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 noun), and the next player must follow on with another. The rules are simple – the next word must begin with the same sound that the previous word finished on. And with no Japanese words beginning with an ん (~n) sound, if you say a word finishing in ん (~n), you lose. The game continues until everyone runs out of imagination, becomes bored, or someone says a word finishing in ん (~n). It’s a great game for expanding kids’ vocabulary, teaching them phonetic language rules, and keeping them entertained on long car trips (well, at least for a few minutes).
The king in this book insists that all his food arrive in shiritori order, and the servants in the kitchen are a bit stressed trying to come up with dishes whose names meet the rules. And, the king wants his pudding (プリン purin), which obviously finishes in ん (~n), to come last. That means the second last dish has to end in ぷ (~pu). The servants find a devious way – keeping within the rules – to end his silly game and trick the king!
My kids have spent hours playing shiritori, so this book was a fun one for them.
Enjoyment rating (max = 5 koi-nobori): (Explanation)
My kids: 🎏🎏🎏🎏
Me: 🎏🎏🎏🎏
Author: 中村 翔子 (author), はたこうしろう (illustrations)
Publisher: 鈴木出版
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