A story, in pictures and music, of children on their way to school on a rainy day.
Yellow Umbrella
Asia
Materials from Asia
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.
Magic Spring
Once upon a time, in a small village in Korea, there lived a childless old couple. They worked hard and lived good, simple lives, wanting only a baby to love and care for. But their rich, greedy neighbor sneered at their patched-up clothes. And when he saw the old man chopping wood he’d taunt him: “Ha! Old Man, where is your son to help you?”
Then one day, a mysterious bluebird leads the old man to a magic spring that makes him young again. But that’s only half the magic, as the miraculous power of the spring brings justice to the greedy neighbor, and a child for the couple from the least likely place of all.
The Man Who Caught Fish
A stranger with a bamboo pole magically catches fish and hands them out to villagers, saying “One person, one fish,” but the king will not be content until he receives a whole basket of fish.
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.
The Master Swordsman and the Magic Doorway: Two Legends from Ancient China
In two original stories set in ancient China, Little Chiu masters the sword and Mu Chi escapes death through his marvelous painting.
The Moles and the Mireuk: A Korean Folktale
A mole goes to the sky, sun, clouds, and wind in search of the most powerful husband for his daughter, only to find him among his own kind.
The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters
When Lin’s beloved pet dragon disappears, she searches for him far and wide until a witch helps her to reach the dragon’s new home. This book introduces a different Chinese character on each step of Lin’s adventure.
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.