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International Library of Children's Literature, Japan Official Web

International Library of Children's Literature, Japan Official Web

International Library of Children's Literature, Japan Official Web

International Library of Children's Literature, Japan Official Web

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Exhibitions and EventsDigital ExhibitionsYummy Children’s BooksChapter 1: Making

Chapter 1: Making

What shall we eat today? Daily menus, the ingredients in stores, and the crops in the fields do not come from nowhere. We can eat because someone has put in time and effort to make them. In this chapter, we focus on “making” food.

The joy, discoveries, and realization of children’s dreams that can be gained through “making” are expressed through stories like Usako-chan no Hatake [Miffy’s Garden] in which they sow seeds and harvest crops, Hajimete no Otsukai [Miki’s First Errand] which is about going out to buy ingredients, and the Komatta-san series about cooking in the kitchen.

Ookina Kabu [The Turnip: an Old Russian Tale]/Told by A. Tolstoy, translated by Uchida Risako, illustrated by Sato Churyo/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 1966/Y18-M98-330

An old farmer plants a turnip, and by chanting with love, “Grow turnip, grow! Grow up big and grow up sweet,” the turnip grows incredibly large.

Usakochan no Hatake [Miffy’s Garden]/Written and illustrated by Dick Bruna, translated by Matsuoka Kyoko/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 2005/Y18-N05-H168

Usako-chan decides to grow carrots in a field. It depicts the joy of growing and harvesting.

Hajimete no Otsukai [Miki’s First Errand]/Written by Tsutsui Yoriko, illustrated by Hayashi Akiko/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 1977/Y17-5153

Mii-chan, who is 5 years old, is asked to run an errand for milk. She struggles, scraping her knee from a fall, and is unable to speak well to the shopkeeper. It closely follows the child’s first experience, depicting it carefully.

Karasu no Pan'yasan [Mr. Crow’s Bakery]/Written and illustrated by Kako Satoshi/Kaiseisha 1973/Y17-4059

Mr. Crow’s bakery in Springwood thrives thanks to the activities of the four crow chicks. The double-page spread of the lined-up bread is impressive.

Sekai no Ichiba: Oishii Tanoshi Nijuyon no Machi de Okaimono [Around the World in 24 Farmers’ Markets]/Written by Maria Bakhareva, illustrated by Anna Desnitskaya, translated by Okaneya Misato/Kawade Shobo Shinsha 2022/Y1-N22-M363

It introduces markets in 12 countries with colorful illustrations. You can feel the cultures of each country through the markets, such as the displayed ingredients, the appearance of the shops, the local languages, and the currency.

Mayonaka no Daidokoro [In the Night Kitchen]/Written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, translated by Jingu Teruo/Fuzambo 1982/Y17-8977

Mickey comes to a mysterious kitchen in the middle of the night. In the cityscape made of food packages, large bakers work diligently to make the morning cakes.

Shirokumachan no Hottokeki [Shirokuma-chan’s Pancakes]/Written and illustrated by Wakayama Ken/KOGUMA Publishing 1972/Y17-3895

Shirokuma-chan gathers ingredients and cooking tools and tries to make hotcakes. Onomatopoeias convey the fun of cooking, starting with the sound of “potaan, dorodoro, pichipichi, putsuputsu” of the batter being baked in the frying pan.

11 Piki no Neko to Ahodori [Eleven Cats and Albatrosses]/Written and illustrated by Baba Noboru/KOGUMA Publishing 1972/Y17-3905

The cats’ croquette shop is doing great business, but they soon get tired of eating leftover croquettes and begin to dream of eating roasted bird.

Sekaiichi Oishii Supu: Aru Mukashibanashi [Stone Soup: An Old Tale]/Told and pictured by Marcia Brown, translated by Komiya Yu/Iwanami Shoten 2010/Y18-N10-J163

The hungry soldiers start making “stone soup” in a large pot because they can’t get any food. Similar folktales exist in various parts of Europe, and this work is based on a story from France.

Komattasan no Supageti [Komatta-san’s Spaghetti]/Written by Teramura Teruo, illustrated by Okamoto Satsuko/Akane Shobo 1982/Y7-9907

The first book in a popular series whose dishes you can actually make, in addition to enjoying its story. Komatta-san, who was making spaghetti, meets strange animals.

Daidokoro no Meari Popinzu: Ohanashi to Oryori Noto [Mary Poppins in the Kitchen: A Cookery Book with a Story]/Written and illustrated by P. L. Travers, translated by Komiya Yu and Anderson Natsuyo/Anonima Studio 2014/Y9-N15-L31

The first half is a story about Mary Poppins and the children, and the second half is a collection of recipes from the story in the first half. You can learn about the eating habits of early 20th-century Britain.

Bamu to Kero no Oishii Ehon: Ehon no Naka no Totteoki Reshipishu [Recipes Picture Book of Bam and Kero]/Supervised by Shimada Yuka, with recipes written and cooked by Yagi Kana/Bunkeido 2015/Y1-N15-L179

A cookbook that introduces recipes for dishes that appear in the Bam and Kero series.

Column 1: Tools

Tools related to food, such as pots, knives, plates, and spoons, have long been the subject of many children’s books.

Even now, new works with the theme of food-related tools are being created one after another, such as Manaita ni Ryori o Agenai Koto [Don’t give the food to the cutting board] and Himana Konabe [Little Pot of Leisure].

You can also glimpse the food culture of a land from the way food is depicted in children’s books. In Japan, people hold the bowl while eating from it, but there are regions where that is taboo. Tools related to food may become an opportunity to learn about different cultures.

Manaita ni Ryori o Agenai Koto [Don’t Feed the Cutting Board]/Written and illustrated by Shigeta Sayaka/Kodansha 2009/Y17-N09-J988

What if the cutting board, a cooking tool, eats the food in the most popular restaurant in the city?

Hima na Konabe: Ainu no Mukashibanashi [Little Pot of Leisure: An Ainu Folktale]/Written by Kayano Shigeru, illustrated by Doi Kaya/Asunaro shobo 2016/Y17-N16-L845

A bear god seeks out the identity of a young man who is good at dancing. What is the connection to the small pot that is treasured in the Ainu household kitchen?

Chiisana Supun Obasan [Little Old Mrs. Pepperpot]/Written by Alf Prøysen, translated by Otsuka Yuzo, illustrated by Björn Berg/Gakken 1966/Y7-536

The first Japanese translation of the Mrs. Pepperpot series, where Mrs. Pepperpot’s body becomes the size of a pepper pot.

Column 2: Artful Food Picture Books

Have you ever stared at food?

Fruits, sushi, the bones of a finished grilled fish—what if these things were actually transformed into wonderful works of art? If you look again at the food around you, you may be surprised to discover its hidden beauty.

Here, we introduce works rich in artistry with food as their subject.

Osushi ga Fuku o Kai ni Kita [Sushi Came to Buy Some Clothes]/Written and photo by Tanaka Tatsuya/Hakusensha 2022/Y17-N22-M1330

A unique photo picture book that anthropomorphizes sushi and likens sushi toppings to clothes.

Furutsuchan! [Fruities]/Written by Hamid Torabli,　illustrated by Ja'afar Ebrahimi,　translated by Aiko Keiko/Blues Interactions 2006/Y18-N06-H403

Photo picture books in which objects made from fruits and vegetables, such as pomegranates, are accompanied by rhythmic poems.

1999-nen 6-gatsu 29-nichi [June 29, 1999]/Written and illustrated by David Wiesner, translated by Ekuni Kaori/Book Loan Publishing 1993/Y18-8929

A girl is researching how to grow vegetables in the sky. Something amazing happens the following month after she shoots the vegetables into the sky.

Otsukisan no Shabetto [The Moon Sherbet]/Written by Peku Hina, translated by Hasegawa Yoshifumi/Bronze Publishing 2021/Y18-N21-M226

On a hot and sleepless summer night, the moon melts away. An old woman makes sherbet using the moon’s drops. What will happen to the moon?

The Dogs’ Dinner Party/Dean & Son [186-?]/Y17-B5608

A pop-up book depicting a dog’s dinner party.

Sakana o Tabeta Ato no Hone "Chiisa na Kagaku no Tomo" (214):2020.1 [Bone After Eating Fish]/Written and illustrated by Kato Yasumi/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 2020/Z32-B136

The bones that remain after eating fish. The size and shape vary depending on the type of fish.

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