Orchards

After a classmate commits suicide, Kana Goldberg—a half-Japanese, half-Jewish American—wonders who is responsible. She and her cliquey friends said some thoughtless things to the girl. Hoping that Kana will reflect on her behavior, her parents pack her off to her mother’s ancestral home in Japan for the summer. There Kana spends hours under the hot sun tending to her family’s mikan orange groves.Kana’s mixed heritage makes it hard to fit in at first, especially under the critical eye of her traditional grandmother, who has never accepted Kana’s father. But as the summer unfolds, Kana gets to know her relatives, Japan, and village culture, and she begins to process the pain and guilt she feels about the tragedy back home. Then news about a friend sends her world spinning out of orbit all over again.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume IV, Issue 4

Animal Tails

Why do animals have tails? Do they always serve a function? Does that use vary from animal to animal? These questions about these most curious of appendages are answered in a way that manages to be both informative as well as being a delightful guessing game.

Anno’s Hat Tricks

Three children, Tom, Hannah, and Shadowchild, who represents the reader, are made to guess, using the concept of binary logic, the color of the hats on their heads.

The Fox

A red fox travels alone through the seasons of the year, wondering at life’s simple pleasures.

Ten Oni Drummers

One by one, ten tiny oni, Japanese goblin-like creatures, grow larger and larger as they beat their drums on the sand, chasing away bad dreams.

Tasty Baby Belly Buttons

Urikohime, a girl born from a melon, battles the monstrous oni, who steal babies to eat their tasty belly buttons.

The Boy of the Three-Year Nap

A poor Japanese woman maneuvers events to change the lazy habits of her son.

A Tale of Two Tengu: A Japanese Folktale

Two Japanese goblins with long, lovely noses decide to prove once and for all whose proboscis is the most beautiful.

Kogi’s Mysterious Journey

Kogi paints the shore of Lake Biwa, but is unable to capture the vigor and beauty that inspire him. One day, Kogi wades into the water to release a fish, and unable to resist follows in its wake, eventually becoming a fish himself, and learning what it is

Anno’s Counting House

One by one, ten children move from their old house into their new house with all their possessions. Die-cut windows reveal the interiors of the houses and the book can also be read from back to front.

Worlds of Words

International Collection of Children’s and Adolescent Literature

Japan