Japanese Stories

Ball, Jacqueline. Himeji castle : Japan's samurai past / Jacqueline A. Ball ; consultant, Stephen Brown. New York, NY : Bearport Publ. Co., 2005. 1597160016 (lib. bdg) Ages 6-12.

Learn all about Himeji Castle, which may be the best standing example of a Japanese castle. This book really gives a feel for what it would be like to visit the castle. If you get a chance, visit it in person! The illustrations and photographs are excellent. There is a timeline, glossary, index, and list of resources for further study.

Gold, Alison Leslie. A special fate : Chiune Sugihara, hero of the Holocaust / Alison Leslie Gold. New York : Scholastic Press, 2000. Ages 10+.

Against orders, Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, wrote visas that save the lives of European Jews during WWII. A Special Fate Book Report .

Heinrichs, Ann. Japan / Ann Heinrichs. New York : Children's Press, c1997. Ages 6-10.

Early reader text on the Land of the Rising Sun. Better introduction to normal life and history than most. Some stock photos are dated and weak.

Iijima, Geneva Cobb. The way we do it in Japan / written by Geneva Cobb Iijima ; illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye. Morton Grove , Ill. : A. Whitman, 2002. Ages 4-8.

Tells of Gregory moving to Japan with his mother from Kansas and his father from Japan. While a bit too sweet and optimistic, The Way We Do It in Japan does show everyday Japanese culture and school activities. Billin-Frye's illustrations are appealing and well researched.

Kuklin, Susan. Kodomo. Kodomo : children of Japan / Susan Kuklin. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995. Ages 6-10.

A well-researched look at the lives of several Japanese children that emphasizes traditional culture such as judo and calligraphy. However, it also includes scenes of ordinary classrooms and shopping.

Little, Mimi Otey. Yoshiko and the foreigner / Mimi Otey Little. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996. Ages 6 - 10.

I had put off reading this book because the title is off-putting to one who is familiar with Japanese culture. Many Japanese call foreigners gaijin or literally outside people. When a foreigner first arrives and she does not fit in, she will hear it a lot so it may be one of the first Japanese words she learn. A more respectful or appropriate word for foreigners is gaikokujin, which means outside nation people. So it was with these thoughts that I began reading the story. Sure enough, right away there is the Japanese word gaijin in the story. It tells of a young African American soldier in Japan meeting and falling in love with a "good Japanese girl". The young man wins the girl and her family by showing sensitivity and respect for Japanese ways. So while I cringe at the soldier's beginning attempts at speaking Japanese, anyone who has learned a language well as an adult will have stories similar to those related here. My old room mate once asked for a coke with out much mold (kabi) when she meant to say ice (kori). The soldier in this story reportedly said, "You see, I am a boiled pepper." It is obvious that this is a story of love that has been passed down to a daughter and for this reason, think the book is worth reading. The illustrations also have the look of a back in the old country paradise that is remembered or told of in family lore. The story may be especially enjoyed in families where two cultures have come together.

Mochizuki, Ken. Passage to freedom : the Sugihara story / written by Ken Mochizuki ; illustrated by Dom Lee ; afterword by Hiroki Sugihara. New York : Lee & Low Books, c1997. Ages 6-10.

Chiune Sugihara saved thousand of Jews during WWII by giving them visas.

Mori, Kyoko. Shizuko's daughter / Kyoko Mori. New York : H. Holt, c1993. Ages 12-16.

Yuki is left to deal with her cold father and colder new stepmother, after her mother's suicide. Will Yuki overcome the tragedy of her mother's life and death? Will she ever find love?

Ray, Deborah Koagan. Hokusai : the man who painted a mountain / Deborah Kogan Ray. New York : Frances Foster Books, 2001. Ages 6-10.

Informative look at the life of an orphaned peasant boy who became a world famous artist. Contains several pages of Hokusai drawings and paintings, chronology, and selected bibliography.

Say, Allen. The ink-keeper's apprentice / by Allen Say. New York : Harper & Row, c1979. Ages 12-16.

Kiyoi was thirteen and living alone in Tokyo! One day, he boldly asked the greatest cartoonist in Japan to be his mentor.

Say, Allen. Tea with Milk. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Ages 5-11.

Say, Allen. Tree of Cranes. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Ages 4-8.

This is an apparently autobiographical story of Mr. Says' first Christmas. The story starts with a young boy playing by his neighbor's koi pond, even though his mother has told him many times not to play there. He catches a chill and his mother sends him to take a bath and then to bed. There are many accurate, but subtle cultural activities shown. He bathes in a large wooden tub. He sleeps in a futon on the tatami mats. He eats rice gruel and green tea when he is feeling ill. This store gently introduces traditional culture by weaving it into the story. Eventually, we see the boy's mother bring in a potted fur tree. She decorates the tree with origami cranes and candles. She tells the boy that she grew up in California and that today is Christmas. She explains the customs of decorating trees, giving presents, and says Christmas is a holiday of peace and love. Snow falls during the night and the boy and his father make a yukidaruma (snowman), which in Japanese fashion, has only two snowballs. The illustrations are realistic watercolor paintings. This is a multicultural story taking place in Japan where there is little diversity.

Takabayashi, Mari. I live in Tokyo / written and illustrated by Mari Takabayashi. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Ages 4-8.

Basic introduction to life in Tokyo following the calendar. Very simple text. Watercolor illustrations are accurate and complex however faces are simple.

Yep, Laurence. Hiroshima : a novella / by Laurence Yep. New York : Scholastic, c1995. Ages 10+.

A twelve-year-old girl experiences the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. (Scholastic, 1995)

Yumoto, Kazumi. Natsu no niwa. English The friends / Kazumi Yumoto ; translated by Cathy Hirano. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996. Ages 9-13.

Three 6th grade boys learn about death and friendship one summer when they spy on an old man thinking he might die any day. Japanese title means Summer Garden.