NEW PUBLICATIONS 2015 FUKUINKAN SHOTEN PUBLISHERS Illustration ⓒ Koshiro Hata 2014 From“HELLO, SEE YOU TOMORROW”（see page 2） PLEASE COME TO ME, SHEEP SHOW ME YOUR BELLY, A HUNGRY BUTTERFLY IN by Yoko Ikenoya PLEASE! THE SUMMER FOREST A little girl visited a stock farm one day with her by Kazuko Shimazu by Hiroshi Tateno father. She saw the sheep wishing to give them a Let’s take a look at the side we usually don’t see: In the dense green of a summer forest, a sweet- pat. Th eir coat seemed so soft and fl uff y. “Please the belly-side of some creatures. It starts with a and-sour aroma was in the air. A hungry butterfl y come to me.” she called out approaching them. ladybug. She has a beautiful red-colored back, but fluttered to locate the source. Soon enough it But what do you know, all of them turned around her belly? Well, it is pitch black! So we go around found the spot. It was the smell of sap! Already and walked away from her. asking some creatures to show us their bellies. thronged with visitors, there was no space to get She squatted down wondering what she had done Bellies are delicate, therefore we have to be ever so in. It carried on to the next spot which was also wrong when one sheep looked her in the eye. It gentle with them. Wouldn’t it be fun to fi nd sur- crowded. Even a fi ght started in front of his eyes. came closer to her and……? prises? Will the poor butterfl y get any sap? CAMELLIA, A RESTAURANT FOR BIRDS PLAY WITH A STRAW IN MYSTERY OF MT. SAW by Mari Otaguro THE BATH by Masahito Ohashi One cold winter day, the camellias came into by Yuko Onari illustrated by Hideo Ito NON-FICTION BOOKS bloom. Now here we are, the Camellias’ Restau- Here is one of the things most children adore; play- Mt. Saw was a grand mountain with four zigzags rant is open! Th ere’s only one dish on the menu, ing with a straw! Th ey do it all the time with their on the summit, hence the name. Th e skirts spread delicious nectar that is. Little birds and big birds drinks. Blowing into it and spilling the contents, out gracefully. My brother and I adored this moun- arrive chirping merrily. sounds familiar? How would it be if we did it in the tain. One day we drove to our cousin’s. My brother Another camellia comes into bloom shortly after a bath? A little girl rushes to the bathroom and her was the fi rst to spot the strange change. Mt. Saw snowfall. Now there are two restaurants next to baby brother follows. With all their hearts, they now only had three zigzags. Th e car continued and each other. A mischievous boy samples some nectar, play with a straw blowing bubbles, infl ating them, eventually she lost all of her zigzags. No ‘saw’ on too, promising not to tell others, as the restaurant was exclusively for birds! *TWN connecting them, experimenting and giggling. the summit anymore! How could that be? Ages 3-5 A SPRING WALK IN MUDDY TAKE OFF, DRAGONFLY! HELLO, SEE YOU TOMORROW FIELDS by Tatsuhide Matsuoka by Naoko Kudo by Nobuko Akashi Dragonfl ies are aquatic when they are young. Th e illustrated by Koshiro Hata “Get your rubber boots on.” Grandpa calls. And larva comes out of the water to emerge and be- A little girl is out with her father. He always greets off they are to the fi elds. Spring has come. Th e soil comes mature in the fullness of time. It chooses a his fi elds before working. “Hello.” he says and the is showing now. Th e boy steps on the mud, then night to crawl up a stem of marsh. A subtle yet girl follows suit. She spots a round, smooth rock the slushy mud. What a feeling! Listen to those bold force of nature unfolds. Let’s observe the and greets it, then some ants, some wood louses, a sounds! He walks foot by foot on the lingering breathtaking process of a Lesser Emperor’s birth lizard and a grasshopper, all her new friends ap- snow making crunching sounds. Splashing pud- and celebrate its take off . pear. As the dusk closes in, she asks the rock if it dles and standing on dry grass barefooted, he feels might want to come for a sleep over. Th ey return the long-awaited spring is there under his feet. together calling out “See you all tomorrow!” TURNING ON A FLASHLIGHT by Akiko Miyakoshi I’m not afraid of the dark because I have some- thing special! A little boy holds out his fl ashlight waking his brother to explore the obscurity. Doesn’t the room look so diff erent from the day time? The round-shaped light illuminates the things in the room. Wriggle the fl ashlight and the shadows dance! What about our yard from the paperback / 20 × 23 cm 24 pages 4-color print ¥389.- window? Will this beam reach the stars? ZOO IN THE FIRST SNOW by Misako Namiki illustrated by Yasuko Ikeda I TICKLED FLOWERS! Th e fi rst snowfall for the season has arrived. We by Taeko Tada illustrated by Eriko Hirano wonder how the animals in the zoo are doing. Th e Flowers look up to you in a big smile. How charming they are! lions gaze into the air watching the crystals. Th e You want them to smile even more and tickle them gently. Oh? Japanese Monkeys huddle together to keep warm. Some kind of powder sticks to your fi nger? Turn the pages and Th e elephants start making snow balls and…wow, meet various fl owers in diff erent hues. Th e encounter with pollen one ate it up! Naturally the Polar bear jumps introduces botany to young children. Th ey discover that bees and around in joy. Have you ever been to the zoo on a butterfl ies seem to tickle the flowers, too. snowy day? 2 *mark shows countries/areas the rights sold to: CHN: China, ESP: Spain, FRA: France, GER: Germany, ITA: Italy, KOR: Korea, SWI: Switzerland, THL: Thailand, TWN: Taiwan, USA: United States, VIE: Vietnam WHICH DARE YOU CHOOSE? EBONY JEWELWING WHO DROPPED THE ACORNS? by Taro Gomi by Akinori Yoshitani by Yoshie Takayanagi Th ere are times in life when you have to make a The Ebony Jewelwing is a dragonfly with jet- illustrated by Koshiro Hata choice. Choosing can be fi lled with expectations black wings. Th e female has a black body as well. I was walking in the woods one late summer when as well as anxiety. Each facing pages off er such a The male’s body, however, is a greenish glowing suddenly a small twig fell on me. It had an acorn situation, daring you to make a choice of your color. In wetlands, they mate in the shape of a on it. I noticed it was not the only one. Th ere were own. Which route should we take to the summit? heart. Th e female lays her eggs while he stands on lots of them on the ground, all with an acorn. To eat or not to eat the weird-looking pastries? watch. The larva is aquatic and overwinters un- Who dropped these acorns and why? Looking at Can we rescue the poor puppy, but how? Th e bold derwater. It is the following summer that it be- them carefully I spotted a small hole right under and clear illustrations surely enhance the choices! comes a dragonfl y. A precise observation picture each cap. What’s with these little holes? An exper- *KOR book on the ecology of Ebony Jewelwings. iment starts to fi nd out about acorn weevils. A TRIP ON A MONORAIL FAMILIAR MEDICINAL PLANTS LET’S COOK THE JAPANESE by Mitsu Mineo by Kumiko Yonemoto SURIMI-BASED PRODUCTS Have you ever been on a monorail train? It is an Grandma tells us about the medicinal plants by Noriyuki Kasahara NON-FICTION BOOKS elevated railway system with trains suspended found at the hill and pond in the rear of her Have you ever heard of the word SURIMI? It is minced from a single rail. It carries people from a terminal house. She lives harmoniously with them so her fi sh mashed into a paste. With the trend of healthy Jap- station to a neighboring town on the shore. You backyard serves her as a medicine cabinet.The anese food, this name is starting to win its recognition can view the towns from above as if you were a plants come out from spring towards summer. worldwide. What kind of food is made from SURIMI? bird. Th e rails are built to fi t the landscape below Takashi and Mitchan learn how effective some Let’s fi nd out with two youngsters. SURIMI turns out bending and rolling as needed. During the trip in plants can be and that Mother Nature is amaz- to be diff erent food depending on the cooking method; this book, you can see how monorails operate and ingly strong, abundant and helpful. steaming, broiling and deep frying. Th is indeed comes experience their charm. from the wisdom of Japanese cooking. Ages 5-6 LOOK! YOUR FINGER IS THE JAPANESE CRAYFISH WHAT CAN WE MAKE OUT CHANGING! by Tadashi Kawai & Toshifumi Nonaka OF A PAPER BAG? by Atsuko Uda illustrated by Kumeo Asai by Katsu Kiuchi So, there is a hole in this book.