A Treasury of Japanese Folktales

Gr 3—5—The stories and illustrations in this oversize volume were originally published in Old Tales of Japan (1953). A new Japanese translation accompanies this version. The 12 stories include familiar tales such as "Momotaro" ("The Peach Boy"), and "Issunboshi" ("The One-Inch Boy"). Some of the selections are not as well known, such as "Kachi Kachi Yama" ("The Kachi Kachi Mountain") about a mean badger that kills an old woman and is tricked by a rabbit who befriended the woman's husband. Many of the illustrations stand the test of time, as the folktales are old stories of Japan, and maintain their charm, as does the text. As most of the stories can be found in other sources, this work is for larger folktale collections, and those in need of bilingual versions.—DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA