Folklore

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Johnston, Tony THE BADGER AND THE MAGIC FAN (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1990 $13.95)
Charmingly illustrated by Tomie dePaola, this rollicking version of a Japanese trickster tale pits the wiley badger against three mischievous tengu children. A blockbuster read-aloud.

Kimmel, Eric A. THE GREATEST OF ALL (Holiday House, 1991 $14.95)
A mouse father, in search of the mightiest husband for his daughter, approaches the emperor, the sun, a cloud, the wind and a wall before the unexpected victor finally appears.
Eric Kimmel is a longtime favorite author in addition to being the 1997 ASIJ visiting author. As an Eric Kimmel story and a story about Japan, The Greatest of All was bound to be popular at ASIJ. However, it also stands on its own merits as a well-documented, well-told tale.

Long, Jan Freeman THE BEE AND THE DREAM (Dutton's Children's Books, 1996 $15.99) Shin buys his friend Tasuke's dream from him and goes in search of the predicted fortune, only to be disappointed until, upon returning home, he receives a wonderful surprise.
In addition to being a lovely retelling of a satisfying tale, this book is beautifully illustrated in the iwa-enogu style by a noted Japanese illustrator. Another plus for those who take their folklore seriously, is the detailed source note documenting the story's authenticity.

Wells, Ruth THE FARMER AND THE POOR GOD: A FOLKTALE FROM JAPAN (Simon & Schuster, 1996 $16.00)
A poor god living in the attic of an unsuccessful family prepares to move with them and causes a reversal of their fortunes.
From the team that created A TO ZEN, this is an amusing story of superstition and luck. Japanese words are highlighted and defined in context, unfortunately there is no pronunciation guide.

Yagawa, Sumiko THE CRANE WIFE (Mulberry Books, 1979 $18.75)
After Yohei tends a wounded crane, a beautiful young woman begs to become his wife and three times weaves for him an exquisite silken fabric on her loom.
Elegantly translated by Katherine Paterson, enhanced by evocative illustrations, this is the most appealing version we've come across of this well known traditional story. A glossary is included.

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