夏のいちにち (Natsu no Ichi Nichi) contains beautiful illustrations. That’s what struck me first about this book when I first opened it. This is one of those books that I think I’ve enjoyed more than my kids. The colour palette does exactly what is promised by the story title (an English translation might be “A day…… Continue reading 夏のいちにち Natsu no Ichi Nichi
もりのおふろ Mori no Ofuro
What could be more quintessentially Japanese than a book teaching children how to have a bath? もりのおふろ (Mori no Ofuro) is a fun book that does just that, again with fun rhythm and onomatopoeia in the language used. At a bathtub set in the woods, animals come along one-by-one, and get to scrubbing and soaping…… Continue reading もりのおふろ Mori no Ofuro
とっとことっとこ Tottoko Tottoko
とっとこ とっとこ (Tottoko Tottoko) is another onomatopoeia based first book. Ten various animals come along, put on their shoes, and start walking along. The とっとこ is the sound of their foot steps – and the rhythm and sound of different creatures is what gives this book its story line. The cat starts off ordinarily enough,…… Continue reading とっとことっとこ Tottoko Tottoko
ぼくののりものなあに Boku no Norimono Naani
For my two boys who loved anything about buses, planes, trains, boats, trucks, cars – any のりもの (norimono) you can ride on – ぼくののりものなあに (Boku no Norimono Naani) was an instant toddler hit. Brother bears Kuu and Maa (see what the author did there?) are too engrossed in play to pack away their toys when…… Continue reading ぼくののりものなあに Boku no Norimono Naani
しりとりのだいすきなおうさま Shiritori no Daisuki na Ō-sama
しりとりのだいすきなおうさま (Shiritori no Daisuki na Ō-sama) is a book about a king and a word game. The translation of this title into English is hard – “The King who likes … ” what?? How to explain “shiritori” in English? Shiritori is a word game, in which players take turns to say a word (usually a…… Continue reading しりとりのだいすきなおうさま Shiritori no Daisuki na Ō-sama
おいし〜い Oishi~i
おいし〜い (Oishi~i) has simple cute drawings, and is about the sound and taste of eating different things. Not bad for small people beginning to experiment with food themselves. Yet again, the onomatopoeia is present – the sound of the apple crunching, the feel of the runny soup or the soft pumpkin. I think the aim…… Continue reading おいし〜い Oishi~i
バナナをもって Banana wo Motte
バナナをもって (Banana o Motte) is one of my favourites from our collection of Japanese language first books. With a fantastic rhythm and repetition, this is about a little boy with a bunch of bananas, going from house to house looking to give the bananas to monkeys so they can play. Is this the place? Is…… Continue reading バナナをもって Banana wo Motte
がたんごとん Gatan Goton
がたんごとん (Gatan Goton) obviously takes its name from the Japanese version of “clickety clack” . And if you can read that much, well, you’ve almost got the whole book sorted. It’s the clear line drawings, not the words, that tell the story here. The words repeat over and over, as more and more items (including…… Continue reading がたんごとん Gatan Goton
いちにのさんぽ Ichi Ni no Sanpo
I found our copy of いちにのさんぽ (Ichi Ni no Sanpo) at a second hand bookshop in Japan, and I got a lot of value for my 200 yen. The story is simple, but progresses as the child in the story (boy? girl? don’t know and it doesn’t matter) goes for a walk, meeting a line-up…… Continue reading いちにのさんぽ Ichi Ni no Sanpo
じゃあじゃあびりびりJā Jā Biri Biri
Let’s start this site with a baby level book that teaches the importance of onomatopoeia (オノマトペ) in Japanese even from such a young age. じゃあじゃあびりびり (Jā Jā Biri Biri) is a board book for babies, and with its clean and simple drawings, it seems to be something of a best-selling first book. I dutifully read…… Continue reading じゃあじゃあびりびりJā Jā Biri Biri