978-4-0928-9326-9 | Ages: 13+ | Friends, Italy,
Intercultural exchange, Romance

On the first day of the second trimester, an exchange student appears in
Tsuyoshi Yanagida’s high school class. The student is from Italy and has retro
round glasses and blond hair with curls like ramen. His name is Marco De Luca.
Since his homestay is near Tsuyoshi’s house, Tsuyoshi gets assigned to lookafter him.
Marco likes the artist Hokusai (1760–1849) and is knowledgeable about
Japanese culture, sayings, and literature. He’s also good at English andswimming, and handsome when he removes his glasses, so he’s popular withthe girls. Unfortunately, a group of three bullies picks on Marco, and Tsuyoshi,
who until now had steered clear of the trio, can no longer stay silent. Yui
Hatano, who has been in Tsuyoshi’s class since elementary school, and herfriend Ai Nogami also get involved. Many ups and downs ensue, including aromance between Ai and Marco, before Marco returns home at the end of thethird trimester.
Then, two years later, the final year of high school begins in the midst of apandemic. Ai, who has maintained a long-distance relationship with Marco, crams
to get into an Italian university. Yui gets admitted to her design school of choicebased on recommendation. Tsuyoshi, unfortunately, does not get into university.
Marco and Ai have a misunderstanding that threatens to break them up. Like
pedestrians in a scramble crossing, the characters in the novel come and go allaround Marco, as seen through the eyes of Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi himself experiencesa change of heart toward the end that is immensely satisfying. (Nogami)

chapter books and novels
51

The World I See with My Hands

52

手で見るぼくの世界は | Text: KASHIZAKI Akane| Ill. SAKAI Sane | Kumon Shuppan | 2022 | 280pp| 20×14cm | ISBN978-4-7743-3380-9 | Ages: 13+| Visual impairment, Truancy, Friends

ぼくたちは まだ出逢っていない | Text: YATSUKA Sumiko| Ill. Furoku | Poplarsha | 2022 | 296pp | 20×13cm| ISBN978-4-5911-7499-9 | Ages: 13+ | Kintsugi,
Traditional handicrafts, Bullying, Belonging

One of Japan’s traditional handicrafts, passed down for four or five thousand
years, is kintsugi—the art of repairing ceramics by mending the breaks withlacquer and gold. In this book, three middle school students in Kyoto seek aplace to belong through kintsugi, and they become friends.
Riku has a British father and a unique appearance, for which he is bullied
violently. Though he tells himself that he can endure the pain, his body feels
it. Miu’s mother has just remarried and moved to Kyoto, but Miu struggles tosee her stepfather and stepbrother as family and to fit in at her new school.
Meanwhile, Riku’s close friend Itsuki was born with gastrointestinal troubles
and is in and out of the hospital.
Riku finds his way to kintsugi by going to the mountains with his dad.
There, he is moved by how the lacquer trees stand tall despite being slashedwith knives (to collect the sap). Miu is entranced by a bowl at an antique store,
and she begins to learn kintsugi at a lacquer art repair shop. Then, through
Riku, Itsuki meets Miu and learns she has been repairing a cup his grandmotherbrought in. The three explore how kintsugi does not hide scars but rather
shows them off beautifully. Kintsugi requires dealing with nature, temperature,and humidity, which takes time, so they learn that traditional arts cannot bemeasured in terms of efficiency. They encounter the world of craftspeople, andthey find a place to escape the stresses of life—a place they can be themselves.
(Sakuma)This book traces a year in the life of Tasuku and Futaba, two students who areentering junior high at a school for the visually impaired.
When in elementary school, the two formed a class by themselves, but now
there are boarding students as well as students who commute a long distance,
and their class has seven members. Moreover, Tasuku used to rely on active
Futaba, but unfortunately, when out and about during school break, Futaba
ran into someone and fell, and the man she ran into snarled discriminatory
language at her. In shock, she is staying home from school.
At first, Tasuku struggles to get along with his new classmates, and hehesitates to have the walking trainer Mr. Tsukada teach him to use a whitecane. But because he wants to meet Futaba, who neither answers the phone
nor comes to school, Tasuku overcomes setbacks to use the cane and go out
on his own. He goes to a convenience store nearby and rides the subway. In
the process, he opens his heart to the five other members of the class.
For her part, at her mother’s urging, Futaba connects with a group ofwalking and running guides for the visually impaired. Futaba gradually begins
to go out again. She also answers Tasuku’s calls and enters a marathon with hermother.
Through the perspectives of Futaba and Tasuku, this book explores
how young people with visual impairments may process their surroundings,
negotiate daily life and school life, struggle and grow. It is written with greatcare and realism. (Doi)53

Good Morning through a Mask

マスク越しのおはよう | Text: YAMAMOTO Etsuko| Ill. TANAKA Miho | Kodansha | 2022 | 304pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-0652-8367-7 | Ages: 13+ | Pandemic,
Identity, Friends

Covid 19 spreads around Japan. School closures turn to partial closures turn tomasking . . . which is when the students in this book are in the second year of
middle school. The chapters are from their perspectives.
“Three-Year Masker” Chiriko has been masking since upper elementary
school. Friendship troubles led to a period of truancy, but when her whole classdons masks to start this school year, she returns and reconnects with a friend.
“Leopard-Print Mask Princess” Serina lives with her mother, who works at a
pub at night, and her sister, who is seven years younger. To save money, Serina
makes a mask from her mother’s scarf. Classmate Koyama-san, whose motheris a doctor, claims Serina’s mother going to work is spreading Covid.
In “Blown by the Wind,” Mugi wears a face shield so that his mother, wholeft home in Mugi’s infancy, will recognize him if she comes to check on his
during Covid. But his mother does not come, and Mugi ends up going himself.
In “Performance of Different Person #28,” Saori has been truant since beingbullied about her hair. But heeding the advice of her late grandfather to “trygoing to school as a different person,” she returns.
Misaki in “The Seventh Baby Goat” is the only member of her family whodoes not catch Covid; she finds herself alone in their apartment feeling anxious.
While worrying about the pandemic, the adolescents in this book also try
to use it as an opportunity and move forward. Their changes are portrayed withgreat care. (Doi)We Have Not Yet Met

54

Open the Night Sky

夜空にひらく | Text: ITO Miku | Ill. SUGIYAMA Takumi| Alicekan | 2023 | 256pp | 20×14cm | ISBN978-4-75201072-2 | Ages: 13+ | Fireworks, Fireworks shop, Juvenile
justice system , Family, Work

Ento Narumi, age seventeen, caused a major injury at his part-time job and wassentenced to probationary observation. For a period of time, he will live andwork with Seiichi Fukami, who manufactures fireworks.
Ento was abandoned by his mother in infancy and raised without affection
by a grandmother, so he has a hard time believing in people. But by living with
Mr. Fukami and his workers and helping them, Ento begins to open his heart
little by little. He begins to think he would like to be a fireworks specialist.
Mr. Fukami himself carries the weight of losing his four-year-old son in a
hit-and-run accident. After learning that the unlicensed teenage driver who
caused it committed suicide, Mr. Fukami volunteered to help rehabilitate
juvenile offenders. But Mr. Fukami’s decision led to divorce, and his ex-wife anddaughter have since kept him at a distance.
Mr. Fukami, and his mother who likes to help out, and his cheery live-in
twin workers, and Mr. Iwakiri, the lawyer who referred Ento to Fukami . . . theadults around Ento are all warm and kind.
Ento himself has the sensitivity to shed tears over beautiful fireworks,
and the character to tell the difference between right and wrong. The reader
sympathizes with him and wants him to succeed. His actions also lead to arapprochement between Fukami and his daughter.
This book ends with a scene showing Ento as a fireworks specialist three
years later. He clearly has a bright future awaiting him. (Shiozaki)

15

Recent
Nonfiction

55

56

All About Vegetable Flowers

It’s Born! Mole Crickets

With vibrant photographs, this book introduces
seventeen types of flower we don’t often get
to see from vegetables that are common on
Japanese dining tables, such as the yellow flowers
of cucumbers, purple flowers of sweet potatoes,
and white flowers of lotus roots. It is fun to see
the flower first and have to guess what vegetable
it is, then have the answer revealed when you
turn the page. There is an infinite range of colors
and numbers of petals and pistils and so forth.
Each vegetable’s fruit, roots, stem, buds, leaves,and which parts we eat are clearly explained.
We also find out fun facts, that the flowers ofpotatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants look
similar. (Sakaguchi)This is a large format photo book aboutmole crickets, an insect similar to crickets
and grasshoppers that lives around ricepaddies, sheds its shell six times, and is adept
at burrowing. Close-up photos with short
captions introduce the life of a mole cricket,
from the egg to the nymph and all the way tothe adult form. Specifically, we see the molecricket around the rice paddy, a close-up of its
forelegs that can dig tunnels, being born froman egg, eating leaves and worms, shedding
its shell, making a tunnel, and flying. Growthrecords and a summary of its body features
are provided at the end of the book. The
fascinating photographs give a strong sense of
the life force of this insect. (Doi)

やさいの はな なんの はな？| Text: MIYAZAKI Shoko| Photos: AMINO Fumie | Iwasaki Shoten | 2023
| 32pp | 25×19cm | ISBN978-4-2658-3151-7| Ages: 3+ | Vegetables, Flowers

57

58

Campervan Travel16

うまれたよ！オケラ | Text/Photos: YASUDA Mamoru| Iwasaki Shoten | 2023 | 36pp | 29×25cm| ISBN978-4-2650-2155-0 | Ages: 7+ | Mole crickets,
Birth, Rice paddies

59

キャンピングカーのたび | Text/Ill. MINEO Mitsu| Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023 | 36pp | 26×27cm| ISBN978-4-8340-8711-6 | Ages: 7+ | Campervans,
Fathers, Traveling

A Day in the School Canteen

給食室のいちにち | Text: OTSUKA Nao | Ill. ISHIYAMA
Azusa | Shonen Shashin Shinbunsha | 2022 | 32pp
| 26×22cm | ISBN978-4-8798-1760-0 | Ages: 7+| School meals, Elementary school, Nutritionist, Work

The Broadclub Cuttlefish Are Here!

This picture book depicts a two-day trip bya boy and his father in a campervan called
Noronoro-go (The Rambler). They get in thevan taking as little luggage as possible withthem, and set off. They cross the sea by ferry,
and arrive at a campground in the mountains.
On the ferry and at the campground, theymeet people using small trucks converted into
campervans, and get to look inside them. We
also see them using the facilities in the van toprepare their meals, and going to sleep on thevan’s beds. It is super interesting to see all thegadgets in the van throughout the trip. The
endpapers show the map of the trip and theway the van is fitted out. (Doi)Mr. Yamanaka is the school’s nutritionist. The
menu for today’s lunch is curry and rice, salad,and jelly. He works together with seven otherstaff to prepare lunches for 450 pupils. This
picture book is set in the school canteen andfollows the stages in the preparation of lunch ina lively manga-style format. It is exciting to see
the huge cooking utensils and large quantities
of ingredients they use. In addition to cooking,we see there are many other jobs involved in
preparing a delicious and safe school lunch,such as ensuring a healthy diet and inspecting
the ingredients and the finished meals. With
introductions to the staff and a map of theschool canteen provided on the endpapers, theentire book is enjoyable. (Sasaoka)

This photo book is full of fascinating facts
about the broadclub cuttlefish, a relatively
unknown species. A member of the golden
cuttlefish family, it has frill-like undulating finsaround its pillowy body. It can change thecolor of its body to match its surroundings, tothe extent that it can be hard to make it out
in the photographs. In fights between males,
their bodies can be half white and half black.
The photographs of males and females mating
and spawning are majestic and beautiful. In
particular, the photographs capturing thesimultaneous spawning of coral and hatchingof broadclub cuttlefish is a marvelous exampleof the symbiosis of living organisms in nature.
(Sakaguchi)

コブシメがやってきた！| Text/Photos: TAKAKU Itaru| Alicekan | 2023 | 32pp | 28×23cm | ISBN978-47520-1066-1 | Ages: 7+ | Cuttlefish, Mollusks, Coralnonfiction60

61

Little Dalia, Who Loves the Tundra

Tomatoes

草原が大好き ダリアちゃん | Text/Photos:
NAGAKURA Hiromi | Alicekan | 2023 | 40pp
| 27×22cm | ISBN978-4-7520-1032-6 | Ages: 7+| Siberia, Nature, Reindeer

He Secret of the Spiny Northern Sea Urchin

うに とげとげ いきもの きたむらさきうにの ひみつ | Text:AGATSUMA Yukio, AOKI Masakazu | Ill. HATANAKA
Fumiko | Kasetsusha | 2022 | 52pp | 24×22cm | ISBN
978-4-7735-0322-7 | Ages: 9+ | Sea urchins, Ecology,
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

We know the sea urchin as food, but not so muchthe creature itself. This picture book introduces us
to many different aspects of the sea urchin, fromits body, food, and reproduction to the birth of
sea urchin young, aquaculture, its features as anechinoderm, sea urchins around the world, andsea urchin predators. It features specialist content,
but we feel a sense of intimacy as the protagonist
is a boy who goes to visit his grandparents on the
Sanriku coast in Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku, andhears his grandfather’s explanations in the local
dialect. The sea urchins disappeared after the 2011
tsunami, but they have since been increasing andcausing denudation of the rocky shore. The pictures
are powerful, and the big-eater sea urchin’s mouthis particularly impressive. (Sakaguchi)

夏の小川にかがやく宝石、オニヤンマ | Text/Photos:
TSUTSUI Manabu | Shogakukan | 2023 | 44pp
| 21×24cm | ISBN978-4-0972-5219-1 | Ages: 7+| Insects, Rivers

A picture book in which a world-renowned
artist minutely observes and beautifully
illustrates the growth of a tomato plant froma single seed to producing lots of red fruit.
The seed sprouts in the earth and puts downroots, the first shoot appears and rapidly grows
foliage. Buds enveloped in fuzzy hair open into
yellow flowers. When the flower wilts, the ovaryswells and develops into a plump fruit andgradually turns red. This picture book shows us
this process slowly and carefully. There is alsoa page depicting the 272 seeds taken from asingle fruit, all different, conveying the life force
hidden in each individual seed. (Sakuma)

64

Sea Urchins

Golden-Ringed Dragonflies,
The Jewel of Summer Streams

トマト | Text/Ill. ARAI Maki | Shogakukan | 2023
| 32pp | 25×22cm | ISBN978-4-0972-5221-4| Ages: 7+ | Observing nature, Growth

A book in the I Found A Friend! Series of photobooks introducing different cultures aroundthe world with children living there as the main
characters. The protagonist of this volume is
Dalia, a five-year-old girl from the nomadic
Nenet people of Siberia. She lives in a harshland that is far from the conveniences of thecity and covered in snow for over eight months,
but the pictures of her daily life making mostof her own food and clothing convey thejoy of running around the wide open steppe
and picking berries and mushrooms, They
also show how much Dalia loves living in thiswilderness surrounded by reindeer and family.
(Sakuma)63

62This photobook portrays the life cycle of thegolden-ringed dragonfly, the largest of Japan’s
dragonflies. Through vivid photos and clear
explanations, the book shows the dragonfly
as it emerges with wings in the lush greeneryat the end of the rainy season, flies over the
stream, its emerald eyes shining, catchingand eating insects, and mating, until its life
ends in autumn. In the latter half, close-ups
and underwater photos show how the larvae
emerge from the laid eggs and shed their skinrepeatedly over several years to become large
nymphs then adults with wings. The image ofthe adult emerging at the end and flying overthe stream again. (Okuyama)
65

Living in the Sea!
Hanako, The Baby Sea Turtle

The Small Mountain Hut in Kurobe
Gorge

Hanako is a baby green sea turtle, an
endangered species that lives in the sea in
Okinawa, southern Japan, where she is loved
by the local residents. This picture book starts
with photos of Hanako swimming leisurely
with her human and sea turtle friends. We see
loggerhead turtles spawning and hatching, andthe baby turtles swimming off to sea. On theother hand, photos of sea turtles caught up inropes thrown away by humans, dead turtles
in amongst the garbage washed up on thebeach, and coral bleached by rising seawatertemperatures convey a looming crisis. Readers
will feel the importance of environmental
conservation even more strongly as they learn
about Hanako’s lovable nature. (Sakaguchi)

Every June, a small mountain hut is constructedin Kurobe Gorge, Toyama Prefecture. In winterit is dismantled to prevent it being crushed bysnow, and its parts stored in a tunnel. In justthree days, the pillars are raised, walls attached,
the roof put on, and the Azohara Hot Springs
Hut is ready. October is the busiest season.
Hikers can take a rest at the hut, soak in thenatural hot spring bath, eat some delicious
curry, and ease their tired legs. When theNovember frosts arrive, it’s time for the hut toclose again. The hut staff smile and say “Seeyou again next year.” This photobook vividly
captures the natural beauty of the Kurobe
Gorge in summer and autumn, and its visitors.
(Shiozaki)

海に生きる！ウミガメの花子 | Text/Photos: KUROBE
Yumi | Sv. OKUYAMA Junichi | Kaiseisha | 2022
| 40pp | 26×21cm | ISBN978-4-0333-3740-1| Ages: 9+ | Sea turtles, Environment, Ecology

黒部の谷の小さな山小屋 | Text/Photos: HOSHINO
Hideki | Alicekan | 2023 | 44pp | 29×22cm| ISBN978-4-7520-1062-3 | Ages: 9+ | Kurobe,
Mountain huts, Mountains, Valleys, Nature

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67

A Day in an Old Post Station

Shinkai 6500

A photo-picture book that follows thepapermaking process at an Osaka paper
recycling plant from shredding to pulping
to producing crepe paper using processes
passed down for more than half a century.
Various machines involved in the process are
introduced along the way. One hundred tons ofwater is needed to produce a ton of paper, andthe plant produces an average of 2,000 tons ofwaste water which is treated and discharged
into the river. This is one volume in a seriesof books on familiar things that help children
think about SDGs. Other themes in the series
include water, plastic, batteries, houses, andgarbage trucks. (Sakuma)

18

Petroleum is dead plant matter that settled on
the sea bottom long ago and changed over thepassage of time. Viewed from the perspectiveof the Earth’s long history, the book offers
an overview of how people have extracted
and used the solar energy that was stored inplankton through photosynthesis. The earliest
use of petroleum was as an adhesive, but
now it is used as an energy source and as raw
material for many substances that are useful inour daily lives. The book also clearly explains
how the use of petroleum produces carbon
dioxide and alters the natural environment. The
woodcut illustrations give this book a warm,
nostalgic feel. (Sakaguchi)

Often referred to as “another universe,” thedeep sea is found in many places around Japan.
Deep Sea 6500, Japan’s world-class submersible
research vehicle, can carry people to depths of
6,500 meters. This book introduces such things
as how the vehicle submerses and rises, why it
doesn’t collapse due to water pressure, and sea
floor exploration methods. The explanations
are easy to understand with fun illustrations
that follow the mechanisms allowing the boat
to float, sink and then rise again. The clear-cut
pictures accentuate the fascinating mechanismsof machines. (Sakaguchi)

70

大接近！ 工場見学 SDGsリサイクル編３ 紙 | Struct./
Text: TAKAYAMA Ryo | Photos: SOEDA Kohei | Iwasaki
Shoten | 2023 | 36pp | 29×25cm | ISBN978-4-26509118-8 | Ages: 9+ | Factory, SDGs, Waste reduction

石油のものがたり | Text: OKOCHI Naohiko| Ill. YAMAFUKU Akemi | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023
| 44pp | 26×20cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8727-7| Ages: 9+ | Petroleum

しんかい6500 深海のひみつをさぐれ！| Text:
YAMAMOTO Shozo | Ill. TOMONAGA Taro | Kumon
Shuppan | 2023 | 40pp | 26×20cm | ISBN978-47743-2854-6 | Ages: 9+ | Deep sea, Ocean research

In the Edo Period, towns on the old highways
with lodging houses catering to travelers werecalled post stations. We follow one day in asmall family-run lodging house, learning details
about how time was measured, preparations
for travel, the members of the daimyo’s
entourage, how to get into a goemonburo
bathtub, and even the toilet facilities. We are
given the prices in today’s monetary values,
with a one-night stay with two meals costing
8,000 yen, a cup of tea 200-800 yen, a massage
2,400 yen, and the obligatory visits to Edo bya daimyo and his entourage costing about 400
million yen. The pictures will make you want toknow more about Edo. (Sasaoka)

Close Approach! Factory TourSDGs Recycling Volume 3: Paper

The Story of Petroleum

Investigate the Secrets of the Deep Sea

宿場町の一日 | Text/Ill. IWATA Shinjiro | Kodansha| 2023 | 36pp | 27×22cm | ISBN978-4-0653-2039-6| Ages: 9+ | Edo period, Post stations, Cost of living,
Lifestyle

69

68

71

Madagascan Baobabs

マダガスカルのバオバブ | Text/Photos: HORIUCHI
Takashi | Fukuinkan Shoten | 2023 | 44pp
| 26×20cm | ISBN978-4-8340-8725-3 | Ages: 9+| Africa, Baobab, Lifestyle

This photo-picture book presents photos bya Japanese photographer who visited andphotographed all eight varieties of baobab thatgrow on Madagascar, an island off the coast ofsoutheast Africa. The author also captured thelives of the local people which are closely linked
to these trees. The baobab is known as “themother of the forest” because its bark, leaves
and fruit are used in many ways. Large, longlived baobab are worshipped as the home ofspirits, and their shade offers people a place
to rest. Recently, however, baobabs are being
cut down to make farmland, and their numbers
are decreasing. Some varieties are at risk ofextinction. The text is easy to understand andwell-complemented by the photos, which convey
various mysteries of the baobab. (Sakuma)

Rooftop Relay

The Southernmost Thatched-Roof House in Japan
屋根のうえのバトンリレー 日本でいちばん南にある かや
ぶきの家 | Photos/Text: YOKOTSUKA Makoto| Holp Shuppan | 2022 | 44pp | 27×21cm | ISBN9784-5931-0308-9 | Ages: 9+ | Okinawa, Roof, Tradition

A photo-picture book that records therethatching of the oldest thatched-roofed house
in Okinawa Prefecture located in Sonai Village
on Iriomote Island. Villagers cut mangrove trees
for the rafters and collect bamboo and coconut
fibers. They replace damaged rafters, then tie thebamboo ribs in place with woven vines. Some
villagers climb on the roof while others help
them from inside the house as they rethatch
the roof. The fact that the villagers reroof thehouse every six to ten years themselves, rather
than relying on professionals, gives the readera fascinating glimpse into how the villagers
keep traditions alive. The appendices include a
description of Sonai Village and of Shinmorike,the house being rethatched. (Doi)nonfiction
72

73

Launching a Bag Company in Africa

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Insect
Metamorphosis

MAEHATA Mami | Sv. HIRAI Norio | Ill. YOKOYAMA
Kanta, etc | Poplarsha | 2022 | 288pp | 27×22cm | ISBN
978-4-5911-7529-3 | Ages: 11+ | Insects, Metamorphosis

Of the 1.75 million known species of living creatureson this planet, over one million are insects. The
author divides insects in Japan into three categories
based on how they develop and introduces themin detail with text and photos. The categories are
Archaeognatha, which are primitive insects that
don’t metamorphose, insects that mature into
adults without becoming pupa (65 species), andinsects that metamorphose from pupa to adults(156 species), including swallowtail butterflies andrhinoceros beetles. Each description is accompanied
by basic data such as the insects’ characteristics andwhere they can be found. Just looking at the photos
showing the diversity of species and development
patterns is fun. The appendix provides explanationsof technical terms. (Sakaguchi)
76

A School Newspaper That Encouraged March 11
Disaster Victims
海よ光れ！ ３・11 被災者を励ました学校新聞 | Text:TAZAWA Satsuki | Kokudosha | 2023 | 160pp| 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-3373-1013-1 | Ages: 11+| Great East Japan Earthquake, Yamada Town, Iwate
Prefecture, School newspaper

Osawa is located in northeastern Japan on the
coast of Yamada Town in Iwate Prefecture. It wasa thriving fishing district, but was badly damaged
during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March
11, 2011. The book describes how the students ofOsawa Public Elementary School, which served as
an evacuation shelter, responded to the disaster.
Written in a personal, realistic style, the story is
gripping right to the end. The students clean the
toilets, massage evacuees’ stiff shoulders, relaunch
the school newspaper for which they had won anaward in Tokyo just six days prior to the disaster, andkeep encouraging the local people. The appendix
includes a newspaper made by the same children
ten years later. They are now grown up, and it’s
clear how much they have matured. (Sakaguchi)

生き物たちが先生だ | Text: HARIYAMA Takahiko| Ill. ANZAI Shun | Kumon Shuppan | 2023 | 96pp
| 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-7743-2815-7 | Ages: 11+| Research, Living creatures, Electron microscope,
Biomimetics

生きかたイロイロ！ 昆虫変態図鑑 | Text: KAWABE Toru,

Often, international aid results in dependency
rather than independence. Chizu Nakamoto,
however, sought to solve the problem of poverty
by establishing equal business relationships.
After many twists and turns, she launched her
own company in Uganda. The company employs
local women, many of whom are destitute single
mothers, and makes eco-friendly products
from colorful African prints to sell in Japan.
The concept is to create attractive productsthat people want to buy and that connect theconsumers with the producers, rather thanrelying on people to buy products out of pity.
This true story of Nakamoto’s struggles opens
readers’ eyes to what international cooperation
should really be like. (Sakuma)

Shine Sea!

Living Creatures Are Teachers

Many Ways Of Living!

アフリカで、バッグの会社はじめました | Text: EGUCHI
Eri | Ill. OBATA Saki | Sa E Ra Shobo | 2023 | 140pp| 20×14cm | ISBN978-4-3780-1563-7 | Ages:11+| International cooperation, Africa, Entrepreneur,
Contributing to society

75

74

Biomimetics is the study of the mechanismsof living things and their application to
manufacturing. The author developed the“nanosuit method,” in which an electron
microscope is used to study creatures while they
are alive. This method made it possible to observe
creatures’ characteristics down to the minutest
detail and led to new technological advances.
The specific examples cited are intriguing, suchas technology that applies the structural colors of
jewel beetles to investigate warping in buildings
and the development of non-slip gloves based on
the adhesive grip of gecko fingers. The mangastyle illustrations and accessible text makes eventhe technical content fun to read. (Sasaoka)
77

Orihime the Avatar Robot

オリヒメ | Text: YOSHIFUJI Ory, KATO Etsuko| Kodomonomiraisha | 2023 | 36pp | 27×19cm| ISBN978-4-8641-2227-6 | Ages: 11+ | Robot,
Disability, Social services, Communication

Orihime is a robot that makes it possible forpeople who can’t work outside the home toconnect with society through remote control.
With the robot, they can work at such jobs as cafébaristas or company receptionists.
A young man who had once dropped out ofelementary school went on to study at a technicalcollege where he researched robots that used AI to
comfort people. The aim was to eliminate people’s
loneliness. He soon realized, however, that what
had solved his own loneliness was meeting andengaging with people. He therefore decided not
to equip the robot with AI and instead developed
Orihime, a robot that connects people to people.
The numerous photos convey the researcher’s
enthusiasm and his constant consideration of theusers’ viewpoint. (Sasaoka)

Kitchen Lab

How Does That Work? Experiment Recipes:
Ingredients
キッチンラボ どうしてそうなる？ 実験レシピ 食材編| Text/Photos: TSUYUKUBO Mika | Kaiseisha | 2023
| 48pp | 28×23cm | ISBN978-4-0352-5620-5| Ages: 11+ | Cooking, Science, Heat

There is a lot of science involved in cooking.
If you extract the stickiness from fermented
beans (natto) and mix it with ice cream, you
get stretchy ice cream. If you put cream in abottle and shake it, you get homemade butter.
Or you can make multi-colored fried noodles
by boiling and extracting the pigment frompurple cabbage and adding it to fried noodles
while cooking. This book explains how heating
and stirring can alter ingredients to create
different kinds of cuisine. Recipes are presented
with color photos, while explanations of
the scientific principles involved are easy tounderstand. The series also includes a volume
on seasoning and another on temperature.
(Nogami)

19

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79

You Too Are a Paleontologist!

The Complete Sushi Encyclopedia

きみも恐竜博士だ！ 真鍋先生の恐竜教室 | Text:

MANABE Makoto | Ill. KIKUTANI Utako, MIKI Kenji| Iwanami Shoten | 2022 | 128pp | 21×15cm | ISBN
978-4-0011-6042-0 | Ages: 11+ | Dinosaurs, Fossils

お寿司まるごと図鑑 歴史から寿司種になる生きものまで| Photos/Text: ABE Hideki | Sv. FUKUCHI Kyoko |Kaiseisha | 2023 | 128pp | 27×19cm | ISBN978-40343-6840-4 | Ages: 11+ | Marine products, Cuisine,
Fishing industry, Market

This book is based on online lessons given by the
Deputy Director of the National Museum of Natureand Science. The first lesson “What is excavation?”
is followed by detailed lessons on dinosaur heads,
front legs, hind legs, and tails, then the extinctionof dinosaurs and their evolution into birds. It also
introduces the most recent research such as how it
was discovered that certain dinosaurs had a keensense of smell by reconstructing the brain from ascan of a dinosaur skull. The book captures andretains readers’ interest through colorful photos,
dynamic illustrations, specimen making, andquizzes. At the end, the author encourages thereader to keep searching for what interests them.
(Sakaguchi)This is a full-color visual encyclopedia packed
with info about a food known all over theworld—sushi! Its origin was in southeast Asia,
in a fermented dish prepared using fish andother ingredients. This dish made its way
to Japan in the eighth century, and by the
fourteenth century, it was being eaten withrice as iizushi. Would you like to know about
the fish and seafood currently used in sushi,
and where they’re procured, cultivated, andsold, and how they make their way into sushi
restaurants? And would you like to know who
works with sushi? Finally . . . akami, hikarimono,
shiromi, kai . . . check out the seventy-pagelisting of sushi ingredients! (Nogami)

Dr. Manabe’s Dinosaur Class81

The Evolution of Whales

From History to the Creatures Served in Sushi

82

クジラの進化 | Text: MINAKUCHI Hiroya | Ill. ODA
Takashi | Sv. KIMURA Toshiyuki | Kodansha | 2022
| 44pp | 25×26cm | ISBN978-4-0652-8422-3| Ages: 11+ | Whales, Evolution, Mammals

This picture book shows the evolution ofwhales, which have long been beloved in Japan.
The blue whale is the heaviest creature alive
today, and sperm whales have teeth. How did
they evolve? This book goes back some fifty
million years to a wolf-like ancestor of whales.
The tail fin and repositioning of the nose forbreathing are shown, as well as the difference
between teeth and the baleen. The illustrations
help readers to follow the whales’ evolutionary
history. The image of a sperm whale next toa giant squid in the deep sea, and of a blue
whale gobbling up Antarctic krill, are stunningand worth gazing at repeatedly. The end of
the book offers further information about thewhales described in the book. (Sakaguchi)
83

Tetsu Nakamura

Seeking the Secrets of the Bowerbird

地味にスゴい！ 農業をささえる生きもの図鑑 | Text:

The Doctor Who Turned the Desert Green with
Life-Giving Water
中村哲 命の水で砂漠を緑にかえた医師 | Text: HAMANO
Kyoko | Akane Shobo | 2023 | 144pp | 22×16cm| ISBN978-4-2510-4629-1 | Ages: 11+ | Afghanistan,
Aid work, Drought, Irrigation canals

This book introduces 56 creatures, from ducks
to ladybugs, that support rice farming and otheragriculture in Japan. Each page has a photo, anillustration, and a detailed introduction of thecreature. Scientific classification and distribution,
habitat, and other data are included, along withthe creature’s actual size and interesting trivia.
Creatures with special powers such as fighting
pests, weeding, pollinizing, and decomposing are
introduced at a glance. In addition, reviled creatures
such as mosquitoes, snails, and aphids are shown
to be useful for developing new technology andnourishing helpful insects. The themes in this bookcould offer clues for independent research, and therich content merits many reads. (Sakaguchi)This is a biography of doctor Tetsu Nakamura, whorevived agriculture and saved lives in Afghanistan
by building irrigation channels. An insect lover fromhis youth, he was drawn to mountainous regionswith rare insects, and he opened a medical aid
NGO in the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
During a drought from about the year 2000, hethrew himself into building wells and irrigation
ways to conserve water. He saw such efforts as acornerstone of coping with the climate crisis, and heused traditional techniques that respected nature.
Nephew of the writer Ashihei Hino, Dr. Nakamura
was a reader and left many writings and lectures.
This book uses photos, a timeline and other features
to support understanding. (Okuyama)

As a child, this book’s author found a photoin a library of a bird that builds. In middle
school, he learned that the bird was a type ofbowerbird that builds a structure like a small
garden shelter. Later, after becoming a picturebook artist, the author decided to investigate
more about the birds, and he journeyed tonatural habitat in Australia, Papua New Guinea,
and West Papua. His illustrations bring out
the secrets of the bird’s building method, as
well as details of the areas where the bird
live. The author’s exchanges with residents of
unexplored regions, as well as his observationsof human interaction with nature, make thisa thought-provoking work of reportage.
(Shiozaki)

Quietly AMAZING!

Encyclopedia of Living CreaturesThat Support Agriculture

TANIMOTO Yuji | Ill. ISHIDA Ko | Komine Shoten| 2023 | 152pp | 29×23cm | ISBN978-4-3380-8173-3| Ages: 11+ | Insects, Natural enemies, Agriculture2080

ニワシドリのひみつをもとめて | Text/Ill. SUZUKI
Mamoru | Rironsha | 2023 | 208pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-6522-0552-5 | Ages: 11+ | Building,
Journey, Unexplored regions

nonfiction
84

85

Toshi Maruki

Save the Great Cedar Barrel!

Showing War to the World Through the Hiroshima
Panels
丸木俊 「原爆の図」を描き世界に戦争を伝える| Text: OKAMURA Yukinori | Akane Shobo | 2023
| 152pp | 22×16cm | ISBN978-4-2510-4631-4| Ages: 11+ | Atomic bomb

The author of this book was largely benched forthree years on his high school soccer team in Japan,
before he attended a German soccer school. He was
fascinated by how Germany nurtured local teams
all over the country, with league games for children
through adults and opportunities for anyone andeveryone to participate. He decided to move toGermany and, while studying German, he obtained
a license to coach soccer there. After that, while
teaching children to play the game, he also enjoyedplaying it as an athlete, and he even became awriter who specializes in soccer. His autobiography
recounts the uncertainties and encounters that led
to living his dream life with soccer. (Okuyama)
89

I Want to Know the Secrets!

Arakawa: A River Made by People

チャコウラさんの秘密を知りたい！ ナメクジの話

人がつくった川・荒川 水害から命を守り、暮らしを豊かにする | Text: HASEGAWA Atsushi | Ill. TEZUKA Masae,
KAWAI Chiaki | Junposha | 2022 | 204pp | 20×14cm| ISBN978-4-8451-1770-3 | Ages:13+ | River, Water,
Edo, Environment

The author of this book is a biologist who has
been researching land slugs for nearly twenty
years. Why did she choose the much-hated slug
to research? In fact, she did not start out this way,
but while researching the slug that is the mostcommon in Japan, the Ambigolimax valentianus,
she discovered that she found it interesting. In
this book, she talks about loving animals as a childand wanting to become a veterinarian, and thenbecoming a slug researcher as an adult—evenstarting the Slug Survey Network, a project to look
for slugs that invites private citizens’s participation.
Readers discover the world of scientific researchers,
who can find something interesting and then strive
to uncover all they can about it. (Shiozaki)

This book tells the story of the Arakawa river,which flows from the Oku Chichibu mountains
through Saitama Prefecture and into Tokyo Bay. In
the Edo period (1603–1868), its westward flow was
adjusted as a public works project, establishing the
paddy fields and boating ways of the Kanto plain.
In the Meiji period (1868–1912), when factories
multiplied and Tokyo needed protection fromfloods, the river was divided into the Arakawa
Floodway to Tokyo Bay and the Sumida River. The
civil engineers who masterminded these projects—
Tadaharu Ina, Akira Aoyama—gave their utmost
in cooperation with many laborers. Currently, local
citizens help to manage the river basin in response
to global warming. This book’s hand-illustrated
maps and images, tucked in all over, make thecontent accessible and engaging. (Okuyama)| Text: UDAKA Hiroko | Ill. YONEMURA Toshinori| Kaiseisha | 2022 | 188pp | 21×15cm | ISBN978-40363-6340-7 | Ages: 13+ | Slugs, Research, Living
creature

３年間ホケツだった僕がドイツでサッカー指導者になった話 | Text: NAKANO Kichinosuke| Ill. HAYAKAWA Yoshio | Rironsha | 2023 | 192pp| 19×13cm | ISBN978-4-6522-0581-5 | Ages: 13+| Sports, Soccer, Germany, TeamOn Shodoshima in Kagawa prefecture, theYamaroku Shoyu company ferments the starterfor soy sauce in huge cedar-wood barrels (oke)some two meters tall and two meters wide. One
day, a barrel that had been used for over a century
cracked. But there was no longer a craftsperson
anywhere in Japan who made such items. Mr.
Yamamoto and others at the company decided
that it would be interesting if a soy sauce company
itself tried to make the barrels. They embarked ona quest that helped to preserve a traditional soy
sauce preparation technique. Cedar wood has a
deep connection to Japanese cuisine, and wooden
buckets of various sizes are a mainstay in daily life.
This book introduces these items and provides
an opportunity to think about their future use.
(Shiozaki)
88

A Story of Slugs

I Sat on the Bench for Three Years But
Became a Soccer Coach in Germany

巨大おけを絶やすな！| Text: TAKEUCHI Sakiko| Ill. MORINAGA You | Iwanami Shoten | 2023
| 224pp | 18×11cm | ISBN978-4-0050-0962-6| Ages: 13+ | Soy sauce, Barrels, Cedar, Food culture

At a time when a woman becoming an artist wasrare, Toshi Maruki overcame innumerable obstacles
to become a compassionate, resilient painter.
Then she began a collaboration with Iri Maruki
to portray the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Iri’s
hometown, in the Hiroshima Panels. The artists
wanted the panels to belong to all, and they visited
more than twenty countries to enable people
to experience them. In addition, they opened amuseum with the panels on permanent display. Byrendering scenes where civilians lost their lives inmanmade horrors—Nanking, Auschwitz, the Bikini
Atoll, Minamata, Okinawa—the artists continually
empathized with and memorialized the powerless.
(Sakaguchi)
87

86

Preventing Disaster, Enriching Lives

Yokai (Monsters) Are in the Sea?!

Natural History Class, Aramata-Style
妖怪は海にいる！？ アラマタ式 海の博物教室 | Text:

ARAMATA Hiroshi | Ill. YONEMURA Toshinori| Kaiseisha | 2022 | 240pp | 21×15cm | ISBN978-40363-6360-5 | Ages: 13+ | Marine life, Earth, Natural
historyThis book introduces marine organisms thatthe renowned naturalist and author Hiroshi
Aramata loved and thought were like yokai.
In a freewheeling, fun style, the book imparts
knowledge about the history of Earth and its
natural life. It touches on the spongelike Venus
flower basket . . . the classification of organizations
by digestive systems . . . the giant tube worms thatlive near underwater volcanoes . . . the five mass
extinction events . . . the larva seen while night
diving that are totally different from their parents. . . and more! The opening illustrations of deepsea life and color photo of Phronimidae are uniqueand lovely. This book passionately shows that if
you have curiosity and courage, life will be fun!
(Sakaguchi)

21

The Hans Christian Andersen Award
KADONO Eiko 19352018 Author Award
Born in Tokyo, KADONO Eiko moved toBrazil for two years when she was 25, andbased on her experiences there she wrote

Winners

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 MI-

YAZAKI Hayao. Kadono has been decorated
by the Emperor of Japan for her significant
contributions to children’s literature.

22

UEHASHI Nahoko 1962-

MADO Michio 1909-2014

2014 Author Award

1994 Author Award

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

MADO Michio was born in Tokuyama.
When he was a small child, his family left
for Taiwan, leaving him behind with his
grandfather. He began to write poetry at
the age of 19. In 1934, two of his poems
were recognized by KITAHARA Hakushu,
the most respected poet of the time. This
marked the beginning of Mado’s career asa creator of nursery rhymes, songs and po-

became a huge hit and received several
literature awards in and outside of Japan,
including the IBBY Honour List and the
Batchelder Award in the USA. Her series The
Beast Player is now out in the USA and theUK.

ems for children. The Animals , co-publishedin the USA and Japan as a bilingual book,
was translated by then Empress Michiko ofJapan.

ANNO Mitsumasa 1926-2020

AKABA Suekichi 1910-1990

1984 Illustrator Award

1980 Illustrator Award

Born in Tsuwano, a village located in a valley
surrounded by mountains, ANNO Mitsumasa
developed a strong desire to experience places beyond those mountains while growing up.
This is reflected in his books. He taught art inelementary 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 abound withvisual trickery and illusions but also display aplayful sense of humour.

Born in Tokyo, AKABA Suekichi emigrated
to Manchuria at the age of 21. He worked inindustry and began to paint while still there.
He was awarded special recognition threetimes at the Manchurian National Art Exhi-

bition. After returning to Japan at the age of36, 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

ARAI Ryoji

CHO Shinta

1956-

1927-2005

HAYASHI Akiko
1945-

2022, 2024 Illustrator

1998, 2000 Illustrator

2008, 2010 Illustrator

ISHII Momoko

IWASE Joko

KAKO Satoshi

KANZAWA Toshiko

1907-20081950-

1926-2018

1924-

2002 Author

2022. 2024 Author

2012 Illustrator

2000, 2006 Author

KATAYAMA Ken

NASU Masamoto

OHTA Daihachi

SATO Satoru

1940-

1942-2021

1918-2016

1928-20172014, 2016 Illustrator

2012 Author

1970, 2002-2006 Illustrator

2004 Author

TANIKAWA Shuntaro

TASHIMA Seizo

TOMIYASU Yoko

1931-

1940-

1959-

2008, 2010 Author

2018, 2020 Illustrator

2020 Author

23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24

Illustration 2022
TASHIMA Seizo
Gotcha!
Tsukamaeta
Kaiseisha

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

Illustration 2020
TAMURA Shigeru
Night Sounds
Yoru no oto
Kaiseisha

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

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

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

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

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

Translation 2022
Trans. NAGANO Toru
Folo, il Centauro
by Roberto Piumini
Kentaurosu no Porosu
Iwanami Shoten

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Translation

25

Japanese Children’s Books 2024

JBBY’s recommendations for young readers throughout the world© Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY), 2024
JBBY Secretariat
1-32 Kandajimbocho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 101-0051 Japan
Tel. [int. +81] 3 6273 7703
Fax [int. +81] 3 6273 7708
E-mail: info@jbby.org
https://jbby.org/
Translation: Cathy Hirano, Ginny Tapley Takemori, Avery Fischer Udagawa
Editing: TAKANO Naoko, HORIUCHI Mayumi
Layout: YAMAZAKI Miki
Supported by
The Foundation for the Advancement of Juvenile Education in Japan