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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

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Exhibitions and EventsDigital ExhibitionsYummy Children’s BooksChapter 3: Thinking

Chapter 3: Thinking

Eating is absolutely necessary for humans to live. However, there are people who don’t eat or can’t eat for various reasons. Also, the people who make food and who they eat food with are not always the same for everyone.

Various people and technologies are involved in food reaching our table. In this way, what kind of impact do the human acts of “making” and “eating” have on the Earth?

In this chapter, we will think about “making” and “eating” from different perspectives.

What Happens When You Eat?

What kind of influence does eating have on us? Here, we introduce works that depict the changes in the bodies of living things caused by the act of eating.

The food that enters your mouth is broken down by your teeth and decomposed in your stomach and intestines. Nutrients are absorbed, and the rest is excreted from the body. Sometimes, you can get sick because of what you eat.

The nutrition you get from eating is essential for activity and growth. In Harapeko Aomushi [The Very Hungry Caterpillar], the caterpillar eats everything and grows bigger. And, at the end of the story, it undergoes a brilliant transformation. It is vividly expressed that we are alive because we eat.

Let’s take a look at what happens after eating, as depicted in children’s books, from the microorganisms in the body to the life cycle in the ecosystem.

Harapeko Aomushi [The Very Hungry Caterpillar]/Written and illustrated by Eric Carle, translated by Mori Hisashi/Kaiseisha 1989/Y18-N05-H98

With rich colors and fun gimmicks, it vividly depicts the growth and transformation of the caterpillar.

I ha to A ha [My Teeth, Your Teeth]/Written and illustrated by Yagyu Gen'ichiro/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 2003/Y11-N03-H275

The differences between baby teeth and permanent teeth, cavities, and brushing are comically depicted with simple lines.

Minna Unchi [Everyone Poops]/Written and illustrated by Gomi Taro/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 1981/Y17-7927

The shapes and ways of pooping of various animals are expressed rhythmically in vivid colors.

Ge to Pi: Tanuki Sensei no Byoki no Hon [Ge to pi : The Vomitting and the Diarrhea]/Written by Mori Taneki, illustrated by Nakano Hirotaka/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 1998/Y11-M99-160

Doctor Raccoon, who is approachable, explains vomiting and diarrhea in an easy-to-understand way.

Not Eating and Being Unable to Eat

If you could eat whatever you like, whenever you want, it would surely be a very happy thing.

However, there are countries and regions in the world where not eating is rooted in their lives, following teachings such as “you must not eat this” and “you must not eat at this time.”

On the other hand, there are also people who cannot eat for various reasons. They cannot obtain sufficient food if they have no home or money, or if their town is destroyed by war. Also, as they get older or become ill, they gradually lose the energy to eat. Conversely, the act of eating can also cause physical and mental health problems.

Why don’t you think about not eating and being unable to eat through children’s books?

Boku ga Ramen Tabeteru Toki [While I was eating ramen...]/Written and illustrated by Hasegawa Yoshifumi/Kyouikugageki 2007/Y17-N07-H1081

When I’m eating ramen, what’s going on around me? Following what’s around them in their daily life, children from various countries are drawing water and selling bread.

Sekaiichi Utsukushii Boku no Mura [The Most Beautiful Village in the World]/Written and illustrated by Yutaka Kobayashi/POPLAR PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 1995/Y18-11078

A boy who sells a lot of plums and cherries harvested in the village in the town waits eagerly for the return of his brother, who went to war. However, the village is destroyed by the war, and the next spring never comes.

Kyo wa Okane ga Nai Hi [It’s a No-Money Day]/Written and illustrated by Kate Milner, translated by Kodera Atsuko/Godo-Shuppan 2020/Y1-N21-M137

A mother and child who have difficulty living independently do not lose hope for the future and spend their days brightly. A food bank that distributes donated food to those in need gently supports them.

Karaage Beach/Written by Nadya Kirillova, illustrated by Moe Furuya and Junko Igarashi/Bunkyosha 2021/Y2-N21-M144

The ingredients for fried chicken are not just chicken and flour. Fried chicken that can be eaten by people with various beliefs and health issues, such as soy meat and gluten-free fried chicken, appears.

Mama wa Kaizoku [My Mom is a Pirate]/Written by Karine Surugue, illustrated by Rémi Saillard, translated by Yamamoto Tomoko/Kobunsha 2020/Y18-N20-M110

In French, a term used for cancer also means “crab”. The author’s own experience of battling cancer, and sometimes not being able to eat due to treatment, is depicted as pirates fighting crabs to make it understandable to children.

Family and the Dining Table

How families gather at the table varies depending on the food culture and religion of the country or region where they live. It also changes according to the time period and the growth stage of children. Works such as Onbu wa Korigori [Piggybook] , where they reconsider the division of housework after the mother leaves home, and Suteki na Teeburu [Our Table], where a family that once lost the habit of gathering around the table makes another table to gather around, depict changing families.

Here, we introduce children’s books that depict various family dining tables and children’s books where children encounter differences in food culture by interacting with other families. By knowing the various aspects of family and the dining table, let’s think again about our usual dining table.

Onbu wa korigori [PIGGYBOOK]/Written and illustrated by Anthony Browne, translated by Fujimoto Tomomi/Heibonsha 2005/Y18-N05-H173

A father and children do not do any work at home. When the mother, who does all the housework alone, from preparing meals to cleaning up, leaves home... A picture book that questions the division of housework.

Mama ga Ouchi ni Kaette Kuru! [Mama’s Coming Home]/Written by Tomek Bogacki, illustrated by Kate Banks, translated by Kisaka, Ryo/Kodansha 2004/Y18-N04-H245

The mother returning home from work and the father preparing dinner at home are depicted alternately.

Machiruda to Futari no Papa [The Girl with Two Dads]/Written and illustrated by Mel Elliott, translated by Sanbe Ritsuko/Iwasaki Shoten 2019/Y18-N19-M92

A girl is invited to Matilda’s house, who has same-sex parents. Unlike her own house, which has heterosexual parents, she imagines, “If I had two dads like my dad, the dinner might be sweets,” but in reality, she finds that they live a life almost the same as her own.

Suteki na Teburu [Our Table]/Written and illustrated by Peter Hamilton Reynolds and translated by Shimazu Yayoi/Shinhyoron 2021/Y18-N21-M402

A family who no longer gathers at the dining table, absorbed in their respective TVs, smartphones, and games. Violet makes a proposal to the family.

How Food Arrives

Have you ever thought about how the food you usually eat has come to you?

Many people are involved before food reaches the table, such as those who harvest crops, catch fish, raise cattle and pigs, process food, and transport it.

Technology related to food has evolved with improved varieties of crops and animals and developing preservation methods so food tastes better and can feed more people.

Also, seasonings such as sugar and salt, which were once very expensive, are now indispensable and familiar to us on our tables.

Where does food come from, and how does it reach us? Why don’t you think about the story related to food?

Buta Niku [Pig Meat]/Written and photographed by Onishi Nobuo/Gentosha 2010/Y11-N10-J345

A photo picture book that covers the life cycle of a pig, from birth, to growing up, to becoming pork after about eight months.

Hoshita Kara [Because They are Dried]/Written and photographed by Morieda Takashi/Froebel-Kan 2016/Y11-N16-L205

By removing water and drying, food becomes less likely to spoil and lasts longer. It introduces preservation methods that have been practiced domestically and internationally for a long time with photos.

Tsukiji Shijo: E de Miru Uoichiba no Ichinichi [Tsukiji Fish Market: A Day at the Fish Market through Pictures]/Written and illustrated by Morinaga Yo/Komine Shoten 2015/Y1-N16-L55

The realistic pictures show what the market looks like, fish being filleted, and the people working there in detail.

Sekai o Ugokashita Shio no Monogatari [The Story of Salt]/Written by Mark Kurlansky, illustrated by S.D. Schindler, translated by Endo Ikue/BL Shuppan 2008/Y11-N09-J363

Introduces historical episodes and manufacturing methods of salt, which is essential for life, with precise illustrations and text.

Unga ni Ochita Ushi [The Cow who Fell in the Canal]/Written by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illustrated by Peter Spier, translated by Chika Minamimoto/POPLAR PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 1967/Y17-238

Hendrika, a dairy cow who is bored with her boring days, falls into a canal by chance and embarks on a great adventure to reach the city.

Sekai o Kaeta 15 no Tabemono [The Adventures and Misadventures of the Foods that Changed the World]/Written by Teresa Benéitez, illustrated by Flavia Zorrilla, translated by Todoroki Shizuka, supervised by Nakano Akimasa (Japanese version)/Otsuki shoten 2020/Y1-N20-M84

It conveys the history and data of familiar foods such as wheat, pepper, and tomatoes, where they came from, and how they spread, in color.

Greed and the Earth

The Earth is a planet where various creatures live. Humans, one of those species, eat other creatures to survive. Throughout the planet’s long history, human activities have had a significant impact on other creatures on Earth. There are even species that have already become extinct, and the impact of humans on that cannot be denied.

Today, the negative effects of a trend that disregards the environment and advocates mass consumption have become clear, and sustainable growth is being called for to protect the Earth’s biodiversity. Children’s books from all over the world, such as Mottainai Basan [Mottainai Grandma], which conveys the spirit of the Japanese term “mottainai” which has now spread around the world, depict warnings against human greed.

Mottainai Basan [Mottainai Grandma]/Written and illustrated by Shinju Mariko/Kodansha 2004/Y17-N04-H1145

Mottainai Grandma does not waste water or electricity, nor does she waste tears. Through a change of perspective and humor, it conveys the spirit of a recycling-oriented society.

Inochi o Itadaku [Partaking of Life]/Written by Uchida Michiko, illustrated by Moroe Kazumi, supervised by Sato Goshi/Nishinippon Shimbun 2009/Y1-N09-J366

A girl eats hamburger steaks made from the meat of the cow she raised while crying. Facing the preciousness of life, she learned gratitude for eating. “Itadakimasu” (Thank you for the food).

Taberu Koto wa Tsunagaru Koto: Shokumotsu Rensa no Hanashi [Who Eats What?]/Written by Patricia Lauber, illustrated by Holly Keller, translated by Hosoya Aoi and Kurata Takashi/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 2009/Y11-N09-J600

The tuna sandwich you are eating contains tuna. Tuna eat small fish such as sardines, and sardines eat plankton. A work that visualizes the food chain.

Iwashi: Mure de Ikiru Sakana [Sardines: Fish that Lives in a School]/Written and illustrated by Ookata Tadaki/Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers 2019/Y11-N19-M347

A work that depicts the life of sardines, which are at the bottom of the food chain, in relation to other predators such as yellowtail and whales. The individual sardines and the state of the sea are expressed realistically.

Yama kara Nigetekita / Gomi o Poipoi [I Escaped from the Mountain/Throw Away Garbage]/Written and illustrated by Tashima Seizo/DOSHINSHA PUBLISHING 1993/Y18-7542

A work that expresses the adverse effects of a trend that disregards the environment and advocates mass consumption with bold and powerful touches of painting. The cries of “help” from the creatures being driven out of the mountains touch the hearts of the readers. The story from the human side and the story from the creature side start from the front and back of the book, respectively, and are constructed to meet in the middle.

Chenji za warudo: Sekai o Kaeta 14-nin no Joseitachi [Shaking Things up]/Written by Susan Hood, illustrated by 13 great women painters, translated by Shibuya Hiroko/Froebel-Kan 2019/Y3-N19-M50

In the 1970s, Frances Moore Lappé, an American woman, stood up to solve the problem of human hunger. Instead of meat, she advocated eating plant-based protein, which requires less water and energy for growth.

Es geht um die Wurst: Was du wissen musst, wenn du gern Fleisch isst [It’s About the Sausage: What You Need to Know If You Like to Eat Meat]/Written by Christoph Drösser, illustrated by Nora Coenenberg/Gabriel in der Thienemann-Esslinger Verlag GmbH [2021]/Y1-D167

“If not now, when will we talk about it?” A German work that visualizes the sausage manufacturing process and the burden on the Earth caused by meat consumption using statistical data.

Water/Subhash Vyam with Gita Wolf./Tara Books Private Limited [2017]/Y17-B21066

Using an Indian fable in which the lake and humans engage in transactions as equals, it questions whether humans should not only make use of the blessings of nature but also show respect for nature.

Horror/Written by Madlena Szeliga, illustrated by Emilia Dziubak/Gereon [2018]/Y17-D1988

A work that depicts the process in which vegetables and fruits are cooked by humans in a mystery-like setting. The ending reveals what kind of dishes and tools each ingredient will be made into.

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